Meristacarus porcula Grandjean, 1934

Schatz, H. & Schuster, R., 2012, First Records Of Lohmanniidae (Acari: Oribatida) From The Bermuda Islands, Acarologia 52 (3), pp. 247-257 : 251

Meristacarus porcula Grandjean, 1934

Grandjean 1934: 35, f. 7-10; Balogh and Balogh 1987: 340, pl. 22D; 1988: 56, pl. 37C; 2002a: 69; 2002b: pl. 122:9; Schatz 1994b: 278.

Dimensions: adult (n=1) 930 x 580 µm.

Surface finely punctate. Sensillus with 16-18 short branches. Transverse bands on notogaster hardly visible, but corresponding to the speciesspecific pattern ( Grandjean 1934). Notogastral setae long, c1 205 µm, not reaching the lateral margin of notogaster, c3, ps1 240 µm.

Remarks: The single specimen found in Bermuda corresponds to the original description ( Grandjean 1934) and to the specimens found in Galapagos and Central America ( Schatz 1994b) in most respects and are considered conspecific. The body size of the Bermuda specimen is slightly smaller than the population from the Galapagos Islands (length 1020 – 1070 µm) and from Cocos Island (990 – 1065 µm). Grandjean (1934) reports a length of 950 – 1030 µm; Balogh and Balogh (1987) of 940 – 1090 µm.

Record from Bermuda: BE 310: 1 adult .

General distribution: Numerous reports from Central and South America: Panama, Guatemala, Martinique, Costa Rica: Cocos Island, Ecuador: Galapagos Islands ( Schatz 1994b), Eastern Peru ( Grandjean 1934, Balogh 1962); Africa: Ghana ( Wallwork 1962); Philippines ( Corpuz-Raros 1979). A widely distributed cirumtropical species, primarily litter inhabiting, in grasslands, plantations and secondary forests ( Corpuz-Raros 1979), also in the littoral zone ( Schatz 1994b); first record for Bermuda.