Damaeidae

Metabelba sp., copyright Pfliegler Walter.

Belongs within: Brachypylina.
Contains: Belba (Belba), Metabelbella (Metabelbella), Damaeus (Damaeus), Damaeus (Epidamaeus), Parabelbella (Tectodamaeus), Metabelba (Metabelba).

The Damaeidae are a group of oribatids that are most diverse in humus and litter in temperate and boreal regions of the Holarctic. They may be distinguished from other oribatids by their moniliform legs, with femora and tibiae narrow proximally and swollen distally (Norton & Behan-Pelletier 2009). The classification of many genera within the Damaeidae is based heavily on setal counts and is quite probably artificial (Balogh & Balogh 1992).

Characters (from Norton & Behan-Pelletier 2009): Adults with scalps present or absent, sometimes with mass of debris on notogaster. Cerotegument often dense and conspicuous, covering body and setae. Prodorsal lamellae and costulae absent; tutorium absent; well-developed parastigmatic enantiophysis present. Dorsophragmata and pleurophragmata absent. Subcapitulum diarthric; palpal eupathidium acm separate from solenidion; genal notch absent. Notogaster with eleven pairs of setae, of which nine pairs in longitudinal row. Genital plates with 6 pairs of setae. Legs moniliform; seta d present or absent on tibiae and genua when respective solenidion is expressed. Tarsus II with two solenidia. Larva unideficient; nymphs eupheredermous, quadrideficient; immatures with seta d present on tibiae and genua when respective solenidion is present.

Damaeidae [Belbidae, Belboidea, Damaeinae, Damaeoidea]
    |--Dameobelba Sellnick 1928 S04
    |    `--*D. minutissima (Sellnick 1920) [=Oribata minutissima] S04
    |--Acanthobelba Enami & Aoki 1993 S04
    |    |--*A. tortuosa Enami & Aoki 1993 S04
    |    `--A. heterosetosa Choi 1997 S04
    |--Nortonbelba Bernini 1980 S04
    |    `--*N. italica Bernini 1980 S04
    |         |--N. i. italica S04
    |         `--N. i. plesiomorphica (Saloña & Iturrondobeitia 1989) [=Epidamaeus plesiomorphicus] S04
    |--Belba Heyden 1826 S04
    |    |  i. s.: B. bicostata CF77
    |    |         B. clavipes G33
    |    |--B. (Belba) S04
    |    `--B. (Caenobelba Norton 1980) S04
    |         `--B. (*C.) alleganiensis (Norton 1980) [=*Caenobelba alleganiensis] S04
    |--Porobelba Grandjean 1936 S04
    |    |--*P. spinosa (Sellnick 1920) [=Oribata spinosa; incl. Belba parvula Mihelčič 1955] S04
    |    |--P. grandjeanica Subías 1977 S04
    |    |--P. parki Jacot 1937 S04
    |    `--P. robusta Mihelčič 1955 S04
    |--Metabelbella Bulanova-Zachvatkina 1957 S04
    |    |--M. (Metabelbella) S04
    |    `--M. (Akrodamaeus Norton 1978) S04
    |         |--M. (*A.) longiseta (Banks 1906) [=Oribata longiseta] S04
    |         |--M. (A.) flagellata (Balogh & Mahunka 1969) [=Metabelba flagellata] S04
    |         |--M. (A.) inaequipes (Banks 1947) [=Belba inaequipes] S04
    |         `--M. (A.) meridiana (Norton 1979) [=Epidamaeus (Akrodamaeus) meridianus] S04
    |--Belbodamaeus Bulanova-Zachvatkina 1960 S04
    |    |--B. (Belbodamaeus) S04
    |    |    |--*B. (B.) tuberculatus Bulanova-Zachvatkina 1960 S04
    |    |    `--B. (B.) marginatus Kulijev 1967 S04
    |    |--B. (Lanibelba Norton 1980) S04
    |    |    `--B. (*L.) pini (Norton 1980) [=*Lanibelba pini] S04
    |    `--B. (Protobelba Norton 1978) S04
    |         `--B. (*P.) california (Banks 1904) [=Oribata california] S04
    |--Spatiodamaeus Bulanova-Zachvatkina 1957 S04
    |    |--*S. verticillipes (Nicolet 1855) (see below for synonymy) S04
    |    |--S. boreus (Bulanova-Zachvatkina 1957) [=Damaeus (Spatiodamaeus) boreus] S04
    |    |--S. crassispinosus (Mihelčič 1964) [=Damaeus (Spatiodamaeus) crassispinosus] S04
    |    |--S. diversipilis (Willmann 1951) [=Belba diversipilis] S04
    |    |--S. fageti (Bulanova-Zachvatkina 1957) [=Damaeus (Spatiodamaeus) fageti] S04
    |    |--S. glabrisetus (Willmann 1930) [=Belba glabriseta] S04
    |    |--S. similis (Willmann 1951) [=Belba verticillipes similis] S04
    |    `--S. subverticillipes (Bulanova-Zachvatkina 1957) [=Damaeus (Spatiodamaeus) subverticillipes] S04
    |--Damaeus Koch 1835 S04
    |    |  i. s.: D. globipes S22
    |    |--D. (Damaeus) S04
    |    |--D. (Adamaeus Norton 1977) S04
    |    |    |--D. (*A.) onustus Koch 1841 [incl. Belba geniculosa Oudemans 1929] S04
    |    |    `--D. (A.) firmus Kunst 1958 S04
    |    |--D. (Epidamaeus) PL17
    |    |--D. (Eudamaeus Pérez-Íñigo 1987) S04
    |    |    `--D. (*E.) pomboi Pérez-Íñigo 1987 S04
    |    `--D. (Paradamaeus Bulanova-Zachvatkina 1957) S04
    |         `--D. (*P.) clavipes (Hermann 1804) [=Notaspis clavipes; incl. D. nodipes Koch 1839] S04
    |--Parabelbella Bulanova-Zachvatkina 1967 S04
    |    |  i. s.: P. meridiana (Norton 1979) PL17
    |    |--P. (Parabelbella) (see below for synonymy) S04
    |    |    |--*P. (P.) crenatosetosa (Bulanova-Zachvatkina 1957) [=Metabelbella crenatosetosa] S04
    |    |    |--P. (P.) elisabethae Bulanova-Zachvatkina 1967 S04
    |    |    |--P. (P.) exilior (Mihelčič 1964) [=Damaeus (Heterodamaeus) exilior] S04
    |    |    `--P. (P.) grancanariae (Pérez-Íñigo & Peña 1994) [=Mirobelba grancanariae] S04
    |    |--P. (Nododamaeus Hammer 1977) [incl. Dasybelba Woolley & Higgins 1979] S04
    |    |    |--P. (*N.) monticola (Hammer 1977) [=*Nododamaeus monticola] S04
    |    |    `--P. (N.) perona (Woolley & Higgins 1979) S04 [=*Dasybelba perona BB92]
    |    `--P. (Tectodamaeus) S04
    |--Metabelba Grandjean 1936 S04
    |    |--M. (Metabelba) S04
    |    |--M. (Allobelba Kunst 1961) S04
    |    |    `--M. (*A.) aculeata (Kunst 1961) [=*Allobelba aculeata] S04
    |    |--M. (Neobelba Bulanova-Zachvatkina 1967) S04
    |    |    `--M. (*N.) pseudopapillipes (Bulanova-Zachvatkina 1967) [=*Neobelba pseudopapillipes] S04
    |    `--M. (Parametabelba Mihelčič 1964) S04
    |         |--M. (P.) romandiolae (Sellnick 1943) [=Damaeus romandiolae; incl. M. (*P.) gladiator Mihelčič 1963] S04
    |         |--M. (P.) ericius Kunst 1958 S04
    |         |--M. (P.) italica (Sellnick 1931) [=Damaeus italicus] S04
    |         |--M. (P.) lanceolata Hammen 1952 S04
    |         |--M. (P.) platynotus Grandjean 1954 S04
    |         |--M. (P.) rhodopeia Kunst 1961 S04
    |         `--M. (P.) sphagni Strenzke 1950 S04
    `--Subbelba Bulanova-Zachvatkina 1967 S04
         |--S. (Subbelba) S04
         |    |--*S. (S.) partiocrispa (Bulanova-Zachvatkina 1957) [=Metabelba partiocrispa] S04
         |    |--S. (S.) elisae Pérez-Íñigo 1972 S04
         |    |    |--S. e. elisae S04
         |    |    |--S. e. fuerteventurae Pérez-Íñigo & Peña 1996 S04
         |    |    `--S. e. grancanariae Pérez-Íñigo & Peña 1996 S04
         |    `--S. (S.) montana (Kulczynski 1902) [=Oribata montana] S04
         |--S. (Dyobelba Norton 1979) S04
         |    |--S. (*D.) carolinensis (Banks 1947) [=Oribata carolinensis; incl. O. diversipes Banks 1947] S04
         |    |--S. (D.) armata (Norton 1979) [=Dyobelba armata] S04
         |    |--S. (D.) biclavata (Wang & Norton 1993) [=Dyobelba biclavata] S04
         |    |--S. (D.) kushiroensis (Enami & Aoki 2001) [=Dyobelba kushiroensis] S04
         |    |--S. (D.) paucituberculata (Bayartogtokh, Choi & Aoki 2000) [=Dyobelba paucituberculata] S04
         |    |--S. (D.) reevesi (Norton & Rjabinin 1994) [=Dyobelba reevesi] S04
         |    `--S. (D.) tectopediosa (Jacot 1938) [=Oribata tectopediosa] S04
         `--S. (Quatrobelba Norton 1980) S04
              `--S. (Q.) neonominata Subías 2004 (see below for synonymy) S04

Parabelbella Bulanova-Zachvatkina 1967 (Parabelbella) [incl. Heterodamaeus Mihelčič 1964 nec Ewing 1917 nec Woolley 1957, Mirobelba Pérez-Íñigo & Peña 1994] S04

*Spatiodamaeus verticillipes (Nicolet 1855) [=Damaeus verticillipes; incl. Belba mirabilis Karpelles 1893, D. quadrihastatus Märkel & Meyer 1960, D. torvus Koch 1835 (n. d.)] S04

Subbelba (Quatrobelba) neonominata Subías 2004 [=*Quatrobelba montana Norton 1980 non Oribata montana Kulczynsk 1902] S04

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[BB92] Balogh, J., & P. Balogh. 1992. The Oribatid Mites Genera of the World vol. 1. Hungarian Natural History Museum: Budapest.

[CF77] Canestrini, G., & F. Fanzago. 1877. Intorno agli Acari Italiani. Atti del Reale Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti, Serie 5, 4: 69–208, pls 2–7.

[G33] Grandjean, F. 1933. Observations sur les oribates (5^e série). Bulletin du Muséum, 2e série, 5 (6): 461–468.

Norton, R. A., & V. M. Behan-Pelletier. 2009. Suborder Oribatida. In: Krantz, G. W., & D. E. Walter (eds) A Manual of Acarology 3^rd ed. pp. 430–564. Texas Tech University Press.

[PL17] Pachl, P., A. C. Lindl, A. Krause, S. Scheu, I. Schaefer & M. Maraun. 2017. The tropics as an ancient cradle of oribatid mite diversity. Acarologia 57 (2): 309–322.

[S22] Schweizer, J. 1922. Beitrag zur Kenntnis der terrestrischen Milbenfauna der Schweiz. Verhandl. Naturf. Ges. Basel 33: 23–112, 4 pls.

[S04] Subías, L. S. 2004. Listado sistemático, sinonímico y biogeográfico de los ácaros oribátidos (Acariformes, Oribatida) del mundo (1758–2002). Graellsia 60 (número extraordinario): 3–305.

Last updated: 1 July 2017.