Mesoplophoridae

Phoretic Mesoplophora on beetle, from Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility.

Belongs within: Hypochthonioidea.

The Mesoplophoridae are a cosmopolitan group of ptychoid mites (able to withdraw the legs beneath a rotated aspis), differing from other ptychoid mites in being so both as adults and immatures (Norton & Behan-Pelletier 2009). The species Archoplophora rostralis has a venter of the macropyline type, with the genital and ano-adanal plates closely adjacent, but other species of the family have a macropyline venter with the genital and anal plates widely separated.

Characters (from Norton & Behan-Pelletier 2009): Body form ptychoid. Subcapitulum anarthric; rutella narrow. Hysterosoma covered dorsally by apparent notogaster with only six to eight pairs of setae (rows c, d and e); body region bearing setal rows f, h and p shifted ventrally, incorporated into ventral plate in which genital and anal plates insert. One pair of epimere II setae. Genu I with one solenidion.

<==Mesoplophoridae [Apoplophoridae, Mesoplophorinae, Mesoplophoroidea]
    |  i. s.: Dudichoplophora Mahunka 1982 S04
    |           `--*D. reticulata Mahunka 1982 S04
    |--Archoplophora Hammen 1959 PL17, S04 [Archoplophoridae]
    |    `--A. rostralis (Willmann 1930) S04 (see below for synonymy)
    `--+--Apoplophora Aoki 1980 PL17, S04
       |    |--A. pantotrema (Berlese 1913) S04 (see below for synonymy)
       |    |--A. cristata Mahunka 1991 S04
       |    |--A. heterotricha Mahunka 1987 S04
       |    |--A. malaya Mahunka 1991 S04
       |    |--A. marcuardi Mahunka 1991 S04
       |    |--A. ornata Niedbała 2001 S04
       |    |--A. phalerata Niedbała 2001 S04
       |    |--A. saraburiensis N01
       |    |--A. solomonensis Niedbała 1998 S04
       |    |--A. spinosa Mahunka 1987 S04
       |    `--A. triseta Mahunka 1991 S04
       `--Mesoplophora Berlese 1904 PL17, S04
            |--M. (Mesoplophora) [incl. Phthiracarulus Berlese 1920] S04
            |    |--*M. (M.) michaeliana Berlese 1904 (see below for synonymy) S04
            |    |--M. (M.) africana Balogh 1958 S04 (see below for synonymy)
            |    |--M. (M.) bolivari Calugar 1990 S04
            |    |--M. (M.) crassisetosa Subías & Sarkar 1984 S04
            |    |--M. (M.) cubana Călugăr & Vasiliu 1977 S04
            |    |    |--M. c. cubana S04
            |    |    `--M. c. pratensis Scull 1985 S04
            |    |--M. (M.) gaveae Schuster 1962 S04
            |    |--M. (M.) hauseri Mahunka 1982 S04
            |    |--M. (M.) ifeana Badejo, Woas & Beck 2001 S04
            |    |--M. (M.) ignota Niedbała 1988 S04
            |    |--M. (M.) invisitata Niedbała 1983 S04
            |    |--M. (M.) longiseta Mahunka 1982 N07
            |    |--M. (M.) longisetosa Călugăr & Vasiliu 1977 S04
            |    |--M. (M.) paragaveae Niedbała 2002 S04
            |    |--M. (M.) permodica Niedbała 1985 S04
            |    |--M. (M.) pusilla Schuster 1962 S04
            |    `--M. (M.) vesca Niedbała & Corpuz-Raros 1998 S04
            `--M. (Parplophora Niedbała 1985) S04
                 |--M. (*P.) pulchra Sellnick 1928 S04
                 |--M. (P.) abscondita Niedbała 1988 S04
                 |--M. (P.) bacula Niedbała 2003 N07
                 |--M. (P.) flavida Niedbała 1985 S04
                 |--M. (P.) japonica Aoki 1970 S04
                 |--M. (P.) leviseta Hammer 1979 [incl. M. gibba Mahunka 1988] S04
                 |--M. (P.) paraleviseta Mahunka 1991 S04
                 |--M. (P.) pertenuis Niedbała 2001 S04
                 |--M. (P.) polita Niedbała 1985 [incl. M. villosa Mahunka 1987] S04
                 |--M. (P.) rostrata Mahunka 1988 S04
                 `--M. (P.) subtilis Niedbała 1981 S04

Apoplophora pantotrema (Berlese 1913) S04 [=Mesoplophora pantotrema S04; incl. M. discreta Berlese 1913 S04, Apoplophora discreta A80, M. indica Mahunka 1985 S04, A. jaccoudi Mahunka 1991 S04, A. lineata Mahunka 1987 S04, A. ornatissima Mahunka 1988 S04, *A. remota Aoki 1980 S04, A. rostrorugosa Hammer 1979 S04, Mesoplophora rostrorugosa N84, A. striata Mahunka 1985 S04]

Archoplophora rostralis (Willmann 1930) S04 [=Phthiracarulus rostralis S04; incl. Phthiracarus laevis Jacot 1938 S04, *Archoplophora laevis S04, Phthiracarulus laevis A80, A. villosa Aoki 1980 S04]

Mesoplophora (Mesoplophora) africana Balogh 1958 S04 [=M. (Parplophora) africana N85; incl. M. insularis Pérez-Íñigo 1983 S04]

*Mesoplophora (Mesoplophora) michaeliana Berlese 1904 [incl. M. caucasica Krivolutsky 1975 (n. n.), M. graeca Walzl 1974, M. pectinata Mahunka 1979, Phthiracarus (Phthiracarulus) perexiguus Berlese 1920] S04

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[A80] Aoki, J. 1980. A revision of the oribatid mites of Japan. III. Families Protoplophoridae, Archoplophoridae and Mesoplophoridae. Proceedings of the Japanese Society of Systematic Zoology 18: 5–16.

[N84] Niedbała, W. 1984. Mesoplophoridea (Acari, Oribatida). Changement du système et redescription d'espèces-types. Bulletin of the Polish Academy of Sciences Biological Sciences 32 (3–4): 137–155.

[N85] Niedbała, W. 1985. Essai critique sur Mesoplophora (Acari, Oribatida, Mesoplophoridae). Annales Zoologici 39 (4): 93–117.

[N01] Niedbała, W. 2001. Study of the diversity of Ptyctima (Acari: Oribatida) and quest for centres of its origin: the fauna of the Oriental and Australian regions. In: Halliday, R. B., D. E. Walter, H. C. Proctor, R. A. Norton & M. J. Colloff (eds) Acarology: Proceedings of the 10^th International Congress pp. 143–148. CSIRO Publishing: Melbourne.

[N07] Niedbała, W. 2007. Ptyctimous mites (Acari, Oribatida) of Costa Rica. In: Morales-Malacara, J. B., V. M. Behan-Pelletier, E. Ueckermann, T. M. Pérez, E. G. Estrada-Venegas & M. Badii (eds) Acarology XI: Proceedings of the International Congress pp. 39–42. Instituto de Biología and Faculdad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Sociedad Latinoamericana de Acarología: México.

[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.

[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: 7 March 2019.

Lohmanniidae

Dorsal (left) and ventral views of Nesiacarus australis, from Balogh & Balogh (1992) vol. 2.

Belongs within: Hypochthonioidea.
Contains: Haplacarus, Paulianacarus, Annectacarus, Torpacarus, Meristacarus, Papillacarus, Mixacarus (Mixacarus), Lohmannia (Lohmannia).

The Lohmanniidae are a family of enarthronote oribatids in which the notogaster has becomed fused into a single dorsal shield. Broad ventral keels on the femora function in protection when the legs are retracted into ventrolateral pedofossae. Lohmanniids are found mostly in tropical regions, where they are important decomposers of higher-plant remains (Norton & Behan-Pelletier 2009). Sexual reproduction is as yet unknown in lohmanniids.

The type genus Lohmannia is cosmopolitan in distribution and characterised by a transverse suture on the genital plates, separated anal and adanal plates, a broad preanal plate and one or two pairs of anal setae (Balogh & Balogh 1992).

Characters (from Balogh & Balogh 1992): Notogaster without transverse sutures; anogenital region of macropyline type (genital and anal plates not separated by a ventral plate); preanal plate usually present (if exceptionally absent, then either body somewhat laterally flattened or sensillus pectinate); legs with five free segments, tibia and genua of similar length and shape.

<==Lohmanniidae [Afissurida, Lohmannini, Lohmannioidea]
    |--Nesiacarus Csiszár 1961 PL17, S04
    |    |--*N. reticulatus Csiszár 1961 S04
    |    |--N. australis Balogh & Mahunka 1981 S04
    |    |--N. completus Hu & Wang 1989 S04
    |    |--N. granulatus Hammer 1972 S04
    |    |--N. philippinensis Mahunka 1990 S94
    |    |--N. schusteri Schatz 1994 S04
    |    `--N. sinensis Hu & Wang 1988 S04
    `--+--Mixacarus Balogh 1958 PL17, S04
       |    |--M. (Mixacarus) S04
       |    `--M. (Phyllolohmannia Balogh & Balogh 1987) S04
       |         |--M. (*P.) hammani Balogh 1961 S04
       |         |--M. (P.) foliifer Golosova 1984 S04
       |         `--M. (P.) yinae (Hu & Aoki 1993) [=Phyllolohmannia yinae] S04
       `--Lohmannia Michael 1898 PL17, S04
            |  i. s.: L. murcioides Berl. 1896 BB92
            |--L. (Lohmannia) S04
            `--L. (Carolohmannia Norton, Metz & Sharma 1978) S04
                 `--L. (*C.) carolensis Norton, Metz & Sharma 1978 S04

Lohmanniidae incertae sedis:
  Ululohmannia Mahunka 1987 [=Austracarus Mahunka 1984 nec Lawrence 1949 nec Balogh & Balogh 1983] S04
    `--*U. cristata (Mahunka 1984) [=Austracarus cristatus] S04
  Strinatacarus Mahunka 1977 S04
    `--*S. aelleni Mahunka 1977 S04
  Dendracarus Balogh 1961 S04
    `--*D. pulchellus Balogh 1961 S04
  Reptacarus Pérez-Íñigo & Peña 1995 S04
    `--*R. sagatus Pérez-Íñigo & Peña 1995 S04
  Meristolohmannia Balogh & Mahunka 1966 S04
    |--*M. meristacaroides Balogh & Mahunka 1966 S04
    `--M. chinensis (Bulanova-Zachvatkina 1960) [=Meristacarus chinensis] S04
  Ozacarus Colloff & Halliday 1998 [=Austracarus Balogh & Balogh 1983 non Lawrence 1949] S04
    |--*O. reductus (Balogh & Balogh 1983) S04 [=*Austracarus reductus CH98]
    `--O. tahitiensis (Hammer 1972) [=Meristacarus tahitiensis] S04
  Xenolohmannia Balogh & Mahunka 1969 [Xenolohmanniidae] S04
    |--*X. discrepans Balogh & Mahunka 1969 S04
    |--X. capillata Balogh & Mahunka 1978 S04
    `--X. comosa Balogh 1984 S04
  Lepidacarus Csiszár 1961 S04
    |--*L. ornatissimus Csiszár 1961 S04
    |    |--L. o. ornatissimus S04
    |    `--L. o. rehmabia Haq, Mubarak & Ramani 1983 S04
    `--L. ennarpi Haq & Ramani 1997 S04
  Thamnacarus Grandjean 1950 [incl. Asiacarus Krivolutsky 1971] S04
    |--*T. deserticola (Grandjean 1934) [=Lohmannia deserticola] S04
    |--T. arnoldii (Bashkirova 1958) [=Trhypochthonius arnoldii] S04
    |--T. elongatus (Krivolutsky 1971) [=Asiacarus elongatus; incl. T. moribei Aoki 1971] S04
    |--T. longisetosus Bulanova-Zachvatkina 1978 S04
    `--T. smirnovi Bulanova-Zachvatkina 1978 S04
  Cryptacarus Grandjean 1950 S04
    |--*C. promecus Grandjean 1950 [incl. Lohmannia valdemorica Mihelčič 1956] S04
    |--C. dendrisetosus Bhattacharya, Bhaduri & Raychaudhuri 1974 S04
    |--C. grandjeani Clement & Haq 1990 H01
    |--C. schauenbergi Mahunka 1977 S04
    `--C. tuberculatus Csiszár 1961 S04
  Heptacarus Piffl 1963 (see below for synonymy) S04
    |--*H. notoneotrichus Piffl 1963 S04
    |--H. encantadae Schatz 1994 S04
    |--H. graminosus (McDaniel, Norton & Bolen 1979) [=Pseudocryptacarus graminosus] S04
    |--H. hirsutus Wallwork 1964 S04
    |--H. neotropicus Mahunka 1985 S04
    |--H. ornatus Bayoumi & Al-Khalifa 1985 S04
    |--H. piffli Mahunka 1977 S04
    |--H. plumosus (Hammer 1973) [=Neotrichacarus plumosus] S04
    |--H. reticulatus Mahunka 1977 S04
    `--H. supertrichus Piffl 1966 S94
  Haplacarus S04
  Javacarus Balogh 1961 [incl. Tongacarus Hammer 1973] S04
    |--*J. kuehnelti Balogh 1961 S04
    |--J. foliatus Hammer 1972 [=J. kuehnelti foliatus] S04
    |--J. granulatus Csiszár 1961 S04
    |--J. inexpectatus Balogh 1962 S04
    |--J. jocelynae Judson 1991 S04
    |--J. marginatus (Hammer 1973) (n. d.) [=Tongacarus marginatus] S04
    |--J. porosus Hammer 1960 S04
    `--J. reticulatus Sengbusch 1982 S04
  Euryacarus Woolley 1966 S04
    |--*E. petalus Woolley 1966 S04, S94 [=Javacarus (*Euryacarus) petalus S04]
    `--E. pilosus Mahunka 1982 S94 [=Javacarus (Euryacarus) pilosus S04]
  Paulianacarus S04
  Annectacarus S04
  Torpacarus S04
  Meristacarus S04
  Vepracarus Aoki 1965 S04
    |--*V. ogawai Aoki 1965 CH98, S04 [=Papillacarus ogawai S04]
    `--V. incompletus Mahunka 1985 S94 [=Papillacarus incompletus S04]
  Papillacarus S04

Heptacarus Piffl 1963 [incl. Neotrichacarus Hammer 1973, Pseudocryptacarus McDaniel, Norton & Bolen 1979] 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.

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

[H01] Haq, M. A. 2001. Potential oribatid mite vectors of cestode parasites in Kerala, India. In: Halliday, R. B., D. E. Walter, H. C. Proctor, R. A. Norton & M. J. Colloff (eds) Acarology: Proceedings of the 10^th International Congress pp. 569–575. CSIRO Publishing: Melbourne.

Norton, R. A., & V. M. Behan-Pelletier. 2009. Suborder Oribatida. In: Krantz, G. W., & D. E. Walter (eds) A Manual of Acarology 3rd 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.

[S94] Schatz, H. 1994. Lohmanniidae (Acari: Oribatida) from the Galapagos Islands, the Cocos Island, and Central America. Acarologia 35 (3): 267–287.

[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: 12 January 2019.

Hypochthonioidea

Hypochthonius rufulus, photographed by Scott Justis.

Belongs within: Acariformes.
Contains: Mesoplophoridae, Lohmanniidae.

The Hypochthonioidea is a morphologically diverse group of oribatid mites: while most retain a notogaster dorsally divided by a transverse scissure (the ancestral form), the Lohmanniidae and the New Guinean species Nothrolohmannia calcarata have the notogaster fused into a single plate. Nothrolohmannia calcarata, known from rainforest soil in New Guinea, nevertheless appears more closely related to Hypochthoniidae than Lohmanniidae, sharing a number of features with the genus Malacoangelia such as hypertrophied, biramous rostral setae and a distinctive porose structure anteromedially on the notogaster (forming a single large porose area in Malacoangelia, and a ring of smaller porose areas in N. calcarata). Hypochthoniidae other than Nothrolohmannia have an S-type scissure with an intercalary sclerite running across the scissure, while Mesoplophoridae and Hypochthoniella have an L-type scissure with the cuticle behind the scissure telescoping underneath the anterior cuticle (Norton 2001). In Hypochthoniella, there is also a medially interrupted groove (pseudosuture) on the notogaster in front of the L scissure. Within the Hypochthoniinae, Eohypochthonius is distinguished from Hypochthonius by the division of the genital plates by a transverse suture (Balogh & Balogh 1992).

Synapomorphies (from Norton 2001): Lyrifissure im inserted on the pronotaspis; lateral fusion of sclerites bearing setae of row e, so that only a single intercalary sclerite is present in the transverse notogastral fissure (if present); posterior coxisternal plate bearing a sternal apodeme; aggenital plates fused broadly and imperceptibly with coxisterna IV; adoral seta or2 present, expanded distally and unilaterally pectinate with teeth directed medially, with lateral notch basal to seta setting off a relatively large tooth.

<==Hypochthonioidea
    |--+--Mesoplophoridae N01
    |  `--Hypochthoniella Berlese 1910 S04 (see below for synonymy)
    |       |--*H. minutissima (Berlese 1903) S04, DA07 (see below for synonymy)
    |       |--H. crosbyi (Ewing 1909) [=Hypochthonius crosbyi] S04
    |       |--H. fukushiraensis Shiraishi & Aoki 1994 S04
    |       |--H. paludicola Fujikawa 1994 S04
    |       `--H. sumatrana Mahunka 1989 S04
    `--+--Lohmanniidae DA07
       `--Hypochthoniidae N01
            |--Nothrolohmanniinae N01
            |    |--Nothrolohmannia Balogh 1968 [Nothrolohmanniidae] S04
            |    |    `--*N. calcarata Balogh 1968 S04
            |    `--Malacoangelia Berlese 1913 N01, S04 [Malacoangeliidae]
            |         |--*M. remigera Berlese 1913 S04
            |         |    |--M. r. remigera [incl. M. remigera symmetrica Wallwork 1960] S04
            |         |    `--M. r. indica Chakrabarti, Bhaduri & Raychaudhuri 1972 S04
            |         |--M. assamica Talukdar & Chakrabarti 1984 S04
            |         `--M. similis Sarkar & Subías 1982 S04
            `--Hypochthoniinae N01
                 |--Hypochthonius Koch 1835 S04
                 |    |--*H. rufulus Koch 1835 S04 [=H. (Hypocthoniella) rufulus H98]
                 |    |    |--H. r. rufulus (see below for synonymy) S04
                 |    |    |--H. r. carolinicus Jacot 1936 S04
                 |    |    |--H. r. europaeus Krivolutsky 1965 S04
                 |    |    `--H. r. paucipectinatus Jacot 1934 S04
                 |    |--H. elegans Hammer 1979 S04
                 |    |--H. latirostris Schweizer 1956 (n. d.) S04
                 |    |--H. luteus Oudemans 1917 [incl. H. luteus rectosetosus Krivolutsky 1965] S04
                 |    `--H. ventricosus (Canestrini 1898) [=Hermannia ventricosa] S04
                 `--Eohypochthonius Jacot 1938 N01, S04
                      |--E. (Eohypochthonius) [incl. Afrhypochthonius Balogh 1958] S04
                      |    |--*E. (E.) gracilis (Jacot 1936) [=Hypochthonius gracilis] S04
                      |    |--E. (E.) africanus Mahunka 1978 S04
                      |    |--E. (E.) asiaticus (Berlese 1910) [=Hypochthonius asiaticus] S04
                      |    |--E. (E.) becki Balogh & Mahunka 1979 S04
                      |    |--E. (E.) crassisetiger Aoki 1959 [=E. gracilis crassisetiger] S04
                      |    |--E. (E.) magnus Aoki 1977 S04
                      |    |--E. (E.) parvus Aoki 1977 S04
                      |    |--E. (E.) salicifolius Hammer 1979 S04
                      |    |--E. (E.) vermicularis Hammer 1979 S04
                      |    `--E. (E.) vilhenarum (Balogh 1958) [=Afrhypochthonius vilhenarum] S04
                      `--E. (Neoatrichosus Fernández 1984) S04
                           `--E. (*N.) travei Fernandez 1984 S04

Hypochthoniella Berlese 1910 S04 [=Hypocthoniella H98; incl. Arthrochthonius Ewing 1917 S04, Eniochthonius Grandjean 1933 S04; Eniochthoniidae N01, Eniochthoniinae]

*Hypochthoniella minutissima (Berlese 1903) S04, DA07 [=Hypochthonius minutissimus S04, Eniochthonius minutissimus DA07; incl. E. grandjeani Hammen 1952 S04, Hypochthonius pallidulus Michael 1888 non Koch 1835 CH98, *Arthrochthonius pallidulus CH98, *Eniochthonius pallidulus CH98, Hypochthoniella pallidulus CH98]

*Hypochthonius rufulus rufulus Koch 1835 [incl. H. rufulus brevisetosus Krivolutsky 1965, H. pallidulus Koch 1835] S04

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

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

[DA07] Domes, K., M. Althammer, R. A. Norton, S. Scheu & M. Maraun. 2007. The phylogenetic relationship between Astigmata and Oribatida (Acari) as indicated by molecular markers. Experimental and Applied Acarology 42 (3): 159–171.

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

[N01] Norton, R. A. 2001. Systematic relationships of Nothrolohmanniidae, and the evolutionary plasticity of body form in Enarthronota (Acari: Oribatida). In: Halliday, R. B., D. E. Walter, H. C. Proctor, R. A. Norton & M. J. Colloff (eds) Acarology: Proceedings of the 10^th International Congress pp. 58–75. CSIRO Publishing: Melbourne.

[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: 12 January 2019.