Revision of the status of some genus-level water mite taxa in the families Pionidae Thor, 1900, Aturidae Thor, 1900, and Nudomideopsidae Smith, 1990 (Acari: Hydrachnidiae)
Author
Smith, Ian M.
Author
Cook, David R.
Author
Gerecke, Reinhard
text
Zootaxa
2015
3919
1
111
156
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.3919.1.6
4c40552e-e778-4d8e-a6b7-9662436cadc2
1175-5326
244587
F711CA99-1B2C-4E18-9F4B-7521D38D2303
Family
Aturidae Thor, 1900
Aturidae
(in part):
Cook, 1974a
, pp. 289–305.
Aturidae
+
Axonopsidae
:
Smith, 1976
, pp. 9–11.
Aturidae
: Smith, 1977, pp. 953, 962, 966.
Aturidae
: Smith, 1984, pp. 308–310, 323–328.
Aturidae
(in part):
K.O. Viets, 1987
, p. 164.
Aturidae
(in part):
Smith & Cook, 1991
, pp. 553, 577, 578, figs. 16.133, 16.136, 16.139–16.143, 16.148–16.151, 16.268–16.271.
Aturidae
(in part):
Smith & Cook, 1999
, pp. 118–119.
Aturidae
:
Smith
et al
., 2001
, pp. 580, 581, 613, 614, figs. 150–170, 348–379.
Aturidae
:
Walter
et al.
, 2009
, pp. 267–268, 284–285, 290, figs. 13.37J, 13.37K, 13.53H–13.53J, 13.54A–13.54G.
Aturidae
:
Smith
et al
., 2010
, pp. 523, 524, 554, 555, figs. 15.150–15.170, 15.349–15.380.
Aturidae
: Gerecke, 2014, pp. 1–46, figs. 1–27.
Diagnosis.
Larva
(modified from Smith 1984): Character states of pioniform hygrobatoid mites
sensu
Smith (1976)
. Idiosoma elongate oval to nearly round in shape, moderately flattened dorsoventrally, and bearing twenty pairs of setae. Dorsum nearly covered by entire dorsal plate bearing four pairs of setae, namely
vi
,
ve
,
si
, and
se
anteriorly, or five pairs of setae including
vi
,
ve
,
si
,
se
anteriorly and
c1
laterally. Dorsal plate surrounded by soft integument bearing two pairs of eyes anterolaterally and eight pairs of setae laterally including
c1
,
c2
,
c3
,
d1
,
d2
,
e1
,
e2
, and
f1
, or seven pairs of setae laterally when
c1
is located on dorsal plate. Venter nearly covered by three pairs of expanded coxal plates. On each side, first coxal plate separate from second coxal plate, or fused with second plate with suture line distinct laterally and obliterated medially; second and third coxal plates fused with one another with suture line distinct laterally and obliterated medially where it merges almost imperceptibly with lateral coxal apodeme that is nearly parallel to anterior edge of second coxal plate. First coxal plate bearing setae
1a
posteriorly and
1b
at anterolateral angle; second coxal plate bearing setae
2b
at posterolateral angle; third coxal plate bearing setae
3a
anteriorly and, in some cases,
pa
near posteromedial angle. Third coxal plate with medial coxal apodeme present or absent and with transverse muscle attachment scar present or absent. Posterior edge of third coxal plate convex or nearly straight, and lacking or bearing prominent projections that may be elaborate when present. Excretory pore plate little larger than excretory pore and roughly round or quadrangular in shape, or much larger than excretory pore and nearly circular, triangular, quadrangular, broadly obcordate or roughly elliptical in shape, bearing setae
ps1
medially and
ps2
laterally, and, in some cases,
h2
posterolaterally with
ps2
displaced anteriorly or medially; excretory pore sessile. Numbers of setae and solenidia on leg segments as follows: ITi 7 to 9 (+ ϕ1 and ϕ2); ITa 11 to 13 (+ ω); IITi 7 to 9 (+ ϕ1 and ϕ2); IITa 11 to 13 (+ ω); IIITr 1; IIITi 7 or 9 (+ ϕ); IIITa 10 or 11. Trochanter of first leg with seta ITr1 long and anteroventral in position.
Adults
(modified from
Cook 1974a
): Character states of the superfamily Hygrobatoidea (see
Smith 1976
). Idiosoma flattened dorsoventrally, with extensive dorsal and ventral shields. Dorsal shield entire or composed of numerous closely fitting platelets. Ventral shield incorporating coxal plates. Gnathosomal base separated from first coxal plates. Fourth coxal plate bearing or lacking glandularia. Genital field bearing three to many acetabula on plates flanking gonopore; surrounded by soft integument or variously fused with ventral shield. Pedipalp tibia with or without thick seta borne on ventral projection, unmodified distally, and lacking a spine-like or peg-like seta distomedially. Legs of males with segments unmodified or with distal segments variously modified.
Subfamilies included.
Albiinae Viets, 1925, Aturinae Thor, 1900, Axonopsinae Viets, 1929, Notoaturinae Besch, 1964.
Distribution.
Worldwide.
Discussion.
Cook (1974a)
considered the family
Aturidae
to consist of five subfamilies, namely Frontipodopsinae Viets, 1931 including the genera
Frontipodopsis
Walter, 1929
and
Karlvietsia
Viets, 1962
, Axonopsinae Viets, 1929 including four large apparently monophyletic groups of related genera and a few distinctive genera with uncertain relationships, Albiinae Viets, 1925 including only the large worldwide genus
Albia
Thon, 1899
and the highly unusual monobasic genus
Parasitalbia
Viets, 1935
, Aturinae, Thor, 1900 including a moderately large group of related genera primarily in the Northern Hemisphere, and Notoaturinae Besch, 1964 including a diverse group of related genera in the Southern Hemisphere. Subsequently
Cook (1986)
assigned the Australian genera
Tasmanaxona
Cook, 1986
and
Wheenyella
Cook, 1986
to the Frontipodopsinae and Harvey (1989) placed the Australian genus
Wheenyoides
Harvey,
1989
in the same subfamily.
Cook (1974a)
and Smith (1984) pointed out that
Frontipodopsis
was not closely related to other aturids, and
Cook
et al
. (2000)
subsequently removed
Frontipodopsis
from the
Aturidae
and placed it in the monobasic family
Frontipodopsidae
. At the same time they transferred
Tasmanaxona
,
Wheenyella
,
and
Wheenyoides
from the Frontipodopsinae to the family
Wettinidae
, and
Karlvietsia
from the Frontipodopsinae to the family
Hygrobatidae
, as part of a phylogenetic reassessment of basal hygrobatoid lineages. These authors also proposed a number of changes to the subfamily Axonopsinae (discussed below), leaving the
Aturidae
with four remaining subfamilies.
Smith
et al
. (2001
, 2010) followed this subfamily classification as do we in the following treatment of the
Aturidae
.