Melichares Hering

De Moraes, Gilberto J., Britto, Erika P. J., Mineiro, Jefferson L. De C. & Halliday, Bruce, 2016, Catalogue of the mite families Ascidae Voigts & Oudemans, Blattisociidae Garman and Melicharidae Hirschmann (Acari: Mesostigmata), Zootaxa 4112 (1), pp. 1-299 : 46-47

Melichares Hering

FEMALE

Gnathosoma. Anterior margin of epistome subtriangular, smooth. Seta h3 distinctly longer than h1, h2 and pc; insertion of h2 slightly posterior (in M. agilis Hering ) or slightly anterior (in M. biebrzae Gwiazdowicz ) to insertion of h3. Inner palp trochanter seta about as long as or longer than outer seta, but not elongate. Deutosternum very narrow, with faint delimiting lateral lines and 5–6 rows of denticles, the first 3–4 rows with 1–2 denticles each; two posterior rows with 3–6 denticles each. Corniculi about four times as long as their basal widths, with pointed tips, close to each other, distally convergent (in M. agilis ) or subparallel (in M. biebrzae ). Palp tarsal apotele two-tined. Fixed cheliceral digit usually with 4–6 (in M. agilis ) teeth or one (in M. biebrzae ) tooth in addition to apical tooth and an expanded membranous lobe instead of setiform pilus dentilis; movable digit with one (in M. agilis ) or two (in M. biebrzae ) teeth in addition to apical tooth.

Idiosoma. Elongate. Dorsum: podonotal and opisthonotal shields fused, smooth or with slight reticulation, without lateral incisions at region of fusion, transverse and nearly straight lines or delineated strip along lateral margins; anterior end of dorsal shield not strongly deflexed. No supernumerary setae on dorsal shield or on unsclerotised lateral cuticle. Podonotal region of shield with 14 (in M. agilis ) or 19 (in M. biebrzae ) pairs of setae; r3 inserted on lateral cuticle (in M. agilis ) or on dorsal shield (in M. biebrzae ), longer and more perpendicular to surface than neighbouring setae. Opisthonotal region of shield with 15 pairs of setae. Unsclerotised lateral cuticle with 9, 15 or 16 pairs of setae (s1 on lateral cuticle or peritrematic shield in M. agilis and M. biebrzae ; z1, s2, s3, r2, r3 on dorsal shield in M. biebrzae ); with 1–3 pairs of UR setae. Dorsal and lateral setae of idiosoma shorter than distance to base of subsequent setae, acicular and smooth. Vent er: presternal platelets indistinct. Sternal shield with three pairs of setae of similar lengths (st1–st3); st2 slightly closer to s t3 than to st1; posterior shield margin truncate to slightly concave. Seta st4 inserted on unsclerotised cuticle (in M. agilis ) or on metasternal plates (in M. biebrzae ); third pair of sternal lyrifissures (iv3) on unsclerotised cuticle, anteromedial of st4 (absent in M. biebrzae ). Genital shield not wide enough to include iv5, but including st5; posteriorly convex. One (in M. agilis ) or two (in M. biebrzae ) pairs of metapodal plates. No platelets between genital and anal shields. Opisthogaster usually with 12 pairs of setae on unsclerotised cuticle, in addition to circumanal setae; anal shield ovoid (longer axis longitudinal); para-anal setae inserted at level of mid-length of anal opening (in M. agilis ) or slightly closer to posterior margin (in M. biebrzae ), slightly shorter than post-anal seta. Anal opening not enlarged, slightly less than 1/3 of shield length, in shield centre (in M. agilis ) or closer to posterior shield margin (in M. biebrzae ). Anterior section of endopodal shield fused with sternal shield; section behind sternal shield not distinguishable (in M. agilis ) or corresponding to an elongate plate beside coxa IV (in M. biebrzae ). Exopodal shield apparently distinct only behind coxa IV and as two triangular remnants between coxae II–III and III–IV.

Peritreme. Extending from stigma to level of s1 and narrower than diameter of stigma (the short peritreme shown in the original description of M. fici Narayanan & Ghai , reaching only posterior margin of coxa II, could be a misinterpretation). Peritrematic shield not fused or fused by a narrow bridge with dorsal shield next to z1; fused by a narrow bridge with exopodal shield beside coxa IV or not fused; in M. agilis , always bearing z1 and in some specimens also bearing s1.

Legs. Setation of legs I–IV, genu: 13, 11, 8, 9; tibia: 13, 10, 8, 10. Legs without macrosetae.

Spermathecal apparatus. Not distinct.

MALE

Gnathosoma similar to female, but with corniculi more widely separated, fixed digit with 6–7 teeth in addition to apical tooth; spermatodactyl cylindrical, extending forward, beyond apex of movable cheliceral digit. Dorsal shield ornamentation similar to female. Presternal platelets absent. Sternogenital shield with five pairs of setae (st1–st5) and three pairs of lyrifissures (iv1–iv3); posterior margin truncate. Endopodal shield totally fused with sternogenital shield. Ventrianal shield subtriangular, bearing six pairs of setae in addition to circumanal setae; not fused with other shields. With two pairs of opisthogastric setae on unsclerotised cuticle. Exopodal shield distinct behind coxa IV. Peritrematic shield not fused with exopodal shield. Without metapodal plates. Legs without modified, spine-shaped setae.