Ctenacaroidea

Dorsal (left) and lateral views of Beklemishevia barbata, from Balogh & Balogh (1992).

Belongs within: Palaeosomata.

The Ctenacaroidea are a group of poorly sclerotised oribatids with tridactylous leg tarsi and usually more or less expanded bothridial setae (Norton & Behan-Pelletier 2009).

Characters (from Norton & Behan-Pelletier 2009): Naso absent. Bothridial seta slightly to greatly expanded (rarely filfirm). Larger exobothridial seta (xa) positioned anterior to other (xp), usually about half length of seta in or less. Hysterosoma moderately to much elongated, with aesthenic zone. Opisthonotum with weakly definable notogaster; posterior shield bearing all setae posterior to row c, with latter on separate anterior sclerite; separation between sclerites narrow or broad. Opisthonotum usually neotrichous in pygidial region; rarely with 16 pairs (p4 absent). Setae of various form, large and darkly pigmented or not, d2 and e1 erectile or not; setae h1 and p1 not unusually short. Cupules not evident. Anterior pair of genital papillae greatly reduced or absent; most anterior pair of genital setae normal or strongly modified. Famulus of tarsus I much smaller than solenidia; inserted at midpoint or in distal half of tarsus. Tibia II with one solenidion. Leg pretarsi II–IV tridactylous, with empodial claw well developed or much reduced. Adoral seta or1 strongly barbed or pectinate, usually larger than other two setae. Chelicerae chelate-dentate, oriented obliquely, anteroventrally; digits not narrowed. Palptarsus elongated, at least twice tibial length; eupathidia smooth.

Ctenacaroidea NB-P09
    |--Adelphacarus Grandjean 1952 S04 [Adelphacaridae NB-P09]
    |    `--*A. sellnicki Grandjean 1952 S04
    |--Aphelacarus Grandjean 1932 S04 [Aphelacaridae NB-P09, Aphelacarinae]
    |    `--*A. acarinus (Berlese 1910) [=Parhypochthonius acarinus] S04
    |         |--A. a. acarinus [incl. A. rossicus Zachvatkin 1945] S04
    |         `--A. a. sahariensis Gil-Martín, Subías & Arillo 1992 S04
    `--Ctenacaridae NB-P09
         |--Gilarovella Lange 1974 S04
         |    `--*G. demetrii Lange 1974 S04
         |--Neoctenacarus Moritz 1974 S04
         |    `--*N. hastilis Moritz 1974 S04
         |--Ctenacarus Grandjean 1939 [=Grandjeanacarus Zachvatkin 1945] S04
         |    |--*C. araneola (Grandjean 1932) S04 (see below for synonymy)
         |    `--C. foliisetosus Bulanova-Zachvatkina 1980 S04
         `--Beklemishevia Zachvatkin 1945 S04
              |--*B. galeodula Zachvatkin 1945 S04
              |--B. africana (Mahunka 1974) [=Ctencarus africanus] S04
              |--B. barbata (Schubart 1968) [=Ctenacarus barbatus] S04
              |--B. demeteri Mahunka 1984 S04
              |--B. hispaniola Pérez-Íñigo 1997 S04
              `--B. zachvatkini Bulanova-Zachvatkina 1980 S04

*Ctenacarus araneola (Grandjean 1932) S04 [=Palaeacarus araneola S04, C. araneolus CH98, Grandjeanacarus araneola CH98]

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

Balogh, J., & P. Balogh. 1992. The Oribatid Mites Genera of the World vol. 2. Plates. Hungarian Natural History Museum: Budapest.

[CH98] Colloff, M. J., & R. B. Halliday. 1998. Oribatid Mites: A catalogue of Australian genera and species. CSIRO Publishing: Collingwood.

[NB-P09] 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.

[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.