Archaeorchestidae Arillo & Subías, 2000

Sidorchuk, Ekaterina A. & Norton, Roy A., 2011, The fossil mite family Archaeorchestidae (Acari, Oribatida) II: redescription of Plategeocranus sulcatus and family-group relationships, Zootaxa 3051, pp. 14-40 : 29

Archaeorchestidae Arillo & Subías, 2000 .

With character states of Zetorchestoidea (see Remark 3).

Adult. Prodorsum with two pairs of longitudinal ridges: narrow costate or carinate lamella (bearing seta le on small distal cusp and reaching bothridium posteriorly) and similar tutorium, diverging anteriorly but connected distally by transverse ridge or fold. Setal pair ro inserted widely apart on small tubercles. Bothridia large, cup-shaped; seta bo clavate, with spinose head. Interlamellar seta bifurcated, sometimes trifurcated, or multifurcated. Prodorsum and notogaster appear functionally fused but demarcated by dorsosejugal suture; sejugal groove mostly evident but effaced dorsomedially. Notogaster with at least one distinct pair of oblique humeral grooves converging posteriorly to delineate wedge-shaped central area; with 12 pairs of short setae (c 3 present); l and h series aligned in row. Anal plates long, widened posteriorly, little separated from genital plates. At most six setae on genital plate; without anal or adanal neotrichy. Lyrifissure iad lateral to setal row ad. Legs not modified for jumping. Tarsi all with cylindrical, hyaline ambulacral stalk; tridactylous, with large, strong claws; pulvillus absent; setae (u) on all legs and (p) on II–IV with ventral comb of long cilia; (p) insert on stalk, well distal to (u). Tarsus I with two solenidia, seta ft " absent; tarsus II with one solenidion.

Immatures. Prodorsum with pair of weak, costate lamellae, pedotectum-like folds behind insertions of legs I and II, and setation mostly as in adult. Hysterosomal plication strongly developed in larva; that of nymphs including three sharp transverse and two pairs of longitudinal folds in anterior part, forming right angle near setae c 2 and c 3; with large folds in gastronotic region. Coxisternum not medially divided by soft cuticle; genital region of nymphs protruding, subtriangular, surrounded by narrow, striate groove. Rutellum atelobasic, with ventral lobe. Ambulacral stalk of tarsi as in adult but with pulvillus present below single claw. Respiratory structures include porose apodeme 2 and sejugal apodeme with brachytracheae (seen only in S. illibatus ).