BLATTISOCIIDAE

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 : 10-11

BLATTISOCIIDAE

FEMALE

Gnathosoma. Anterior region of epistome variously shaped, smooth or denticulate. Ratios between lengths of hypostomatic and pc setae and insertion of h2 variable. Inner palp trochanter seta elongate or not. Deutosternum usually moderately wide to distinctly wide (narrow in Blattisocius and some Lasioseius ), with delimiting lateral lines (except in Cheiroseius and Platyseius ). Corniculi 1–4 times as long as their basal widths, with pointed tips, generally well separated from each other and subparallel (very close to each other in Blattisocius ; distally convergent in Adhaerenseius , Blattisocius , Discoseius , some Fungiseius and some Lasioseius ). Palp tarsal apotele two-tined. Chelicera stout in Fungiseius and Hoploseius , elongate in Cheiroseius and Platyseius ; cheliceral digits of similar lengths (fixed digit much shorter than movable digit in some Blattisocius ); fixed digit usually with 4–20 teeth (edentate in some Blattisocius ; up to 40 teeth in some Lasioseius ) in addition to apical tooth (with a dorsodistal pointed process in some Lasioseius ); movable digit with 0–4 teeth (up to five in Opilioseius and seven in some Lasioseius ), without ventral mucro.

Idiosoma. Elongate to hemispherical. Dorsum: podonotal and opisthonotal shields fused, smooth or ornamented, usually without distinct lateral incisions at line of fusion; without transverse and nearly straight lines or posterior tubercles; usually without delineated strip along lateral margins (except in Fungiseius ); anterior end of dorsal shield varying from not deflexed to strongly deflexed, concealing bases of j1 and z1. No supernumerary setae on dorsal shield (present in some Cheiroseius ) or on unsclerotised lateral cuticle. Podonotal region of shield (or podonotal shield) usually with 15–25 pairs of setae (10 pairs in Krantzoseius , 11 in Aceodromus and 14 in Discoseius ). Opisthonotal region of shield with 8–16 pairs of setae (five pairs in Cheiroseiulus and Krantzoseius ; up to 18 pairs in some Cheiroseius ). Unsclerotised lateral cuticle with 0–16 pairs of setae (up to 20 pairs in Blattisocius ); with or without UR setae. Ve n t e r: with 0–3 pairs of presternal plates or with sclerotised presternal area consolidated or confluent with sternal shield. Sternal shield usually with three pairs of setae (st1–st3; only 1–2 pairs in Blattisocius ; st1 occasionally on unsclerotised cuticle or presternal plates or st3 inserted on unsclerotised cuticle in some Lasioseius ; st3 inserted on unsclerotised cuticle in Krantzoseius ), of similar or different lengths and shapes, and two pairs of lyrifissures (iv1–iv2); posterior margin often concave, but also truncate, undulate, with a median lobe or convex. Seta st4 and lyrifissures iv3 inserted on metasternal plates or on unsclerotised cuticle (iv3 may be absent; on posterior margin of sternal shield or on unsclerotised cuticle in some Discoseius perplexus Lindquist & Moraza ). Genital shield usually not wide enough to include iv5, but including st5 (in several genera st 5 may be inserted on unsclerotised cuticle; iv5 inserted on genital shield in Zercoseius and some Lasioseius ); posterior region truncate to convex (concave in some Cheiroseius ; bluntly pointed in Discoseius ). Opisthogastric cuticle with 0–2 pairs of metapodal plates, with or without sclerotised line or platelets between genital and anal shields. Opisthogaster with 5–10 pairs of setae; with an anal shield bearing only circumanal setae, or with a ventrianal shield bearing additionally up to seven pairs of setae; para-anal setae usually inserted between levels of anterior and posterior margins of anal opening (behind posterior margin in some Cheiroseius and some Platyseius ); varying from about half as long as post-anal seta to much longer than post-anal seta. Anal opening not enlarged (enlarged in some Lasioseius ). Anterior section of endopodal shield varying from normally developed and fused with sternal shield to reduced, leaving a wide band of unsclerotised cuticle between narrow sternal shield and coxae; section behind sternal shield varying from indistinct to a broad plate encircling part of coxae III–IV (plate fragmented in some Cheiroseius and Platyseius ). Exopodal shield indistinct or distinct between coxae II–IV. Peritreme. Most commonly extending from stigma at least to level of s2, fusing with each other at anterior end in some Cheiroseius and some Platyseius ; reaching only level of posterior margin of coxa III in some Blattisocius , only level between s2–s 4 in Opilioseius and absent in Krantzoseius ; with post-stigmatic extension in some Cheiroseius and Platyseius ; about as wide as or narrower than diameter of stigma (wider than diameter of stigma in Arrhenoseius , Cheiroseius and Platyseius ). Peritrematic shield usually wide (narrow in Aceodromus and Blattisocius ; represented by a platelet behind r 3 in Krantzoseius ); fused anteriorly with dorsal shield and broadly fused with exopodal shield beside coxa IV (by a narrow bridge in Fungiseius clavulisetis Moraza & Lindquist ). Legs. All legs with pretarsi. Median section of pulvilli of legs II–IV most often rounded (slender in Cheiroseiulus ; acute in Cheiroseius and Platyseius ). Usual setation of legs I–IV, genu: 13 (12), 11 (10), 9 (8), 10 (8,9); tibia: 13 (12), 10 (9), 8 (9), 10 (9); alternative setation for genu I: 11 (some Blattisocius ); genu II: eight (some Blattisocius ), nine ( Cheiroseiulus , some Lasioseius ); genu III: seven (some Lasioseius ), ten ( Adhaerenseius , Zercoseius ), genu IV: 11 ( Adhaerenseius ); tibia I: ten (some Blattisocius ), 11 (some Hoploseius ); tibia II: nine ( Cheiroseiulus , Platyseius ),11 (some Lasioseius ); tibia III: six (some Blattisocius ); very reduced setation of genua and tibiae in Hoploseius tenuis Lindquist , 8, 7, 6, 6 and 9, 7, 7, 7 respectively, and Krantzoseius walteri Seeman , 8, 6, 6, 6 and 8, 7, 7, 7 respectively. Leg II not distinctly different from other legs (except in Fungiseius and most Hoploseius , stouter). Legs with or without macrosetae.

Spermathecal apparatus. Phytoseiid-type (except in Zercoseius ).

MALE

Fixed cheliceral digit with 1–12 teeth in addition to apical tooth; movable digit usually with one tooth in addition to apical tooth (edentate in some Blattisocius ; up to four teeth in some Lasioseius ); spermatodactyl from about as long as movable digit to about twice as long as movable digit (up to four times as long in Cheiroseius and Platyseius ). Sternogenital shield with 4–5 pairs of setae (st1–st5; st4 absent in Cheiroseiulus , Platyseius and some Cheiroseius ; st5 generally off the shield in Blattisocius and absent in H. tenuis ) and three pairs of lyrifissures (iv1–iv3; the latter absent in Opilioseius ; iv4 present in some Lasioseius ). Usually with a ventrianal shield including 4–7 pairs of setae in addition to circumanal setae (one pair in Krantzoseius ). Legs similar to female, not enlarged (with some spineshaped setae on leg II and in some species also on legs III–IV).