Key to species of Arphthicarus Niedbała, 1994 of Madagascar 1. Interlamellar setae short spiniform as lamellar setae.......................................................... 2 -. Interlamellar setae rather long, thick, erect covered with small spines in distal half.................................. 3 2. Sensilli with short, narrow pedicel and globular head; setae d of femora I situated at middle of article.................................................................... A. paratinctus Niedbała & Starý, 2015 (Niedbała & Starý 2015d) -. Sensilli long, narrow, falcate; setae d of femora I situated at distal end of article...................... A. phoxos sp. nov. 3. Notogastral setae c 3 and cp distinctly shorter than other setae and bent...... A. inelegans (Niedbała, 1986) (Niedbała 1986b) -. All notogastral setae similar in shape..................................................................... 4 4. Setae ro shorter and distance between them 3 times shorter than distance between setae in; notogastral setae obtuse distally; setae c 1 slightly remote from anterior border, setae c 2 and c 3 more remote from border...... A. veteratorius (Niedbała, 1988) -. Setae ro longer and distance between them similar to distance between setae in; notogastral setae pointed distally; setae c 2 remote more from anterior border than setae c 1 and c 3......................................................... 5 5. Sensilli rounded distally, notogastral setae shorter (c 1 c 1– d 1), adanal setae ad 2 and ad 3 remote from paraxial margin....................................................................................... A. trichosus (Mahunka, 1988)

Published as part of Niedbała, Wojciech & Starý, Josef, 2016, New and little known species of ptyctimous mites (Acari, Oribatida) from Madagascar, pp. 587-599 in Zootaxa 4103 (6) on pages 595-596, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4103.6.8, http://zenodo.org/record/255911