Afroleius chistyakovi (Acari: Oribatida: Punctoribatidae), a new oribatid mite species from Malawi

Abstract

A new species, Afroleius chistyakovi sp.n. (Oribatida: Punctoribatidae), is described from sifted plant litter collected in a highland forest of Malawi. This is the first record of oribatid mite genus Afroleius Mahunka, 1984 in Malawi. The new spe­cies differs from a related species, Afroleius valerieae, in body size, surface pattern and depressions, as well as the length and morphology of the rostral and interlamellar setae.