Anephiasca Athias

De Moraes, Gilberto J., Britto, Erika P. J., Mineiro, Jefferson L. De C. & Halliday, Bruce, 2016, Catalogue of the mite families Ascidae Voigts & Oudemans, Blattisociidae Garman and Melicharidae Hirschmann (Acari: Mesostigmata), Zootaxa 4112 (1), pp. 1-299 : 14

Anephiasca Athias -Henriot

FEMALE

Gnathosoma. Anterior margin of epistome convex, denticulate. Seta pc longer than h3, which is about as long as h1 and longer than h2; insertion of h2 well posterior to insertion of h3; h1 stout. Inner palp trochanter seta not elongate. Deutosternum moderately wide, with delimiting lateral lines and seven rows of 4–6 teeth each. Corniculi 3–4 times as long as their basal widths, distally divided and distally convergent. Cheliceral digits of similar lengths; fixed digit with 4–6 teeth in addition to apical tooth, the most basal larger; with an oblique fold on antiaxial surface and a longitudinal fringed rim near digit base; movable digit with two teeth in addition to apical tooth, and a ventroparaxial fold.

Idiosoma. Lightly sclerotised. Dorsum: podonotal and opisthonotal shields not fused, both reticulate, without transverse and nearly straight lines or delineated strip along lateral margins. No supernumerary setae on dorsal shields or on unsclerotised lateral cuticle. Anterior end of podonotal shield not strongly deflexed; podonotal shield with 17 pairs of setae. Opisthonotal shield with 15 pairs of setae, without posterior tubercles; Z5 usually inserted behind J5. Unsclerotised lateral cuticle with 11 pairs of setae, including r3, which is longer than neighbouring setae but not distinctly perpendicular to lateral margin of idiosoma; UR setae absent. Most dorsal and lateral setae of idiosoma of similar lengths, usually shorter than distance to subsequent setae, acicular and smooth (except J5, partially barbed, and Z5, much longer than other idiosomal setae). Vent er: 0–1 pair of presternal platelets. Sternal shield with three pairs of setae (st1–st3) of similar lengths and 2–3 pairs of lyrifissures (iv1–iv2; iv3 on margin of sternal shield or on cuticle); st2 slightly closer to st3 than to st1; posterior shield margin concave, truncate or undulate. Seta st4 inserted on cuticle (on metasternal shield in A. bicirratus (Karg)) . Genital shield not wide enough to include iv5, but including st5; slightly convex posteriorly. Two pairs of metapodal plates, the anterior round or ovoid and the posterior fusiform (only one, elongate, shown in the original description of A. bicirratus ). A sclerotised line and a pair of round platelets may be present between genital and ventrianal shields. Opisthogaster with ten pairs of setae inserted on unsclerotised cuticle, in addition to circumanal setae; anal shield ovoid (longer axis longitudinal); para-anal setae inserted between levels of posterior margin and mid-length of anal opening, about as long as or slightly shorter than post-anal seta. Anal opening enlarged, about 1/3 of shield length, closer to posterior shield margin. Endopodal shield reduced to elongate platelets between coxae I–II (may be absent), II–III and III–IV. Exopodal shield a distinct strip between coxae II and IV.

Peritreme. Extending from stigma to level of j3 or slightly beyond it, about as wide as diameter of stigma. Peritrematic shield wide; not fused with dorsal shield, broadly fused with exopodal shield beside coxa IV.

Legs. All legs with pretarsi. Setation of legs I–IV, genu: 13, 11, 10, 9; tibia: 13, 10, 9, 10. Leg II not distinctly thickened; with macrosetae on legs I and IV.

MALE

Fixed cheliceral digit with 4–6 teeth in addition to apical tooth; movable digit with a tooth in addition to apical tooth; spermatodactyl straight or sinuous. Dorsal shields, dorsal and lateral setae of idiosoma similar to female. Sternogenital shield with 4–5 pairs of setae (st4 on or off the shield; st5 off the shield) and three pairs of lyrifissures (iv1–iv3); not fused with ventrianal shield; posterior margin truncate to slightly convex. Anterior section of endopodal shield between coxae I–II usually fused with sternogenital shield; remainder of endopodal shield reduced to 1–3 pairs of free platelets. Ventrianal shield trapezoidal, bearing five of the ten pairs of opisthogastric setae in addition to circumanal setae. Peritrematic shield widely fused with exopodal shield behind coxa IV and to dorsal shield at level between j2 and j3. Leg II with spine-shaped setae.