Onychopalpida 39 



opening which is closed by two plates in the male and four in the 

 female. 



Figure 33 Holothyrus longipes 

 Thorell, 1882. Ventral view of 

 the male. (After Hirst 1922) 



Genus: 



Holothyrus Gervais, 1842 



Type. Holothyrus coccinella Gervais, 1842 



Discussion: Species of Holothyrus are found in New Guinea, Ceylon, 

 AustraUa, and islands in the Indian Ocean. The habits and life history 

 of holothyrids are unknown. On Mauritius, Hirst 1922 records the fact 

 that a Holothyrus is fairly common and that the irritant poison that 

 they secrete is reported to cause the death of ducks and geese that 

 swallow them. He also mentions that children suffer ill effects from the 

 poison of these mites. 



References: 



Hirst, S. 1922. Mites injurious to domestic animals. Econ. Ser. British 



Mus. (Nat. Hist.). 13:1-107. 

 Thon, K. 1906. Die aiissere Morphologie und die Systematik der Holothy- 



riden. Zool. Jahrb., Syst. 23:677-724 + Pis. 28-29. 

 Womersley, H. 1935. A species of Acarina of the genus Holothyrus from 



Australia and New Zealand. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. 16:151-154. 



