First Record of Maculobates (Acari: Oribatida: Liebstadiidae) from Japan, with a Redescription Based on Specimens from the Ryukyu Archipelago

Abstract

Maculobates bruneiensis Ermilov, Chatterjee and Marshall, 2013, formerly known only from Brunei, was collected from the islands of Okinawa and Iriomote in southern Japan. The described specimens represent the first recorded presence of any species of Maculobates in Japan. A molecular phylogenetic analysis of M. bruneiensis and other oribatid mites based on 18S rRNA does not support the monophyly of Scheloribates, Haplozetidae, or Fortuyniidae, but they do support the monophyly of Oripodoidea.