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Endeostigmata & Sphaerolichida
Taxonomy

The Endeostigmata (cohort Pachygnathina of Krantz 1978) was proposed by Grandjean (1937) for a cluster of early derivative acariform mites that he believed linked the Oribatida to the Prostigmata.  Over the next few years Grandjean studied several genera of PACHYGNATHIDAE (now ALYCIDAE) in detail and proposed three (ALICORHAGIIDAE, TERPNACARIDAE, NANORCHESTIDAE) of the 10 currently recognized families.  Subsequent work by Kethley (1977) (OEHSERCHESTIDAE, GRANDJEANICIDAE), Coineau & Theron (1983) (MICROPSAMMIDAE), Kethley (1989) (PROTEONEMATALYCIDAE), and Lindquist & Palacios-Vargas (1991) (PROTERORHGAGIDIIDAE) raised the number of endeostigmatan families to nine.  Additionally, NEMATALYCIDAE Strenzke (1954) now is considered to be a member of the Endeostigmata (Evans 1992).

Synonymies & other confusions.  Although traditionally the Endeostigmata has been treated as a primitive group of Prostigmata, its affinities lie with the oribatid mites in the acariform order Sarcoptiformes.  The exceptions are two of Grandjean’s families, SPHAEROLICHIDAE and LORDALYCIDAE, that are now placed in the Sphaerolichida as a sister group to the Prostigmata (OConnor 1984).  In addition to the problem with higher-level placement, the Endeostigmata is rich in other nomenclatorial confusions.  For example, the first nominate family, PACHYGNATHIDAE Kramer (raised to accommodate members of the genus Pachygnathus Dugês) is a junior homonym of a spider family of the same name (based on Pachygnatha, and the spider family itself a junior synonym of Tetragnathidae).  PACHYGNATHIDAE is best referred to ALYCIDAE (Judson 2000) (rather than the BIMICHAELIIDAE of some recent authors).  Additionally, Lordalycus Grandjean (LORDALYCIDAE) is a junior synonym of Hybalicus Berlese, the latter of which was designated by Theron as the type genus for his family Hybalicidae (Theron 1974).  The species of Hybalicus described in that work are referable instead to the oft-misspelled endeostigmatic genus Oehserchestes Jacot (OEHSERCHESTIDAE) (Kethley 1977).  Finally, the enarthronote oribatid family PEDICULOCHELIDAE often has been misplaced in the Endeostigmata.