Department of Entomology, Agricultural College and Research Institute, Trichirappalli-620 009, Tamil Nadu (India).
*Address for correspondence: Agricultural Research station (TNAU), Aliyarnagar-642 101, District Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu (India).
Two phoretic deutonymph mites, Poecilochirus rutellae and P. coleophorae associated with coleopteran beetles, viz., Anomala dorsalis (Rutellidae) and Phyllognathus dionysius (Scarabaeidae) are described from Tamil Nadu (India). These were collected from light trap. The new mites are large sized, pale brown in colour and found actively moving along the head, thorax and ventral surface of the body. The deutonymphs were found firmly attached singly on the hairy regions of the venter. In Poecilochirus rutellae sp. nov., the dorsal surface is covered by podonotal and opisthonotal shields with distinct reticulate patterns. Podonotal shield with 21 and opisthonotal shield with 13 acicular and pilose sctae. Setae j4, z4 and r3 are longer, stout and pilose distally. Sternal shield with reticulate ornamentation. Thirty-six pairs of ventral setae present on the opisthogastric integument. Tritosternum bifid and pectinate. Epistome with central and lateral non serrated elements. Absence of spurs in leg II. P. coleophorae sp. nov. can be distinguished from other allied species in having idiosoma reticulate, podonotal shield with 32 and opisthonotal shield with 15 pairs of acicular or pilose setae. Setae j1 thin pilose; j3, j4 and z5 are thick stout, broad and pectinate; r3 is the longest seta of the podonotal shield. Tritosternum bifid and pectinate. Epistome branched with smooth margin; the middle branch with serrated margin.
