Steganacarus

van der Hammen, L., 1959, Berlese's Primitive Oribatid Mites, Zoologische Verhandelingen 40, pp. 1-93 : 41-42

Steganacarus Ewing, 1917

Hoplophora , Berlese, 1892d, fasc. 67 (5).

Steganacarus Ewing, 1917, pp. 125, 130.

Atropacarus Ewing, 1917, pp. 125, 130.

Trachyhoplophora Berlese, 1923, p. 257.

Species of the present genus have been listed with the genera Hoplophora C. L. Koch, Hoploderma Michael, Steganacarus Ewing, Atropacarus Ewing, and Trachyhoplophora Berlese.

C. L. Koch used the name Hoplophora in 1836 when he described two species: Hoplophora decumana (now Oribotritia ) and Hoplophora stricula (now Steganacarus ). In 1842 C. L. Koch published a diagnosis of the genus:, and designated Hoplophora laevigata C. L. Koch (1841) as type.

Because the name Hoplophora appeared to be preocupied (Hoplophora Perty, Orthoptera ), Michael (1898) gave the new name Hoploderma to the genus. In the present case it is of no importance that Michael regarded laevigata as a possible synonym of " Phthiracarus " nudus , so that we can follow the general use that laevigata is also the type of Hoploderma .

Opinion 204 of the "Opinions and declarations rendered by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature" deals with Koch's designation of types. In the present case (type-species described in 1841, two other species in 1836) it will be necessary to submit an application to the Commission for the use of the Plenary Powers, because adoption of the rules (i.e. to place Oribotritia in the synonymy of Hoploderma ) would lead to instability and confusion; the possibility of this use is mentioned in the opinion in question.

Because Hoploderma Michael (1898) has laevigata as type, it must be placed in the synonymy of Phthiracarus Perty (1839) of which, according to Jacot (1930, p. 211), the type ( P. contractilis Perty , 1841) is a synonym of laevigata . Further notes on the genus Phthiracarus are given below.

Although the name Hoploderma has been in use for some time for the present genus, most authors followed Jacot (1930) in accepting the correct name Steganacarus Ewing, 1917 (type: Hoplophora anomala Berlese ). Ewing (1917) also described the genus Atropacarus (type: Hoplophora stricula C. L. Koch ); this genus is not yet sufficiently characterized. In 1923 Berlese created Trachyhoplophora , a subgenus of Phthiracarus (!), with Hoplophora magna Nicolet as type; because magna is related to anomala , Trachyhoplophora becomes a synonym of Steganacarus .

Berlese's species can be arranged in some groups that are based on the general habitus: anomalus , magnus , applicatus ( Steganacarus s.str.); phyllophorus (related to Hoplophorella , but dif ferent in the arrangement of the anal hairs); clavigerus , vitrinum , remigerus , somalicus (? Atropacarus ); pardinus and rapax (which have a superficial resemblance to anomalus and magnus , but are different in several characters).