H. S. Fuller and G. W. Wharton.
The Generic Names Blankaartia Oudemans, 1911 and Trombiculoides Jacot, 1938 (Acari: Trombiculidae).
Psyche 58(2):85-88, 1951.

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THE GENERIC NAMES BLANKAARTIA OUDEMANS,
1911, AND TROMBICULOIDES JACOT, 1938
(ACARI : TROMBICULIDAE)
BY H. S. FULLER^ and G. W. WHARTON:~
The generic names of trombiculid mites have been studied recently by several acarologists. Two of the genera have been based on specimens that were incorrectly identified, so that they fall in the category of genera based on mis- identified genotypes. The question of what to do concern- ing these names was referred to Mr. Francis Hemming, Secretary of the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature. In a letter, he indicated that the concluding portion of Opinion 168 (namely, the portion which states that, where a genus is considered by specialists to be based on a misidentified type species, that name is to be regarded as of doubtful status pending a definite ruling being given by the Commission in the light of data submitted to it by interested specialists) will be omitted from the revision of the rules of zoological nomenclature in which the opinions will be incorporated with the rules. It is therefore neces- sary either to apply the principle established in Opinion 168 that designations of type species for genera must stand, or to refer the case to the Commission for use of their plenary powers to suspend the rules. Since the Commission can use its plenary powers only when strict application of the rules will result in greater confusion than uniformity, the type designations for the genera Blankaartia and Trombiculoides must be accepted.
Oudemans, 1911, designated Trombidium niloticum Tra- ggrdh, 1904, as type of a new genus Blankaartia (Ent. Done both at Harvard University and Duke University in connection with research supported by grants-in-aid from the Division of Research Grants and Fellowships of the National Institutes of Health, U. S. Public Health Service.
2Department of Microbiology, Harvard University School of Public Health.
"Department of Zoology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina. Ps~chr 58:B5-88 (1951). hup //psyche rinclub orgttW58-085 html



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86 Psyche [June
Ber. 3 :123). His description of the genus was based on specimens purported to be the larvae of Trombidium niloti- cum by Tragirdh, although Tragirdh stated that the evi- dence associating these larvae with adults of Trombidium niloticum was circumstantial and therefore not conclusive. In fact, these larvae can now be recognized as belonging in a different family from the adults. However, according- to the rules Blankaartia must retain as genotype Trombi- dium niloticum Tragirdh, 1904.
Berlese, 1912, proposed the subgeneric name Tragdrdh- ula with the type T. nilotica
(Trag.) (Redia 8 :4). Since
Blankaartia and Trag&dhula are based on the same type species they are synonyms..
Thor, 1936, proposed the generic name Pentagonella with Trombidium ardeae Tragiirdh, 1904, as type. On the basis of morphological characteristics and geographical consid- erations it is quite possible that T. ardeae and T. niloticum are synonyms. However, only rearing experiments will be able to establish their identity. The work of Michener, 1946, has demonstrated that T. niloticum and T. ardeae are con- generic if not conspecific. Therefore Pentagonella Thor, 1936, is also a synonym of Blankaartia.
Michener, 1946, reports rearing specimens of Trornbicula (Megatrombicula) alleei Ewing, 1926 ; Trom bicula (Mega- trombicula) velascoi Boshell and Kerr, 1942 ; and Trombi- cula (Megatrombicula) attenuata Michener, 1946. These species he places in the subgenus Megatrombicula Michener, 1946, with Trombicula, alleei Ewing, 1926, as type. These three species are also congeneric with T. niloticam. Womersley, 1948, added to the confusion by trying to set- tle the problem in his own manner without proper regard for the International Rules on Zoological Nomenclature. He accepts as the genotype of Blankaartia the species repre- sented by the larva thought to be Trombidium niloticuw, Tragirdh by Oudemans. He refers to this species as Blanka- artia nilotica (Trag. ) on page 83 and as Blankaartia nilotica (Ouds.) on page 84. Actually the species represented by these larvae does not yet have a name. In the same paper Womersley used Tragirdhula nilotica as the valid name
for Trombidium niloticum Tragirdh.




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19511 Fuller and Wharton - Trombiculidcbe 87 As for the generic names involved, strict application of the rules of priority leads to the following conclusion. Blankaartia Oudemans, 1911 (Type Trombidium niloticum Tragirdh, 1904) has priority over TrdgardhuZa Berlese, 1912 (Type Trombidium niloticum Tragirdh, 1904) ; Penta- gonella, Thor, 1936 (Type Trombidium ardeae Tragirdh, 1904) ; and Megatrombicula Michener, 1946 (Type Trom- bicda alleei Ewing, 1938). All of these names should be applied at the subgeneric level at the present time. The proper name of the species named Trombidiztm niloticum, by Tragirdh is therefore Trombicula (Blankaartia} nilo- tica (Tragiirdh) , 1904.
The species represented by the larvae associated with T. nilotica (Tragirdh) has never been named. It is therefore necessary to name this species. It is a trombidiid and prob- ably belongs to the subfamily Microtrombidiinae. The adult must be known before the species can be assigned with cer- tainty to a subfamily.
Pseudoblankaartia n. gen.
Pseudo blankaartia is characterized by Oudemans, 19 12, Zool. Jahrb., Supp. 14 : 118-1 19 under the name Blankaartia. The type of Pseudoblankaartia n. gen. is hereby designated as PseudobLanbrtiu bequaerti n. sp.
Pseudoblankaartia b,equaerti n. sp.
P. bequaerti is characterized by Oudemans, 1912, Zool. Jahrb., Supp. 14: 119-122 + Figure H. As type of the species we designate the specimen from which Oudemans prepared Figure H.
A similar but less confusing condition exists in the case of Trombiculoides Jacot, 1938. Wharton, 1948, explains the details. Now that the portion of Opinion 168 mentioned above has been repudiated, Ewing's 1946 solution of the problem is correct and Trombiculoides Jacot, 1938 should be considered a synonym of Sericothrombium Berlese, 1910. BERLESE, A.
1913. Trombidiidae Prospetto dei generi e delle specie finora noti. Redia, 8 : 1-291.




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Psyche
[June
EWING, H. E.
1946 Notes on the taxonomy of three genera of trombiculid mites (Chigger mites), together with the description of a new genus. Biol. Soc. Wash. Proc., 59:69-72. JACOT, ARTHUR PAUL
1938 Thomas Say's free-living mites rediscovered. Psyche, 45:121-132. MICHENER, C. D.
1946 The taxonomy and bionomics of a new subgenus of chigger mites (Acarina, Trombiculinae) . Ent. Soc. Amer. Annals, 39:431-445. OUDEMANS, A. C.
1911 Arcarologische Aanteekeningen XXXV. Ent. Ber., 3:118-126. 1912 Die bis jetzt bhekannten Larven von Thrombidiinae und Erytlu-a- eidae. Zool, Jahrb., Suppl., 14: 1-230.
1913 Acarologische Aanteekeningen XLVI. Ent. Ber., 3:333-340. THoR, SIG
1936 Neue Gattungen in der Familie Thrombidiidae W. E. Leach 1814. Zool. Anz, 114:29-32.
TRAGARDH, IVAR
1904 Results Swedish Zoological Expedition to Egypt and the White Nile 1901. Acariden aus Agypten und dem Sudan. 20:l-124. 4- tables and figures.
WHARTON, G. W.
1948 The generic name TromUculoides Jacot, 1938. Psyche, 55 : 139-140. WOMERSLEY, H.
The genus Tragardhula Berlese 1912 (Acarina Trombiculidae) . Trans. ROY. SOC. S. Aust., 72:83-90.




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