First Record of Protogamasellus mica (Athias-Henriot) (Acari: Mesostigmata: Ascidae) from Japan, with a Description of the Male

Abstract

Females and males of Protogamasellus mica (Athias-Henriot, 1961) were collected from the soil of spinach-cultivated fields in greenhouses located in Hokkaido, northern Japan. This is not only the first record of the genus Protogamasellus Karg, 1962, in Japan but is also the first description of the P. mica male. The new Japanese name of “Kubiremayoidani” is proposed. Intraspecific variation was apparent in the lengths of the idiosoma and dorsal setae in females, and in the shape of the ventrianal shield in males.