'n Taksonomies-ekologiese studie van die superfamilie Eupodoidea (Acari:Prostigmata) van Suider-Afrika

Abstract

A taxonomic survey of the Eupodoidea of southern Africa was undertaken. The a-taxonomic study or microtaxonomy (~ayr & Ashlock, 1991) was supplemented with computer aided taxonomic studies. The DELTA-system (DEscription _kanguage for TAxonomy) was used to complement the conventional morphometric technique and to introduce the use of standardized electronic descriptions, caxon comparison and key generations. A comparative taxometric study was conveyed with the aid of NTSYS-pc (Numerical Iaxonomy SYStem). The latter was used to conduct a phenetic investigation on the taxonomic data of the southern African eupodids. The result of this analysis consummated the taxonomic deductions. Using NTSYS-pc, a cluster analysis and principle component analysis were done. For both the latter procedures 5 different data matrices, based on 135 taxonomic features and 42 FTU's (functional Iaxonomic ~nits), were used. Different phenetic coefficients for the generation of symmetric matrices and methods for clustering were evaluated. The best results were obtained using the Manhattan-coefficient and the UPGMA-method (" unweighted pair-group method, arithmetic average"). All the matrices demonstrated the same results, thus, only the data and results of the original matrix was incorporated in this thesis. A literature survey was done to review the changes in taxonomic status of the Eupodoidea. This included compositional changes at superfamily, familial and generic categories from the first recognized eupodid mites to recent approaches of eupodid classification. A review of the external morphology of the Eupodoidea, with a recommendation to standardized nomenclature, is given. This is based mainly on a study of a total of 42 southern African species divided in 9 families and 22 genera. Taxonomic attributes not demonstrated by the southern African fauna are, however, accommodated.