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ABSTRACT
Two new species of oribatid mites of the genus Pseudotocepheus (Oribatida, Otocepheidae) are described from litter and soil in New Zealand. Pseudotocepheus whanganuiensis sp. nov. differs from its most similar species Pseudotocepheus curtiseta by the presence of nine pairs of notogastral setae and long notogastral setae. Pseudotocepheus richmondensis sp. nov. differs from similar to it Pseudotocepheus vicarius in having thickened, erect notogastral setae. An identification key to species of Pseudotocepheus from the Australian region is given.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:903EEC1F-D857-4D4A-A5FC-12A610CC8770
Acknowledgments
We acknowledge the kind help of Mr. Cleland Wallace (Massey University) during collection of samples from Manawatu-Whanganui. Donald and Bunty Ladley (Karanga, 88 Valley, Wakefield) provided their home as a base during collection of samples from the Mount Richmond Forest Park, we thank them for their invaluable help. We also thank Alastair Robertson (School of Agriculture & Environment, Massey University, New Zealand) for help with fieldwork and plant identification, Peter Beveridge (The Museum of New Zealand, Te Papa Tongarewa) for identification of mosses, and two reviewers for valuable comments. The New Zealand Department of Conservation, Whanganui District Council, and Tokomaru East Company provided permissions to access and sample the field sites.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.