First records and descriptions of the marine littoral mite genus Amhyadesia Fain and Ganning 1979 (Acari : Astigmata : Hyadesiidae) from southern Africa

Abstract

Three species of the rocky-shore inhabiting mite genus Amhyadesia Fain and Ganning 1979 (Acari, Astigmata. Hyadesiidae) were present in collections made across the extent of the southern African sub-continent, from Elandsbaai on the west coast to Inhambane (Mozambique) on the east coast. Two are new species, A austafricana spec. nov. and A. elizabethensis spec. nov., and are described herein. The third species, A heferophallus, collected from the east coast only, is widely-distributed throughout the Indo-Pacific region.