Molecular Phylogeny of Acerentomidae (Protura), with Description of Acerentuloides bernardi sp. nov. from North America

The closely related genera Acerentulus Berlese, 1908 and AcerentuloidesEwing, 1921 are represented in the USA by only 3 species: Acerentulus confinis (Berlese, 1908), Acerentulus christensoni (Ewing, 1940), and Acerentuloides americanus (Ewing, 1924). Study of proturan material from North America yielded a new species belonging to Acerentuloides. The new species is characterized by the absence of seta sd4 on the head, presence of a minute apical median seta on abdominal legs II and III, unique shape of maxillary gland with distal row of clustered globules, presence of setae modified as short, thickened sensilla (sd5 on head, β1 and δ4 on foretarsus, setae P4 on metanotum and A2 on thoracic sterna, and accessory setae on tergites and sternites I–VI), absence of seta P1a on abdominal tergites I–VI, foretarsal sensillum b longer than c, and presence of psl pores only on tergite VI. Molecular sequences for several Acerentomidae, including A. confinis, were used to develop hypotheses about species relationships within Acerentomidae.