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An undescribed species of Pelzneria (Acari, Histiostomatidae) phoretic on the burying beetle, Nicrophorus concolor Kraatz (Coleoptera, Silphidae) in Asia
Nicrophorus concolor Kraatz is a large burying beetle widely distributed in East Asia including Japan, and well known for the habit of burying dead small vertebrates to feed their offspring. Taxonomic research on hististomatid deutonymphs phoretic on this beetle has revealed that they are classified into seven distinct species all new to science, one of which was already described by us under the name Pelzneria uncinata. Now, we give an account of another new species of Pelzneria phoretic on N. concolor in Japan, mainland China and Taiwan. The deutonymphs of the new species are found frequently together with P. uncinata, but, unlike this species, in various, more or less cryptic places on the body surface of the beetle, which indicates that the new species does not show distinct preference of location on the host beetle. The present new species is easily distinguished from the known congeners by hysterosomal dorsum with anterior margin widely and arcuately protruded medially and crenate laterally, unusual forward displacement of dorsal hysterosomal setae d1, notably stout setae f, p and r on tarsus III, extremely long terminal seta e on tarsus IV, and so forth. The feeding stages of this mite are considered to feed on the carcasses of small vertebrates buried by adult N. concolor.
