Cheyletidae

Dorsum of Cheletogenes ornatus, from Qing-Hai Fan.

Belongs within: Cheyletoidea.
Contains: Cheyletiini, Acaropsellini, Cheyletini, Cheyletiellidae.

The Cheyletidae are a group of predatory or vertebrate-associated mites that often bear large raptorial setae on the pedipalps. They have been divided between subfamilies Cheyletinae and Cheyletiellinae, based on the presence or absence, respectively, of comb-like setae on the palpal tarsi and teeth on the palpal claw, but it seems likely that the 'Cheyletinae' are paraphyletic. Instead, free-living predatory forms are probably plesiomorphic within the family with derived subgroups becoming associated with vertebrate nests and/or parasitic on the vertebrates themselves (Bochkov & Fain 2001).

Characters (from Baker 1949): Chelicerae short, stylet-like. Palpi large and pincer-like; tarsus short, located on posterior part of tibia rather than on tip, in most cases bearing comb-like and sickle-like setae; tibia with strong claw extending beyond tarsus. Dorsum of body with none, one, or more plates.

<==Cheyletidae [Cheyletides, Cheyletinae]
    |--+--Cheyletiini BF01
    |  |--Acaropsellini BF01
    |  |--Bak Yunker 1961 [Bakini] BF01
    |  |    |--B. deleoni WL09
    |  |    `--B. payatus Corpuz-Raros & Sotto 1977 C-RSV-S88
    |  |--+--Caudacheles Gerson 1968 BF01
    |  |  `--Alliea [Allieini] BF01
    |  |       `--*A. laruei Yunker 1960 BF01
    |  |--Cheletomorphini BF01
    |  |    |--Mexecheles De Leon 1962 BF01
    |  |    |    |--M. paneus E-VVM-M07
    |  |    |    `--M. virginiensis (Baker 1949) [=Cheyletia virginiensis] H98
    |  |    `--Cheletomorpha Oudemans 1904 BF01
    |  |         |--C. lepidopterorum (Shaw 1794) BF01 (see below for synonymy)
    |  |         `--C. orientalis Oudemans 1928 B49
    |  `--Cheletogenini BF01
    |       |--Prosocheyla Volgin 1969 BF01
    |       |--Eutogenes Baker 1949 BF01
    |       |    |--*E. foxi Baker 1949 B49
    |       |    `--E. africanus NK94
    |       `--Cheletogenes Oudemans 1905 BF01
    |            |--*C. ornatus (Canestrini & Fanzago 1876) (see below for synonymy) B49
    |            |--C. buckneri Baker 1949 B49
    |            |--C. oaklandia Baker 1949 B49
    |            |--C. onoi Shiba 1976 S76
    |            |--C. quadrisetosus Berlese 1913 B49
    |            |--C. scaber E-VVM-M07
    |            |--C. traubi Baker 1949 B49 [=Prosocheyla traubi H98]
    |            `--C. waitei Gerson 1994 H98
    `--+--Cheyletini BF01
       |--Cheyletiellidae BF01
       |--Chelonotini [Chelonotinae] BF01
       |    |--+--Muricheyla Fain 1972 BF01
       |    |  |    `--M. sicista Fain 1972 BF01
       |    |  `--Promuricheyla Fain 1979 BF01
       |    |       `--P. lukoschusi Fain 1972 BF01
       |    `--+--Thewkachela Ide & Kethley 1977 BF01
       |       |    `--T. ratufi Ide & Kethley 1977 BF01
       |       `--Chelonotus Berlese 1893 BF01
       |            |--*C. selenirhynchus Berlese 1893 B49
       |            |--C. ewingi Baker 1949 B49
       |            `--C. oudemansi Baker 1949 B49
       `--Cheletosomatini BF01
            |  i. s.: *Eucheletopsis major Trouessart 1893 BF01
            |--+--Metacheletoides Fain 1972 BF01
            |  |    `--M. numidae BF01
            |  `--Cheletoides Oudemans 1904 BF01
            |       |--*C. uncinatus (Heller 1880) B49, BF01 [=Syringophilus uncinatus B49, C. uncinata B49]
            |       `--C. chirundensis Fain 1979 BF01
            `--+--Cheletosoma Oudemans 1965 BF01
               |    `--*C. tyrannus Oudemans 1905 B49
               `--Cheletopsis Oudemans 1904 BF01
                    |--*C. norneri (Poppe 1888) [=Cheyletus norneri] B49
                    |--C. anax Oudemans 1904 B49
                    |--C. animosa Oudemans 1904 B49
                    |--C. basilica Oudemans 1904 B49
                    |--C. charadrii BF01
                    |--C. daberti BF01
                    |--C. impavida Oudemans 1904 B49
                    |--C. magnanima Oudemans 1904 B49
                    |--C. major Oudemans 1906 [=Cheyletus major Trouessart in Berlese 1893 (n. n.)] B49
                    `--C. mariae BF01

Cheyletidae incertae sedis:
  Thryonomycheyla congolensis Fain 1972 BF01
  Eucheyla Berlese 1913 B49
    |--*E. loricata (Berlese 1913) [=Cheyletia (*Eucheyla) loricata] B49
    |--E. panamensis Baker 1949 B49
    `--E. whartoni Baker 1949 B49
  Philippicheyla Corpuz-Raroz 1972 H98
    `--P. notelaeae Gerson 1994 H98
  Dendrocheyla bregetovae Volgin 1987 E-VVM-M07
  Cheletonata Womersley 1956 H98
    `--C. milesi Womersley 1956 H98
  Sarcopterinus E38

*Cheletogenes ornatus (Canestrini & Fanzago 1876) [=Cheyletus ornatus, Cheletia ornatus, Cheletomimus ornatus; incl. Cheyletus cocciphilus Banks 1914, Cheyletus saccardianus Berlese 1886] B49

Cheletomorpha lepidopterorum (Shaw 1794) BF01 [=Acarus lepidopterorum B49, Chel. lepidoptorum (l. c.) H98; incl. Cheyletus longipes Megnin 1878 B49, Cheyletus rufus Hardy in Andre 1933 non Karpelles 1884 B49, Cheyletus seminivorus Packard 1869 B49, Cheyletus venustissimus Koch 1839 B49, *Cheletomorpha venustissima B49]

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[B49] Baker, E. W. 1949. A review of the mites of the family Cheyletidae in the United States National Museum. Proceedings of the United States National Museum 99 (3238): 267–320.

[BF01] Bochkov, A. V., & A. Fain. 2001. Phylogeny and system of the Cheyletidae (Acari: Prostigmata) with special reference to their host-parasite associations. Bulletin de l’Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique Entomologie 71: 5–36.

[C-RSV-S88] Corpuz-Raros, L. A., G. C. Sabio & M. Velasco-Soriano. 1988. Mites associated with stored products, poultry houses and house dust in the Philippines. Philippine Entomologist 7 (3): 311–321.

[E38] Ewing, H. E. 1938. North American mites of the subfamily Myobiinae, new subfamily (Arachnida). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 40 (7): 180–197.

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

[NK94] Norton, R. A., & J. B. Kethley. 1994. Ecdysial cleavage lines of acariform mites (Arachnida, Acari). Zoologica Scripta 23 (3): 175–191.

[S76] Shiba, M. 1976. Taxonomic investigation on free-living Prostigmata from the Malay Peninsula. Nature and Life in Southeast Asia 7: 83–229.

[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: 19 June 2022.