Trochometridium Cross, 1965

Hajiqanbar, Hamidreza, Khaustov, Alexander, Kamali, Karim, Saboori, Alireza & Kamali, Hashem, 2009, New taxa of the family Trochometridiidae (Acari: Heterostigmata) associated with insects from Iran, Journal of Natural History 43 (43 - 44), pp. 2701-2722 : 2702-2703

Type genus Trochometridium Cross, 1965

Diagnosis of adult female

Gnathosoma. Gnathosomal capsule subquadrangular or subtrapezoidal; cheliceral stylets usually stout and curved; palpi prominent, exceeding apex of stylophore, apically free; palpi two-segmented, femurogenu with two setae (dGe and dFe), tibiotarsus with a large solenidion and a small rod-shape eupathidion, small tibial claw entire but sometimes bifid; gnathosoma dorsally with one (ch 1) or two (ch 1 and ch 2) pairs of

cheliceral setae, ventrally with two pairs of setae (su 1 and su 2) and laterally with evident palpcoxal setae (pp).

Dorsal idiosoma. Prodorsum with three pairs of setae (v 1, v 2 and sc 2) and a pair of capitate or clavate trichobothridia; stigmata usually elliptical and bent in the middle part (kidney-shaped) but sometimes rounded and folded, situated in anterolateral corners of prodorsum with a well-developed tracheal system, atrium clear; hysterosoma with four visible tergites; tergite C tripartite with two pairs of setae (c 1 and c 2), tergite D with one pair of setae (d), tergite EF with two pairs of setae (e and f), tergite H with two pairs of setae (h 1 and h 2).

Ventral idiosoma. Apodemes I, II and V well-developed, apodemes III reduced, apodemes IV weakly developed; epimeres I–IV with three pairs of setae each (1 a –1 c, 2 a –2 c, 3 a –3 c and 4 a –4 c); setae 4 b on a triangular midsternal plate; usually with a pair of sporothecae between the bases of third and fourth legs, sometimes absent; aggenital plate with one pair of setae (ag); pseudanal segment bearing two pairs of setae (ps 1 and ps 2).

Legs. All legs five-segmented, with ambulacra; usually seta d on femur I and tibia of legs I–IV ultralong but sometimes as long as other setae of leg segments. Leg I: thicker than legs II–IV, tarsus with a large single claw, unguinal setae (u’–u”) spine-like, subunguinal seta (s) setiform, tectal seta tc” located on a pinaculum, usually seta v’ on the femur modified and hook-like but sometimes setiform and unmodified. Setal formula (with number of solenidia in parentheses): Tr 1; v’ – Fe 5; d, v’, v”, l’, l” – Ge 5; d, v’, v”, l’, l” – Ti 6; d, k, v’, v”, l’, l” (2) – Ta 14; p’, p”, tc’, tc”, ft’, ft”, pl’, pl”, pv’, pv”, u’, u”, l’, s (1). Leg II: with pair of claws and large empodium. Solenidion w on tarsus II finger-shaped or uniformly thin. Setal formula: Tr 1; v’ – Fe 3; d, v”, l’ – Ge 3; v’, l’, l” – Ti 4; d, v’, v”, l’ (1) – Ta 8; p’, tc’, tc”, pv’, pv”, pl”, u’, u” (1). Leg III: with pair of claws and large empodium. Setal formula: Tr 1; v’ – Fe 2; d, v’ – Ge 3; v’, l’, l” – Ti 4; d, v’, v”, l’ (1) – Ta 8; p’, tc’, tc”, pv’, pv”, pl”, u’, u”. Leg IV: with pair of claws and large empodium. Setal formula: Tr 1; v’ – Fe 2; d, v’ – Ge 2; v’, l” – Ti 4; d, v’, v”, l’ (1) – Ta 7; p’, tc”, pv’, pv”, pl”, u’, u”.

Male and larva

Male and immature known only in one described species.