Oxidae

Frontipoda sp., copyright Stephen Luk.

Belongs within: Neohydrachnidia.

The Oxidae are a cosmopolitan group of water mites found in ponds and lakes. Representatives are more or less compressed laterally and are usually strong swimmers. Larvae, where known, are parasites of Chironomidae (Walter et al. 2009).

Characters (from Walter et al. 2009): Adults with dorsal shield absent, dorsal integument soft and with or without scattered platelets; insertions of all pairs of legs near anterior end of idiosoma; median coxal suture line usually absent (occasionally present); genital field with movable flaps flanking gonopore. Larvae with cheliceral bases fused; dorsal plate bearing five pairs of setae including verticils, scapulars and setae c1 laterally; integument beneath posterior edge of dorsal plate intricately folded; coxal plates I elongate, extending posteriorly nearly to level of excretory pore plate; coxal plates III bearing two pairs of setae, setae 3a and setae 3b laterally; excretory pore plate bearing only setae ps1 and ps2; legs with five movable segments; leg tarsi bearing paired claws; tibiae I-III bearing eight setae, and two, two and one solenidia respectively; tarsi I-II bearing twelve setae and one solenidion, lacking Ta14.

<==Oxidae [Oxinae]
    |--Oxus Kramer 1877 RFF05
    |    |--O. acutirostris Viets 1937 RFF05
    |    |--O. australicus Lundblad 1947 H98
    |    |--O. chilensis Cook 1988 RFF05
    |    |--O. cormela Cook 1986 H98
    |    |--O. crassipes (Lundblad 1936) RFF05
    |    |--O. crassiseta Cook 1986 H98
    |    |--O. elongatus WL09
    |    |--O. extendens Cook 1986 H98
    |    |--O. gracilipalpis (Lundblad 1941) RFF05
    |    |    |--O. g. gracilipalpis RFF05
    |    |    `--O. g. aequalipilis Viets 1954 RFF05
    |    |--O. halophilus Angelier 1947 S86
    |    |--O. meridianus Lundblad 1947 [=O. australicus var. meridianus] H98
    |    |--O. oblongus G49
    |    |--O. orientalis Walter in Sarasin & Roux 1915 H98
    |    |--O. pictus (Daday 1898) [=Frontipoda picta] H98
    |    |--O. schubarti Viets 1954 RFF05
    |    |--O. tenuipes Lundblad 1947 H98
    |    |--O. troma Cook 1986 H98
    |    |--O. valdiviensis Besch 1964 RFF05
    |    `--O. walteri Cook 1986 H98
    `--Frontipoda Koenike 1891 RFF05
         |  i. s.: F. curvirostris Cook 1986 H98
         |         F. gredada Cook 1986 H98
         |         F. musculus BK91
         |         F. neotasmanica Cook 1986 H98
         |         F. setipalpis Cook 1986 H98
         |         F. spinosa Viets 1977 H98
         |         F. tasmanica Viets 1978 H98
         |         F. wogata Cook 1986 H98
         |         F. zunova Cook 1986 H98
         |--F. (Frontipoda) RFF05
         |    |--F. (F.) patagonica (Lundblad 1941) RFF05
         |    |--F. (F.) trispinosa Lundblad 1930 RFF05
         |    |--F. (F.) vicina Cook 1988 RFF05
         |    `--F. (F.) virescens Lundblad 1936 RFF05
         `--F. (Flabellifrontipoda Lundblad 1947) RFF05
              |--F. (F.) allarka (Cook 1988) RFF05
              |--F. (F.) allasa (Cook 1988) RFF05
              |--F. (F.) alta (Cook 1980) RFF05
              |--F. (F.) aphanoraphtha (Besch 1964) RFF05
              |--‘Flabellifrontipoda’ carteza Cook 1986 H98
              |--F. (F.) ciliata Walter 1919 RFF05
              |--F. (F.) dolichopalpis (Cook 1988) RFF05
              |--‘Flabellifrontipoda’ eloma Cook 1986 H98
              |--‘Flabellifrontipoda’ longipalpa Cook 1986 H98
              |--F. (F.) neotropica (Lundblad 1953) RFF05
              |--F. (F.) parva (Cook 1980) RFF05
              |--F. (F.) pectinata (Lundblad 1947) [=Flabellifrontipoda pectinata] H98
              |--F. (F.) penai (Cook 1988) RFF05
              |--F. (F.) polyplacophora (Cook 1980) RFF05
              |--F. (F.) sneiderni (Lundblad 1953) RFF05
              |--‘Flabellifrontipoda’ striata Cook 1986 H98
              |--F. (F.) tranasa (Cook 1988) RFF05
              |--F. (F.) unoka (Cook 1988) RFF05
              `--‘Flabellifrontipoda’ zadina Cook 1986 H98

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[BK91] Biesiadka, E., & W. Kowalik. 1991. Water mites (Hydracarina) as indicators of trophy and pollution in lakes. 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. 475–481. SPB Academic Publishing: The Hague.

[G49] Grandjean, F. 1949. Remarques sur l'évolution numérique des papilles génitales et de l'organe de Claparède chez les hydracariens. Bulletin du Muséum, 2e série, 21 (1): 75–82.

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

[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.

[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: 11 July 2022.