FNZ 52 - Raphignathoidea (Acari: Prostigmata) - Morphological characters
Fan, Q-H; Zhang, Z-Q 2005. Raphignathoidea (Acari: Prostigmata). Fauna of New Zealand 52, 400 pages.
(
ISSN 0111-5383 (print),
;
no.
52.
ISBN 0-478-09371-3 (print),
).
Published 20 May 2005
ZooBank: http://zoobank.org/References/5F7C5C50-9D70-459B-BE40-F7CB5D5E5DFE
Morphological characters
ADULT FEMALE
Gnathosoma (Fig. 1–3). Projecting in front of prodosoma, or covered by prodosoma (Camerobiidae), rarely retractable (Cryptognathidae). Chelicerae (Fig. 1) basally fused, separate (most genera of Stigmaeidae) or conjunct (Homocaligidae, some genera of Stigmaeidae); conical, rarely stumpy (Camerobiidae); peritreme present, or absent (Eupalopsellidae, Homocaligidae, Mecognathidae, and Stigmaeidae). Palps (Fig. 2) stout, or slender (Eupalopsellidae and Mecognathidae); tibial claws prominent, or reduced (Raphignathidae), vestigial, or absent (Cryptognathidae, Eupalopsellidae, Mecognathidae, and Xenocaligonellididae); palptarsus commonly with 4 eupathidia, 3 of them (ul’ζ, ul”ζ, and sulζ) may be basally fused (Eupalopsellidae, Homocaligidae, Mecognathidae, and Stigmaeidae); counts of setae (excluding solenidia and eupathidia) from palpcoxa to palptarsus: 1elcp, 0, 1–3, 1–2, 3 + 0–1claw, 4 (1–3 in Barbutiidae, Camerobiidae, and some genera of Calignonellidae). Subcapitulum (Fig. 3) stumpy, sometimes basally elongate (Cryptognathidae) or terminally elongate (Eupalopsellidae and Mecognathidae), with 2 pairs of rostral setae, and 1or 2 pairs of subcapitular setae (Eupalopsellidae, Homocaligidae, Mecognathidae, Raphignathidae, most genera of Stigmaeidae, and some genera of Calignonellidae).
Idiosoma (Fig. 4–5). Oval or round in dorsoventral view. Prodorsum with 2 pairs of vertical setae, rarely with 3 or more pairs (neotrichy, some of Camerobiidae and one genus of Dasythyreidae); with 2 pairs of scapular setae, sometimes with only 1 pair (some of Mecognathidae and Stigmaeidae), rarely with 3 or more pairs (neotrichy, one genus of Dasythyreidae); setae pdx (neotrichy) only present in Dasythyreidae and some genera of Camerobiidae; eyes present, sometimes absent (some Calignonellidae and Stigmaeidae); postocular bodies (pob) present, sometimes absent (some Calignonellidae and Stigmaeidae). Dorsal hysterosoma with 5 series of dorsal idiosomal setae: c, d, e, f, and h (pseudanal setae ps1–3 are associated with the anal opening and often ventrally located); c-series commonly with 2 pairs of setae, rarely with 1 pair (one genus of Mecognathidae and a few genera of Stigmaeidae), sometimes with 3 or more pairs (neotrichy, Dasythyreidae and Xenocaligonellididae); d-series with 1 pair of setae, or with 2 pairs (Barbutiidae, Camerobiidae, Eupalopsellidae, Homocaligidae, Mecognathidae, and most genera of Stigmaeidae), sometimes with more than 2 pairs (neotrichy, Dasythyreidae, Xenocaligonellididae, and one species of Camerobiidae); e-series with 1 pair of setae, or 2 pairs (Barbutiidae, Cryptognathidae, Camerobiidae, Eupalopsellidae, Homocaligidae, Mecognathidae, and Stigmaeidae), sometimes with more than 2 pairs (neotrichy, Xenocaligonellididae, one genus of Dasythyreidae, and one species of Camerobiidae); f-series with 1 pair of setae, sometimes with 2 or more pairs (in Camerobiidae, Dasythyreidae, and Xenocaligonellididae); h-series with 2 pairs of setae, sometimes with 3 pairs (Raphignathidae, some genera of Calignonellidae, and Stigmaeidae) or more pairs (one genus of Dasythyreidae).
Ventral idiosoma (Fig. 5). Coxae II and III separate, sometimes contiguous (Cryptognathidae and Raphignathidae); ventral setae 1a and 3a present, 4a present or absent (Xenocaligonellididae, a few Stigmaeidae); ventral opisthosoma with 1–5 pairs of aggenital setae; genital and anal valves separate (Barbutiidae, Calignonellidae, Cryptognathidae, and Raphignathidae), contiguous (Camerobiidae, Dasythyreidae, Xenocaligonellididae, and a few genera of Stigmaeidae), or fused (Eupalopsellidae, Homocaligidae, Mecognathidae, and most genera of Stigmaeidae), with 1–3 pairs of genital setae, and commonly with 3 pairs of pseudanal setae, rarely with 1 or 2 pairs (a few species of Caligonellidae and Camerobiidae); genital and anal opening longitudinal; genital folds present.
Leg. Tarsal claws present, sometimes absent (some genera of Stigmaeidae), rarely with tenent hairs (in Barbutiidae); empodium with tenent hairs directly arising from axis (Fig. 12, 40) or from shafts (Homocaligidae, Mecognathidae, and Stigmaeidae, Fig. 30, 48) or from vestigial axis (Eupalopsellidae); tarsal stalk sometimes prominent (Camerobiidae and Dasythyreidae); counts of solenidia on genua I–III: 1, 0–1, 0; on tibiae I–III: 0–3, 0–2, 0–1; on tarsi I–III: 1–2, 1–2, 0–1; counts of setae on legs I–IV: coxae (including 1a, 3a, and 4a) 2–3 + 1elcp, 0–2, 1–3, 1–3; trochanters 0–1, 0–1, 0–2, 0–1; femora 2–6, 1–6, 1–4, 1–4; genua 1–5, 0–5, 0–4, 0–4; tibiae 3–9, 2–8, 2–8, 2–7; tarsi 7–23, 6–21, 5–13, 1–13.
ADULT MALE
Similar to adult female, but differs in: hysterosoma often somewhat tapered; first and second pseudanal setae often reduced; genital and anal openings fused; having aedeagus; solenidia ω2 (= male ω[male], Fig. 22) on tarsi I–II absent (Barbutiidae, Calignonellidae, Camerobiidae, Cryptognathidae, Dasythyreidae, Raphignathidae, and Xenocaligonellididae) or present (Eupalopsellidae, Homocaligidae, Mecognathidae, and Stigmaeidae); solenidia ω or ω1 enlarged.
TRITONYMPH
Only members of Raphignathidae and Xenocaligonellididae are known to have this stage. It can be separated from the adult female by the absence of genital valves and folds, and the presence of 1 pair of genital setae in the female.
DEUTONYMPH
Similar to adult but without genital setae in both sexes; absence of genital folds in female and aedeagus in male.
PROTONYMPH
With 1 pair of subcapitular setae; ventral setae 4a and genital setae absent; with fewer setae in aggenital area and on segments of legs than deutonymph.
LARVA
Subcapitular setae, ventral setae 4a, genital, and aggenital setae absent; without leg IV; with fewer setae on segments of palps and legs than protonymph; leg I with 1 (tc’ ) or 2 (tc’ and tc’’) tactile setae (Calignonellidae, Cryptognathidae, Eupalopsellidae, Homocaligidae, Mecognathidae, Raphignathidae, and Stigmaeidae), or without tactile seta (Camerobiidae, Dasythyreidae, and Xenocaligonellididae).
DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES
Generally, there are 5 known stages in most members of Raphignathoidea: the egg, larva, protonymph, deutonymph, and adult. Only one species, Agistemus exsertus Gonzalez, has a known prelarval stage (Hanna et al. 1984). Mites of the genus Raphignathus have 3 nymphal stages: protonymph, deutonymph, and tritonymph (Meyer & Ueckermann 1989, and authors’ unpublished observation). Three nymphal stages are also present in Xenocaligonellididae (Fan 2000).