Hoplophthiracarus variolosus (Berlese, 1888)

Hoplophora variolosa Berlese, 1888h, p. 218 (sep. p. 48), pl. 13 fig. 6.

Hoploderma variolosum, Berlese, in: Berlese & Leonardi, 1901, p. 12.

Phthiracarus variolosus, Lombardini, 1936, p. 47.

Two preparations of the species are present in the Berlese Collection: 31/28 (type, Matto-grosso, Brazil) and 21/13 (S. Vinzenzo, Chile). The specimen recorded in 1901 from Buenos Aires is apparently no more present; it is, however, also possible that slide no. 21/13 bears a wrong label, because H. variolosus is not mentioned in the list of mites from Chile (Berlese & Leonardi, 1903).

The structure of the tegument of the species reminds of Steganacarus, but the flattened, retracted anal covers and the erect interlamellar hairs point to Hoplophthiracarus .

The sensillus is thickened towards the end, but the top is blunt. In the original Latin description the organ is described as "runcata"; Oudemans (1915a, p. 234) translated it as smooth, but probably "runcata" is a misprint for "truncata".