NO. 6 CHIGGER SUBGENUS GAHRLIEPIA — TRAUB AND MORROW 5 



that in cetraia the four false scutal setae (the usurped setae) were in 

 reahty submedian in position, not marginal. Gater's original figure 

 (1932) is also incorrect insofar as the holotype is concerned, as Fuller 

 (1952) points out, although Fuller made no nomenclatorial changes. 

 Womersley (1952) and other authors, without access to type mate- 

 rial, assumed Gater's drawing was correct. This means that only 

 nanus remains in the genus Gahrliepia if the position of the usurped 

 setae is a valid distinction. In our opinion, the character is a wholly 

 superficial one and not even worthy of subgeneric rank. Those Gahr- 

 liepia with a scrobiculate ("ornate") scutum, i.e., one adorned with 

 very large pits or scrobiculi (cf. fig. 94, scrobiculate, and fig. 5, non- 

 scrobiculate), can be separated at a glance from the forms with a 

 nonmodified scutum. It would seem that such a great morphological 

 distinction would be a far superior criterion for grouping the species 

 into genera than is the position of the usurped setae. However, six 

 of the ornate species included in this paper would fall into Gateria 

 and five into Gahrliepia. For these reasons, Gateria is considered by 

 us to be synonym of the subgenus Gahrliepia. The subgenus Gahr- 

 liepia may be defined as follows : Gahrliepiine chiggers in which four 

 or more dorsal abdominal setae have been usurped by the scutum so 

 that there is at least a total of 8 scutal setae.^ Scutum produced 

 posteriorly beyond PLs (see list of abbreviations, below) so that SD 

 is thrice or more than A-P (except for G. saduski Womersley, 1952). 

 Galeal seta nude. Palpal coxal seta plumose. Palpal femoral seta 

 usually barbed. 



LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS 



AL length * of anterolateral seta. 

 ALs the anterolateral setae. 



A-P distance between bases of anterolateral and posterolateral setae. 

 A.P. anal plate. 

 ASB perpendicular distance between a line connecting sensillary bases and 



anteriormost margin of scutum. 

 AW distance between bases of anterolateral setae. 



B symbol for a seta that is heavily branched or barbed. 

 b a seta that is sparsely branched, i.e., only 3 to 6 barbs. 

 C.C. central core, a rather dense patch of small scrobiculi in the middle of 



the scutum which differ from marginal scrobiculi. 

 D.S. length of typical dorsal seta. 



2 An occasional specimen of G. saduski has only 6 scutal setae. The presence 

 of 4 or 5 setae on coxa III separates this species from all other Gahrliepia 

 (Gahrliepia) and from all G. (Schongastiella) except G. (S.) kalrata Traub 

 and Evans 1954, which is readily distinguishable otherwise. 



* All measurements expressed in microns. 



