Aturidae

Ljania sp., from here.

Belongs within: Hygrobatoidea.
Contains: Austraturus, Albia, Notoaturinae, Kongsbergia, Aturus, Neoaturus, Axonopsis, Axonopsella.

The Aturidae are a diverse group of well-sclerotised, usually dorsoventrally flattened water mites, many of which show strong sexual dimorphism. Larvae, where known, are parasites of Chironomidae and Trichoptera; the Sumatran species Parasitalbia sumatrensis is unusual in being parasitic as an adult with females attacking larval Ephemeroptera (Walter et al. 2009). Dorsal and ventral shields are present on the idiosoma with the dorsal shield comprised of a single plate in members of all subfamilies except Notoaturinae.

Characters (from Walter et al. 2009): Adults with dorsal and ventral shields present. Larvae with cheliceral bases fused; coxal plates I separate from posterior coxal group on each side; one pair of urstigmata borne distally between coxal plates I and II; legs with five movable segments; leg tarsi bearing paired claws.

Aturidae
    |--Albiinae WL09
    |    |--Parasitalbia sumatrensis WL09
    |    `--Albia WL09
    |--+--Notoaturinae WL09
    |  `--Aturinae WL09
    |       |--Kongsbergia WL09
    |       |--Aturus WL09
    |       |--Neoaturus WL09
    |       |--Subaturus WL09
    |       |--Subalbia WL09
    |       |--Aturides Lundblad 1937 RFF05
    |       |    `--A. dentatus (Lundblad 1936) RFF05
    |       |--Phreatobrachypoda Cook 1963 S86
    |       |    |--P. acuta Habeeb 1975 S86
    |       |    |--P. multipora Cook 1963 S86
    |       |    |--P. oregonensis WL09
    |       |    `--P. robusta Cook 1974 S86
    |       `--Bharatalbia Cook 1967 S86
    |            |  i. s.: B. cooki WL09
    |            |--B. (Bharatalbiella Cook 1967) S86
    |            |    `--B. (B.) talinapalpis Cook 1967 S86
    |            `--B. (Japonalbia Imamura 1977) S86
    |                 |--B. (J.) ibarakiensis Imamura 1977 S86
    |                 |--B. (J.) longipalpis Imamura 1984 S86
    |                 |--B. (J.) ohittaensis Imamura 1984 S86
    |                 |--B. (J.) rotunda Imamura 1984 S86
    |                 `--B. (J.) tsugaruensis Imamura 1984 S86
    `--Axonopsinae WL09
         |--Axonopsis WL09
         |--Axonopsella WL09
         |--Miraxona WL09
         |--Brachypoda versicolor (Müller 1776) WL09, PH91
         |--Woolastookia pilositarsa WL09
         |--Estellacarus unguitarsus WL09
         |--Neobrachypoda eckmani WL09
         |--Javalbia Viets 1935 S86
         |    |--J. (Javalbia) antama Cook 1967 S86
         |    `--J. eremita GS96
         |--Adelaxonopsella Cook 1974 S86
         |    `--A. pallida Cook 1974 S86
         |--Uenaxonopsis Imamura 1961 S86
         |    `--U. nazensis Imamura 1961 S86
         |--Stokaxonopsis Cook 1967 S86
         |    `--S. besselingi Cook 1967 [=Axonopsis (Stokaxonopsis) besselingi] S86
         |--Khedacarus Cook 1967 S86
         |    `--K. platypes Cook 1967 S86
         |--Neoaxonopsis Lundblad 1938 RFF05
         |    `--N. odontogaster Lundblad 1938 RFF05
         |--Barbaxonella Lundblad 1954 S86
         |    |--B. angulata (Viets 1955) [=Axonopsalbia (Hexaxonopsalbia) angulata] S86
         |    |--B. iberica Cook 1974 S86
         |    `--B. reverendissima GS96
         |--Neoaxonopsella Orghidan & Gruia 1981 S86
         |    |--N. caripense Orghidan & Gruia 1981 S86
         |    `--N. kurtovietsi Orghidan & Gruia 1981 S86
         |--Stygalbiella Cook 1974 RFF05
         |    |--S. affinis Cook 1974 S86
         |    |--S. arizonica Cook 1974 S86
         |    `--S. tucumanensis Cook 1980 RFF05
         |--Miraxonides Lundblad 1938 RFF05
         |    |--M. (Miraxonides) alatus Lundblad 1938 RFF05
         |    `--M. (Miraxonidella Cook 1980) RFF05
         |         `--M. (M.) karlvietsi Cook 1980 RFF05
         |--Polyaxonopsella Lundblad 1943 RFF05
         |    |--P. bordoni (Orghidan & Gruia 1981) RFF05 [=Axonopsella (Polyaxonopsella) bordoni S86]
         |    |--P. dentifera Lundblad 1943 RFF05
         |    `--P. polypora Lundblad 1953 RFF05
         |--Erebaxonopsis Motas & Tanasachi 1947 S86
         |    |--E. amamiensis Imamura 1961 S86
         |    |--E. brevipes Motas & Tanasachi 1947 S86
         |    |--E. morimotoi (Imamura 1958) [=Axonopsis morimotoi] S86
         |    `--E. nearctica Cook 1974 S86
         |--Neoalbia Lundblad 1936 RFF05
         |    |--N. (Neoalbia) violacea Lundblad 1936 RFF05
         |    `--N. (Neoalbiella Viets 1954) RFF05
         |         |--N. (N.) bidentata Viets 1959 RFF05
         |         `--N. (N.) octopora Viets 1954 RFF05
         |--Ljania Thor 1898 S86
         |    |--L. bipapillata Thor 1898 GS91
         |    |--L. japonica Imamura 1956 S86
         |    `--L. macilenta S86
         |         |--L. m. macilenta S86
         |         `--L. m. longissima Schwoerbel 1962 S86
         |--Neoaxona Lundblad 1936 RFF05
         |    |  i. s.: N. aculeata Besseling 1949 RFF05
         |    |         N. plaumanni Lundblad 1937 RFF05
         |    |--N. (Neoaxona) oblonga Lundblad 1936 RFF05
         |    `--N. (Lamellaxona Lundblad 1937) RFF05
         |         `--N. (L.) abnormipes Lundblad 1937 RFF05
         |--Submiraxona Lundblad 1937 RFF05
         |    |--S. (Submiraxona) RFF05
         |    |    |--S. (S.) crassipes Lundblad 1937 RFF05
         |    |    `--S. (S.) rutae Lundblad 1937 RFF05
         |    `--S. (Pentalbia Lundblad 1937) RFF05
         |         `--S. (P.) walteri (Lundblad 1937) RFF05
         `--Albaxona Szalay 1944 S86
              |  i. s.: A. gracilis Schwoerbel 1962 S86
              |         A. japonica Imamura 1970 S86
              |         A. minuta Szalay 1944 S86
              |         A. stoka Cook 1967 S86
              `--A. (Vietsaxona Motas & Tanasachi 1948) S86
                   |--A. (V.) elegans Walter 1947 S86
                   |--A. (V.) lundbladi Motas & Tanasachi 1948 S86
                   `--A. (V.) nearctica Cook 1974 S86

Aturidae incertae sedis:
  Japonaxonopsis Imamura 1984 [Japonaxonopsinae] S86
    `--J. nozakiensis Imamura 1984 S86
  Zelandopsis Imamura 1977 [Zelandopsinae] S86
    |--Z. aturoides Schwoerbel 1984 S86
    `--Z. morimotoi Imamura 1977 S86
  Cabellaturus Cook 1986 H98
    `--C. triangularis Cook 1986 H98
  Austraturus H98
  Barwontius Viets 1978 H98
    |--B. altipalpis Cook 1986 H98
    |--B. inflatipalpis Viets 1978 H98
    |--B. lunoka Cook 1986 H98
    |--B. monolus Cook 1986 H98
    |--B. recurvus Cook 1986 H98
    |--B. retavus Cook 1986 H98
    |--B. simplex Cook 1986 H98
    `--B. treetus Cook 1986 H98
  Melenaturus Cook 1986 H98
    `--M. concavus Cook 1986 H98
  Twarntaturus Cook 1986 H98
    |--T. alphus Cook 1986 H98
    |--T. australicus Cook 1986 H98
    |--T. cetonus Cook 1986 H98
    |--T. conroyi Cook 1986 H98
    `--T. zurus Cook 1986 H98
  Azugaturus Cook 1986 H98
    `--A. distinctus Cook 1986 H98
  Spinaturus Cook 1986 H98
    |--S. bleptus Cook 1986 H98
    `--S. ctenophorus Cook 1986 H98
  Tasmanaxona Cook 1986 H98
    `--T. kurtvietsi Cook 1986 H98
  Wheenyoides Harvey 1990 H98
    `--W. cooki Harvey 1990 H98
  Tryssaturus SL71
    |--T. indentatus Hopkins 1967 SL71
    |--T. inusitatus Hopkins 1967 SL71
    |--T. minutus Hopkins 1969 SL71
    |--T. spinipes Hopkins 1967 SL71
    `--T. villosus Hopkins 1967 SL71

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[GS96] Gerecke, R., & A. Di Sabatino. 1996. Historical zoogeography and evolution of habitat preference in water mites (Hydracarina) of the central Mediterranean region. In: Mitchell, R., D. J. Horn, G. R. Needham & W. C. Welbourn (eds) Acarology IX vol. 1. Proceedings pp. 523–527. Ohio Biological Survey: Columbus (Ohio).

[GS91] Gerecke, R., & J. Schwoerbel. 1991. Water quality and water mites (Acari, Actinedida) in the Upper Danube region, 1959-1984. In: Dusbábek, F., & V. Bukva (eds) Modern Acarology: Proceedings of the VIII International Congress of Acarology, held in České Budĕjovice, Czechoslovakia, 6–11 August 1990 vol. 1 pp. 483–491. SPB Academic Publishing: The Hague.

[H98] Halliday, R. B. 1998. Mites of Australia: A checklist and bibliography. CSIRO Publishing: Collingwood.

[PH91] Punčochár, P., & J. Hrbáček. 1991. Water mites in the plankton of Hubenov Reservoir and their relations to fish stock composition. In: Dusbábek, F., & V. Bukva (eds) Modern Acarology: Proceedings of the VIII International Congress of Acarology, held in České Budĕjovice, Czechoslovakia, 6–11 August 1990 vol. 1 pp. 449–457. SPB Academic Publishing: The Hague.

[RFF05] Rosso de Ferradás, B., & H. R. Fernández. 2005. Elenco y biogeografía de los ácaros acuáticos (Acari, Parasitengona, Hydrachnidia) de Sudamérica. Graellsia 61 (2): 181–224.

[S86] Schwoerbel, J. 1986. Acari: “Hydrachnellae”. In: Botosaneanu, L. (ed.) Stygofauna Mundi: A Faunistic, Distributional, and Ecological Synthesis of the World Fauna inhabiting Subterranean Waters (including the Marine Interstitial) pp. 652–696. E. J. Brill/Dr W. Backhuys: Leiden.

[SL71] Spain, A. V., & M. Luxton. 1971. Catalog and bibliography of the Acari of the New Zealand subregion. Pacific Insects Monograph 25: 179–226.

[WL09] Walter, D. E., E. E. Lindquist, I. M. Smith, D. R. Cook & G. W. Krantz. 2009. Order Trombidiformes. In: Krantz, G. W., & D. E. Walter (eds) A Manual of Acarology 3^rd ed. pp. 233–420. Texas Tech University Press.

Last updated: 9 July 2022.