A newly described oribatid species reveals cues to understanding the origin of ptyctimous mite fauna of Canarias Archipelago (Acari: Phthiracaroidea)

We present an integrative description (including extensive graphic data and DNA barcode) of a new species of the oribatid genus Phthiracarus, based on material recently collected in La Gomera island of Canarias Archipelago. A current list of ptyctimous oribatid mites recovered from La Gomera and the Canaries in general is presented. A phylogenetic hypothesis regarding the affinity of the new species within its genus is proposed and discussed based on molecular and morphological data. The newly described species is most probably endemic to Canarias and might have emerged due to the divergence of a locally migrated population of another, otherwise continental species. As similar (and parallel) processes were proposed for Azores and Madeira, it seems plausible that ptyctimous faunas of all three Atlantic archipelagos have been formed as a result of historically independent dispersal events.