Meyeraepalpus
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Fig. 1. Meyeraepalpus delfinadae female dorsum. |
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Fig. 2. Meyeraepalpus delfinadae female anterior margin of prodorsum, indicating triangular lobes and concavity. |
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Fig. 3. Meyeraepalpus delfinadae female, posterior venter, indicating genital region and 3 pairs of ps setae. |
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Fig. 4. Meyeraepalpus delfinadae female leg III, indicating femur (fe) with dorsal seta d absent. |
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Fig. 5. Meyeraepalpus delfinadae male palp indicating swollen solenidion. |
Key characters
- with the full complement of dorsal setae (Fig. 1)
- e2 and f2 inserted in a submarginal position (Fig. 1), not inserted on the margin
- h2 not elongate
- gnathosoma partially concealed beneath anterior margin of prodorsum
- anterior margin of prodorsum with a pair of triangular shaped lobes anterior to setae v2, often within into the prodorsum, forming a concavity (Fig. 2)
- ventral plate weakly developed, membranous (Fig. 3)
- 3 pairs ps setae usually inserted in a more or less longitudinal line (Fig. 3)
- 5 segmented palp (Fig. 2)
- true claws uncinate (claw-like)
- femur III with dorsal seta d absent (Fig. 4)
- male with swollen solenidia on palp and tarsi (Fig. 5)
Similar taxa
Aegyptobia - gnathosoma fully exposed, not conealed beneath prodorsum; seta d present on femur III; solenidia on males of similar size and shape to those of female
Pentamerismus - e2, f2 (when present) inserted along lateral margin
Palpipalpus - 2 pairs ps setae; e2, f2 inserted in almost marginal position
Phytoptipalpus - 2 pairs ps setae
Number of species
One - M. delfinadae
Authority
Smiley, Frost and Gerson
Distribution
Australia
Hosts
Allocasuarina muelleriana (Casuarinaceae)
Colour
all stages are red, including eggs.
Remarks
Smiley, Frost and Gerson (1996) described Meyeraepalpus delfinadae as the type species of their new genus Meyeraepalpus, which at the time also included Magdalenapalpus strandtmanni. Mesa et al. (2009) moved Meyeraepalpus delfinadae to Aegyptobia. As delfinadae was the type species of Meyeraepalpus, the move meant that Meyeraepalpus no longer existed, and they erected a new genus Magdalenapalpus to accommodate strandtmanni. After further investigation by Beard, Seeman and Bauchan (2014), it was revealed that delfinadae does not belong in Aegyptobia either, and they placed the species placed back in its original genus Meyeraepalpus.
