Primagistemus gen. nov. (Acari: Prostigmata: Stigmaeidae)

Primagistemus gen. nov. (Acari: Stigmaeidae) is described and its taxonomic position discussed. Adult females of this new genus are distinguished from those of Agistemus by having four pairs of setae on the propodosomal shield, by lacking postocular bodies, by having three pairs of aggenital setae and by having two setae on genu II. They are also distinguished from those of Stigmaeus by the terminal eupathidia on the palptarsus mostly fused and subterminally separated into three minute prongs, by both subcapitular setae posterolaterad of the pharynx, by having only one seta on coxa II, and by lacking endopodal shields around coxae III-IV. A new species, Primagistemus wuyiensis, from leaves of Araucaria sp. in Fujian Province of China, is described and illustrated. This new species is distinguished from the other species of the genus from New Zealand, Primagistemus loadmani (Wood) comb. nov. (transferred from Stigmaeus), by the distally truncated dorsal body setae and by setal lengths.