Flexa

Mahunka, S., 1987, A survey of the family Carabodidae C. L. Koch, 1836 (Acari: Oribatida), II, Acta Zoologica Hungarica 33, pp. 399-434 : 399

I. THE GENUS FLEXA KULIJEV, 1977

The genus was separated from Carabodes C. L. Koch, 1836 on the basis of two Kulijev's species, designating C. dubius Kulijev, 1968 as the type of the genus.

Kulijev (1977: 64) emphasized in his differential diagnosis three main characters:

1. Shoulder with a sharp anterior projection emerging before the dorsosejugal suture.

2. Setae c2 directed forwards, setiform, over twice longer than the others.

3. Trochanter and femur strongly dilated.

Since I had not examined the type-series I accepted Kulijev's opinion, but I remarked (Mahunka 1986: 92) that the most important character for this taxon is the position of the adanal lyrifissure. Of these four characters in my key for the Carabodid genera I used only the direction of setae c2 and the position of the lyrifissure as distinguishing features.

Meanwhile I have examined the value and the applicability of these and other characters within the family Carabodidae , and I have found that the shape of the shoulder and that of the trochanters or the femora III and IV is highly variable also in the other species of the genus Carabodes or in other genera, e.g. Austrocarabodes , Gibbicepheus . The direction of the anterior setae of the notogaster c2 and la is also varying, and the setae directed forwards are known in some other genera, too. On this basis the status of the genus Flexa is highly uncertain, therefore, the revision of this genus is necessary. I have found some specimens of a species collected in the Caucasus (Soviet Union) which well correspond the description with of Carabodes (Flexa) dubius Kulijev , 1968, I give the redescription of the species hereunder, and propose to outline my points of view concerning the genus Flexa . On the basis of above discussion I establish that the genus Flexa Kulijev , 1977 is a junior synonym of the genus Carabodes C. L. Koch, 1836.