Taxonomic contribution to the knowledge of the oribatid mite subgenus Scheloribates (Perscheloribates) (Acari, Oribatida, Scheloribatidae)

Abstract

A new species of Scheloribates (Perscheloribates) (Oribatida, Scheloribatidae) – S. (P.) oromiaensis sp. n. – is described from mosses on the swamp at the top of the mountain in Arsi Mountains National Park, Ethiopia; the new species differs from the related species S. (P.) ethiopicus by the larger body size, rounded rostrum and pedotectum II, the absence of prolamella, and the presence of aggenital seta. The taxonomic status of Perscheloribates is discussed, resulting in the supporting of it on the subgeneric level within Scheloribates. An identification key to known species of Scheloribates (Perscheloribates) from the Afrotropical region is provided.