sp. n., a New Subcortical Mite Species (Acari: Acaridae), with a COX1 DNA Sequence Analysis of Several Economically Important Species of .

As part of a survey of the subcortical astigmatic mites of Crimea, we discovered a new sexual acarid species, sp. n. This species was cultured in the laboratory to correlate the adult and deutonymphal stages. Using specimens obtained by these rearing experiments, we provide a detailed description of (light microscopy, SEM) based on females, males and heteromorphic deutonymphs. Furthermore, to facilitate molecular identification, the entire COX1 gene was also sequenced for this and three other Palearctic species reared in the lab as pure cultures. Adults of sp. n. are distinct among all other species of the genus by the presence of flattened, button-shaped or minute spiniform setae III and IV, which are well-developed spiniform in all other known species of . Heteromorphic deutonymphs of are distinct from all other species of by the presence of well-developed setae on the dorsal part of the subcapitular remnant (absent all other species). is morphologically very similar to ; however, COX1 K2P distances between these two species were large, 19.8%. COX1 K2P distances between and other species (, "" NC 066986.1, , ) ranged between 20.1 and 24.3%. We show that the GenBank sequence of . "" from China (NC 066986.1) was probably misidentified.