Paleozercon is an extinct genus of mites in the family Zerconidae.

Paleozercon
Temporal range: late Pleistocene
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Mesostigmata
Family: Zerconidae
Genus: Paleozercon
Blaszak, Cokendolpher & Polyak, 1995
Species:
P. cavernicolus
Binomial name
Paleozercon cavernicolus
Blaszak et al., 1995

The sole described species is P. cavernicolus.[1][2] It was the first zerconid species to be recorded from a cave outside of Europe. P. cavernicolus differs from related genera in Zerconidae by lacking a characteristic incision in the peritremal shield and possessing a single pair of setae on the anterior margin of the ventroanal shield. It may have been an oligophagous predator which fed on other mites.[3]

References

edit
  1. ^ "Paleozercon". GBIF. Retrieved 2020-01-25.
  2. ^ "The Paleobiology Database, genus Paleozercon". Retrieved 2020-01-25.
  3. ^ Błaszak C, Cokendolpher J, Polyak V (1995). "Paleozercon cavernicolus, n.gen., n.sp., fossil mite from a cave in the Southwestern U.S.A. (Acari, Gamasida: Zerconidae), with a key to Nearctic genera of Zerconidae". International Journal of Acarology. 21 (4): 253–259. doi:10.1080/01647959508684068. S2CID 84777278.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)