Bożena Sikora
Annales Zoologici 64 (2), 131-250, (1 June 2014) https://doi.org/10.3161/000345414x682463
KEYWORDS: Acari, Zerconidae, Nearctic region, North America, soil fauna
The fauna of zerconid mites (Acari: Mesostigmata: Zerconidae) of the Nearctic region is comprehensively revised. All known 69 species grouped in 26 genera occurring in the Nearctic region are examined. Five new genera are proposed: Betaechinozercon gen. nov., Neoechinozercon gen. nov., Paramixozercon gen. nov., Rafaskas gen. nov., and Whartonas gen. nov. Twelve new species are described: Amerozercon briareus sp. nov., Bakeras evansi sp. nov., Microzercon yamoriae sp. nov., Paramixozercon alaskanus sp. nov., P. aoki sp. nov., Rafaskas blaszaki sp. nov., Zercon lucidus sp. nov., Z. manitous sp. nov., Z. morazae sp. nov., Z. raveni sp. nov., Z. oregonus sp. nov., and Z. skorackii sp. nov. The following new combinations are proposed: Blaszakiella mahunkai (Ujvári, 2013) comb. nov., B. pardus (Ujvári, 2013) comb. nov., Paramixozercon jasoniana (Díaz-Aguilar et Ujvári, 2010) comb. nov., P. albertanensis (Díaz-Aguilar et Ujvári, 2010) comb. nov., P. borealis (Díaz-Aguilar et Ujvári, 2010) comb. nov., Betaechinozercon americanus (Błaszak, 1982) comb. nov., Neoblaszakiella alaskaensis (Ujvári, 2013) comb. nov., N. luiseae (Ujvári, 2013) comb. nov., N. nudus (Ujvári, 2013) comb. nov., and Whartonas krantzi (Błaszak, 1980) comb. nov. The genera, Mixozercon Halašková, 1963 and Echinozercon Błaszak, 1976 are excluded from the list of the Nearctic zerconid genera. Keys to the zerconid genera and all Nearctic species are provided. Main aspects of the zoogeography of the family Zerconidae are discussed.