Taxonomic Position

Cohort Heatherellina

    Superfamily Heatherelloidea

Family Heatherellidae Walter, 1997

Heatherella Walter

 

Diagnostic characters.

• Brownish oval mites covered in waxy cerotegument and fringed with bifurcate setae and large gland openings

• Sternal setae st1 in soft cuticle, st2 on sternal shield, st3 and/or st4 on metasternal shields, and st5 on triangular-trapezoidal genital shield; remainder covered by a opisthogastric shield carrying stalked setae and nine pairs of spout-like gland openings

• Peritremes absent, stigmatal openings within raised, digitate structures laterally between coxae III-IV

• Dorsum of female with median shield composed of fused podonotal and mesonotal elements; marginal plates narrow, fused anteriorly to median and circumventral shields; and three setose pygidial plates

• Tectum mucronate-denticulate

• Capitulum not visible from above

• Palp apotele 2-tined; chaetotaxy of trochanter-femur-genu-tibia 2-5-6-14. 

• Hypostomal setae 2-3 transversely arranged; small paralaciniae present.  Tarsus I without apotele; trochanter I with 6 setae. 

• Male with sternal shield carrying st2-st4 surrounding genital opening covered by two subequal plates; st5 on triangular region of circumventral plate behind coxae IV; with podonotal, marginal, mesonotal, and three setose pygidial shields.

 

Similar taxa.  The 8-9 pairs of large, spout-like gland openings, the bifurcate marginal setae, and setose pygidial shields serve to distinguish Heatherellidae from other monogynaspids with fragmented dorsal shields.

 

Ecology & Distribution.  Species of Heatherella occur in open to rainforest litter on the east coast of Australia at least from the Sydney region into central Queensland.  Sperm is transferred directly to the female genital opening and they will feed on nematodes, but other aspects of their life history are unknown.

 

Known species:

Heatherella acanthocharis Walter, 1997

Heatherella callimaulos Walter, 1997

Heatherella spp.

 

References

Walter, D.E.  1997.  Heatherellidae - a new family of Mesostigmata (Acari: Parasitiformes) based on two new species from rainforest litter in Australia.  International Journal of Acarology 23: 167-175.