Caraboacaridae Mahunka, 1970

Hajiqanbar, Hamidreza, Khaustov, Alexander, Kamali, Karim & Saboori, Alireza, 2008, A new genus and species of mites of the family Caraboacaridae (Acari: Heterostigmata) associated with carabid beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) from Iran, Zootaxa 1788, pp. 57-65 : 58

Family Caraboacaridae Mahunka, 1970

Type genus: Caraboacarus Krczal, 1959

Diagnosis. Female. Gnathosoma: Gnathosomal capsule greatly wider than its length (nearly 2 times), in dorsal view subtriangular. Stylets usually large, robust and recurved basally but sometimes short and less robust. Palpi vestigial. Gnathosoma dorsally with one pair of seta (ch 1) and ventrally with 5 pairs of setae (su 1, su 2, pp, dGe and dFe). Seta su 1 usually modified. Pharynx large, quadrangular and not subdivided.

Dorsal idiosoma: prodorsal shield with 2 pairs of setae (v 1 and sc 2) and a pair of clavate trichobothridia. Stigmata situated in anterolateral corners of prodorsum. Hysterosoma with 4 visible tergites; tergite C tripartite with 2 pairs of setae (c 1 and c 2). Tergite D with one pair of seta (d). Tergite EF with one or two pairs of setae (sometimes seta e absent). Tergite H with one or two pairs of setae (sometimes seta h 2 absent).

Ventral idiosoma: Apodemes I–IV well-developed, apodemes V absent or reduced. Epimeres I with one pair of simple seta 1 b and one pair of suckers (modified seta 1 a). Epimeres II with 2 pairs of setae 2 a and 2 b (2 b usually modified) and sometimes with one pair of suckers (modified seta 2 c). Epimeres III and IV with 3 pairs of setae each (3 a -3 c and 4 a -4 c), some setae usually modified. Epimeres III and IV consolidated medially. Aggenital plate with 0–2 pairs of setae (ag 1-2). Pseudanal segment PS bearing one pair of seta (ps).

Legs - Leg I: 5-segmented, without ambulacrum (claw and empodium). Usually shorter than other legs. Setal formula: Tr 1; v’ - Fe 4; d, v”, l’, l” - Ge 3; v’, v”, l’ - Ti 6; d, k, v’, v”, l’, l” (1 or 2)1- Ta 12; p’, p”, tc’, tc”, ft’, ft”, pl’, pl”, pv’, pv”, u’, u” (1 or 2) (in Caraboacarus setae u’ and u” absent). Leg II: 5-segmented, with pair of claws and large empodium. Setal formula: Tr 1; v’ - Fe 3; d, v”, l’ - Ge 3; v’, l’, l” - Ti 4; d, v’, v”, l’ (1)- Ta 8; p’, tc’, tc”, pv’, pv”, pl”, u’, u” (1) (sometimes setae pl” absent). Leg III: 5-segmented, with pair of claw and large empodium. Setal formula: Tr 1; v’ - Fe 2; d, v’ - Ge 3; v’, l’, l” -Ti 4; d, v’, v”, l’ (1)-Ta 7; p’, tc’, tc”, pv’, pv”, u’, u”. Leg IV: 4-segmented but sometimes tibia and tarsus separated and 5-segmented, without claw, with large stalked empodium. Seta tc” on tarsus modified. Setal formula: Tr 1; v’ - Fe 2; d, v’ - Ge 2; v’, l” - TiTa 10; d, v’, v”, l’, p’, tc’, tc”, pv’, pv”, u” (1), sometimes Ti 4; d, v’, v”, l’ (1)- Ta 6; p’, tc’, tc”, pv’, pv”, u”.

Male and immature unknown in all described species.