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Uropodoidea
Taxonomic Position
Cohort Uropodina
Subcohort Uropodiae
Superfamily Uropodoidea Kramer
Family Uropodidae Kramer (s.l.)
Including the families Nenteriidae Hirschmann, Trematuridae Berlese, Macrodinychidae Hirschmann, Trigonuropodidae Hirschmann, Urodinychidae Berlese, Dinychidae Berlese, Circocyllibamidae Sellnick, Deraiophoridae Trägårdh, Discourellidae Baker & Wharton
Diagnostic characters:
Tortoise-like uropodine mesostigmatans, usually oval to circular in outline and encased in armor dorsally and ventrally; shields usually indistinct, marginal and pygidial shields sometimes discernable
Usually >100 dorsal idiosomal setae
Marginal setae sometimes elaborated to produce a fringe or basket-like arrangement
Scabellum and pedofossae usually present
Peritremes often sinuous or bent; stigmata often at level of coxae II-III.
Sternal setae (st1-5) on ventral shield that encompasses the genital opening and protects all of the venter; anal opening with 2-5 circumanal setae
Genital shield nude, usually entirely intercoxal and truncate posteriorly (postcoxal in Metagynella), often with anterior median process
Legs I with or without ambulacra, coxae I large, flattened, usually contiguous; trochanter I with 4 setae; tibia I with 3 dorsal and 2 ventral setae; all genu with <4 dorsal setae; genu II with <2 lateral setae
Chelicerae typically slender, elongate, with small digits and distal sensory area (sometimes highly elaborated); corniculi horn-like
Tectum hyaline; hypostomal denticles typically dense to irregular. Palp apotele 2-tined; palp genu with 4-5 setae, palp femur with 5 (rarely 4) setae
Tritosternal laciniae typically fused, highly divided; tritosternal base variable, usually wider than long
Male
genital opening usually intercoxal, anterior
valve rarely with a pair of setae; chelicerae not obviously modified for sperm
transfer.
Similar taxa. Well armored, tortoise-like mites with uropodine chelicerae are likely to be Uropodoidea.
Key to adult females of common Uropodoidea
1. Chelicerae with large, sclerotized node at base of movable digit - 3
- Chelicerae without large, sclerotized node - 2
2. Genital opening intercoxal - Uropodidae
- Genital opening postcoxal - Metagynuridae, Metagynella
3. Fixed digit simple, lobed or acuminate distally, not ending in a flower-like process - 4
- Fixed digit ending in a flower-like process - Uroactiniidae, Uroactinia
4. Pilus dentilis absent or modified into a membranous process; internal malae linear - 6
- Pilus dentilis bifurcate; internal malae densely plumose, moustache-like - Trachyuropodidae (5)
5. Body ornamented with large pits and/ or tubercles - Trachyuropodidae, Trachyuropoda
- Body flattened, oval, smooth to punctate, without large pits or tubercles - Trachyuropodidae, Oplitis
6. Fixed digit produced as strong lobe or acuminate structure; genu I with pair of ventral setae - 9
- Chelicerae chelate-dentate, without distal process; genu I without ventral setae - Trematuridae (7)
7. Peritremes present in adults (and deutonymphs) - 8
- Peritremes absent in adults (present in deutonymphs) - Trematuridae, Trematura
8. Tectum denticulate, tapering; corniculi divided; often with 1-2 pairs of elongate posterior setae - Trematuridae, Trichouropoda
- Tectum with distally branched process; corniculi simple; without elongate distal setae - Trematuridae, Nenteria
9. Pedofossae usually present; internal malae simple or denticulate - 10
- Pedofossae absent; internal malae bifurcate - Dinychidae, Dinychus
10. Separate pygidial plate bearing setae present - Urodiaspis
- Pygidial region fused to dorsal shield, sometimes produced as tooth-like process - Uroobovella (11)
11. Metapodal lines and anterior genital shield process absent - Uroobovella (Uroobovella)
- Metapodal lines present, anterior genital shield process present or absent - Uroobovella (Fuscouropoda)
Ecology. Uropodoids occur
in most litter types and are especially common in compost and in mesic to wet
forests. Some species infest worm beds, but probably have little effect on
the worms. The few species that have been studied are primarily predatory
(especially on maggots and nematodes), although some are known to feed on fungi
as well. Insects, myriapods, and small lizards are often covered with the
phoretic deutonymphs of these mites, each attached by a small anal pedicle.
References
Ainscough,
BD. 1981. Uropodine studies. I. Suprageneric classification in the cohort
Uropodina Kramer, 1882 (Acari: Mesostigmata).
International Journal of Acarology 7: 47-56.
Athias, F. 1976. Observations morphologiques sur Polyaspis patavinus Berlese 1881
(Acariens : Uropodides). 2. Morphologie et chètotaxie des appendices au cours du
dèveloppement postembryonnaire. Acarologia
18: 194-216.
Athias-Binche, F. and Bloszyk, J. 1988. Australian Uropodina
(Acari : Anactinotrichida). I. Australocilliba
gen. n. (Cillibidae). Journal of the
Australian Entomological Society 27:
1-8.
Athias-Binch,
F. & Evans, GO. 1981. Observations on the genus Protodinychus
Evans, 1957 (Acari: Mesostigmata) with descriptions of the male and phoretic
deuteronymph. Proc. R. Ir. Acad.
81b: 25-36.
Bloszyk, J. and Halliday, R. B. 1995. A new species of Dinychus Kramer from Tasmania (Acarina:
Dinychidae). Journal of the Australian
Entomological Society 34:
187-191.
Evans
EO and Till WM. 1979. Mesostigmatic mites of Britain and Ireland
(Chelicerata: Acari-Parasitiformes). An
introduction to their external morphology and classification. Transactions of the Zoological Society of
London 35 (2): 145-270.
Gilyarov MS & Bregatova NG (eds). 1977.
Handbook for the Identification of Soil-inhabiting Mites,
Mesostigmata. Zoological Institute
of the Academy of Sciences: Petrograd [In Russian]
Johnson, DE. 1961. A review of the lower uropodid mites (former Thinozerconoidea, Protodinychoidea and Trachytoidea) with notes on the classification of the Uropodina (Acarina). Acarologia 3: 522-545.
Karg W. 1989. Acari (Acarina), Milben Unterordnung Parasitiformes (Anactinotrichaeta) Uropodina Kramer, Schildkrötenmilben. Die Tierwelt Deutschlands 67: 1-203.
Krantz, GW & Ainscough, B. 1990. Mesostigmata. pp. 583-665, in DL Dindal (ed) Soil Biology Guide. John Wiley & Sons: Brisbane.
Wisniewski, J. and W. Hirschmann 1993. Katalog der Ganggattungen, Untergattungen, Gruppen und Arten die Uropodiden der Erde. Gangsyst. Parasitiformes, Schriften. für vergleich. Milbenkunde Folge 40: 466pp. Hirschmann Verlag, Nürnberg.
Womersley
H. 1959. A new species of Urodiscella
(Acarina, Uropodidae) from Australia. Records
of the South Australian Museum 13:
349-353.