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The family Tarsonemidae (Acari: Prostigmata) exhibits a high diversity of feeding habits and morphological structures, which allow them to be successful in many habitats. In Costa Rica, the Mesoamerican forest is a biome that includes all tropical and subtropical natural plant formations with high biodiversity. In Brazil, Theobroma cacao L. (Malvaceae) is cultivated under the canopies of larger trees, in a shaded plantation system called cabruca. Two new Metatarsonemus species are described from Brazilian cabruca agroforest. New records for the genus from Mesoamerica, Atlantic Forest and cabruca agroforest are presented. A key to the species of Metatarsonemus of the world is included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The taxonomic history of the genus Tenuipalpus Donnadieu is discussed and Tenuipalpus caudatus (Dugès) (=Tenuipalpuspalmatus Donnadieu) is redescribed based on specimens from Portugal intercepted at ports of entry in the United States, and references including photographic records of the neotype of T. caudatus. In addition, a proposed new species, Tenuipalpus erbeisp. nov. is described from Costa Rica. Our results show that T. caudatus, T. erbeisp. nov. and another 36 known species of Tenuipalpus share a pair of lateral body projections associated with setae c3, considered a synapomorphy for the newly defined group, Tenuipalpus sensu stricto. We also show that its members share other character states, although these features are found elsewhere in Tenuipalpus and also in Ultratenuipalpus, indicating their origins are within Tenuipalpus. A list of Tenuipalpus sensu stricto species is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]