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Bimichaelia
Bimichaelia Sig Thor, 1902 – >17 spp.
Type species: Michaelia augustana Berlese 1884
Bimichaelia arbusculosa Grandjean; Bimichaelia augustana (Berlese 1884); Bimichaelia australica Womersley 1944; Bimichaelia campylognatha Grandjean; Bimichaelia crassipalpis Halbert; Bimichaelia diadema Grandjean, 1939; Bimichaelia dimixsetosa McDaniel (Bimichaelia dimixsetosa texana); Bimichaelia disetosa McDaniel; Bimichaelia novazealandica Womersley; Bimichaelia pusilla Womersley 1944; Bimichaelia ramosa Mihelčič; Bimichaelia rectangula Willman; Bimichaelia reticulata Shiba; Bimichaelia sarekensis (Trägårdh) Europe; Bimichaelia setigera (Berlese); Bimichaelia stellaris Womersley 1944; Bimichaelia subnuda (Berlese)
DIAGNOSIS. Prodorsum with posterior pair of trichobothria (sci = bo) capitate and anterior pair (ve = le) filiform and with 4 or more pairs of barbed to stellate setae (prodorsal hypertrichy sometimes present); naso with median eye; lateral eyes absent. Rutella present; chelicerae attenuate-edentate (stylet-like) and nude. Opisthosoma usually hypertrichous and often with stellate integument; 3 pairs of genital papillae. Leg IV not modified for jumping.
REMARKS. These are among the most common and largest of endeostigmatans found in forest soil and litter and are also common in grasslands. Nothing is known about their biology, but because of their stylet-like mouthparts, so authors have suggested that they may feed on plant roots or mycorrhizae.
SIMILAR TAXA. Species of Petralycus have the anterior pair of trichobothria capitate and the posterior pair filiform.
References
Delgado-A-G-C; de-Alzuet-A-B. 1987. Estudio comparativo de la region genito-anal en Pachygnathus silvaticus (Acarina Prostigmata: Pachygnathidae). Revista Sociedad Entomologica Argentina 44(3-4) 1985[1987]: 337-340
Grandjean F. 1936. Le genre Pachygnathus Dugês (Alycus Koch) (Acariens). Ire partie. Bull. Mus. nat. hist. 8 (ser. 2):398-405.
Grandjean F. 1937a. Le genre Pachygnathus Dugês (Alycus Koch) (Acariens). Deuxième partie. Bull. Mus. nat. hist. 9 (ser. 2): 56-61, figs 1-3.
Grandjean F. 1937b. Le genre Pachygnathus Dugês (Alycus Koch) (Acariens). Troisième partie. Bull. Mus. nat. hist. 9 (ser. 2):134-138, figs 4-5.
Grandjean F. 1937c. Le genre Pachygnathus Dugês (Alycus Koch) (Acariens). Quatrième partie. Bull. Mus. nat. hist. 9 (ser. 2):199-205, figs 6-8.
Grandjean F. 1937d. Le genre Pachygnathus Dugês (Alycus Koch) (Acariens). Cinquième et dernière partie. Bull. Mus. nat. hist. 9 (ser. 2):262-269, fig 9.
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