A large parasitengonid mite (Acari, Erythraeoidea) from the Early Cretaceous Crato Formation of Brazil

Abstract

A new large, fossil mite (Arachnida: Acari), Pararainbowia martilli n. gen. n. sp., is described from the Early Cretaceous (Aptian) Crato Formation from Ceara State, Brazil. It is assigned to the Cohort Parasitengona and the superfamily Erythraeoidea, some extant members of which can reach up to seven millimetres in body length. Given that doubts have been raised about the identity of putative Crato feather mite eggs, this new fossil represents the first unequivocal record of Acari from the Crato Formation, the first non-amber record of an erythraeoid mite and the oldest named example of this superfamily. Fossil erythraeoids from Mesozoic and Tertiary ambers are briefly reviewed including a widely overlooked Late Cretaceous species with comments on Mesozoic mites in general. Thirteen Baltic amber erythraeoids have been formally described, but much unstudied material from various amber sources remains.