Cunaxa Von Heyden, 1826

Skvarla, Michael J., Fisher, J. Ray & Dowling, Ashley P. G., 2014, A review of Cunaxidae (Acariformes, Trombidiformes): Histories and diagnoses of subfamilies and genera, keys to world species, and some new locality records, ZooKeys 418, pp. 1-103 : 50-55

Cunaxa Von Heyden, 1826

Historical review.

Hermann (1804) erected Scirus for Scirus setirostris and placed it with two mites that are now considered to belong to the family Bdellidae . Von Heyden (1826) erected Cunaxa for Scirus setirostris . Dugés (1834a) described Scirus elaphus . Dugés (1834b) described Scirus tenuirostris . Koch (1836) described Scirus stabulicola and Scirus sagax and later ( 1838) Scirus paludicola . Gervais (1841) described Scirus obisium . Berlese (1887) described Scirus capreolus . Berlese (1888) synonymized Scirus elaphus , Scirus stabulicola , Scirus sagax , and Scirus paludicola with Scirus setirostris . Thor (1902) erected Cunaxidae and split Cunaxa from Bdellidae . Ewing (1913) described Scirus laricis . Scirus setirostris var. gazella was described by Berlese (1916). Thor and Willmann (1941) redescribed and figured Scirus laricis after transferring it to Cunaxa ; they also transferred Scirus setirostris var. gazella to Cunaxa , though kept it as a subspecies of Cunaxa setirostris and synonymized Scirus tenuirostris and Scirus obisium with Cunaxa setirostris . Baker and Hoffmann (1948) redescribed and figured Cunaxa setirostris var. gazella and Cunaxa capreolus and described Cunaxa womersleyi and Cunaxa veracruzana . Zaher et al. (1975b) reported Cunaxa setirostris and Cunaxa capreolus from Egypt. Den Heyer (1978a) erected Cunaxinae and assigned Cunaxa to the subfamily. Den Heyer (1979e) elevated Cunaxa setirostris var. gazella to full species status, viz. Cunaxa gazella ; described Cunaxa carina , Cunaxa terrula , Cunaxa lamberti , Cunaxa meiringi , and Cunaxa grobleri and redescribed and figured Cunaxa capreola and Cunaxa gazella . He then ( Den Heyer 1979f) described five more species from South Africa: Cunaxa hermanni , Cunaxa sordwanaensis , Cunaxa potchensis , Cunaxa brevicrura , and Cunaxa magoebaensis . Kuznetzov and Livshitz (1979) redescribed and figured Cunaxa capreolus and Cunaxa setirostris from Russia. Chaudhri (1980) described Cunaxa doxa . Tseng (1980) reported Cunaxa womersleyi and Cunaxa setirostris from Taiwan. Gupta and Ghosh (1980) described Cunaxa myabunderensis . Gupta and Paul (1985) described Cunaxa prinia . Bu and Li (1987c) reported Cunaxa capreola from China. Michocka (1987) reported Cunaxa setirostris from Poland. Muhammad et al. described Rubroscirus valentis from Pakistan. Smiley (1992) described Cunaxa mageei , Cunaxa thailandicus , Cunaxa evansi , and Cunaxa neogazella ; he also synonymized Rubroscirus with Cunaxa , though failed to include his evidence for doing so. Gupta (1992) described Cunaxa anacardae and Cunaxa magniferae . Muhammad and Chaudhri (1993) described Rubroscirus rasile and Rubroscirus otiosus from Pakistan. Corpuz-Raros and Garcia (1995) described five species from the Philippines: Cunaxa luzonica , Cunaxa romblonensis , Cunaxa pantabanganensis , Cunaxa cogonae , and Cunaxa mercedesae . Hu (1997) reported 28 species of Cunaxidae from China. Khaustov and Kuznetzov (1998) described Cunaxa heterostriata , Cunaxa anomala , Cunaxa sudakensis and Cunaxa bochkovi . Chinniah and Mohanasundaram (2001) described Cunaxa eupatoriae . Sergeyenko (2003) described Cunaxa dentata . Sionti and Papadoulis (2003) described Cunaxa thessalica from Greece. Bei et al. recorded Cunaxa mageei from China. Bashir, Afzal, and Ali (2005) described Cunaxa reticulatus and moved Rubroscirus valentis , Rubroscirus rasile , and Rubroscirus otiosus to Cunaxa . Bashir and Afzal (2006) described Cunaxa jatoiensis . Sergeyenko (2009) described Cunaxa gordeevae , Cunaxa guanotoleranta , Cunaxa maculata , Cunaxa papuliphora , Cunaxa violaphila and Cunaxa yaylensis . Den Heyer and Sergeyenko (2009) redescribed Cunaxa setirostris and designated a neotype for the species. Bashir and Afzal (2009) described Cunaxa bashiri , Cunaxa clusus , Cunaxa dotos , Cunaxa lodhranensis , Cunaxa mahmoodi , Cunaxa nankanaensis , Cunaxa okaraensis , Cunaxa pakpatanensis . Bashir et al. (2010) described Cunaxa rafiqi and Cunaxa leuros . Bashir et al. (2011) “described” Cunaxa nankanaensis as a new species using the same illustrations Bashir and Afzal (2009) used to describe the species originally. Den Heyer et al. (2011a) described the male of Cunaxa capreolus .

Diagnosis.

Gnathosoma. Pedipalps -5-segmented and reach beyond the subcapitulum by at most the distal half of the tibiae. An apophysis on the telofemora present or absent. Dorsolateral setae on the basi- and telofemora simple. Stout spine-like setae on the genua and tibiotarsi present or absent. Tibiotarsi end in a strong claw. Subcapitulum with 6 pairs of setae: 2 pairs of adoral setae and 4 pairs of subcapitular setae (hg1-4). Subcapitulum smooth or patterned with random dots, but never reticulated.

Idiosoma, dorsal. Proterosoma bears a shield that is complemented with 2 pairs of setae (at and pt) and 2 pairs of setose sensillae (lps and mps). Dorsal hysterosoma may bear a shield; if a shield is present, it may bear up to 4 pairs of setae. Dorsal shields may be smooth or patterned with random dots, but never reticulated. Lateral platelets (as in Armascirus and Dactyloscirus ) absent. Setae c1 - h1, and c2 present. Setae not born on the median plate may be born on small platelets that are barely larger than the setal socket. Cupule im present laterad and caudally of e1. Integument not bearing the proterosomal shield and median plate (if present) striated. These striations smooth or lobed but never papillated.

Idiosoma, ventral. Coxae I-II may be fused and coxae III-IV may be fused. Coxae II-IV setal formula 1-3-2. Genital plates each bear 4 setae; 2 pairs of genital papillae visible underneath the plates. Anal plates bear 1 pair of setae (ps1). 1 pair of setae (h2) associated with, but do not occur on, the anal plates. Cupule ih present in close proximity to h2. Integument between plates striated and bears up to 7 pairs of additional setae. Legs. Tarsi long and slender. Tarsi constricted distally but the tarsal lobes are small and not conspicuous as in Armascirus and Dactyloscirus . A trichobothrium on tibia IV present. Ambulacral claws on either side of a 4-rayed empodium present.

Key to adult female Cunaxa

Cunaxa bochkovi is not included in the key because the original description is in Cyrillic and the illustration does not contain enough detail or diagnostic characteristics. Den Heyer (pers. comm., Jan. 13, 2014) indicated that Cunaxa setirostris var. plurisetosa and Cunaxa setirostris var. diversa were described in “Mihelčič, F. 1958" but did not have the entire citation and had not seen the original description. The authors have also not been able to locate such a publication after extensive searching and so have not included the taxa here.

As suggested by Den Heyer (2011b), Cunaxa boneti , Cunaxa denmarki , Cunaxa exoterica , Cunaxa floridanus , Cunaxa lehmanae , Cunaxa lukoschusi , Cunaxa metzi , Cunaxa myabunderensis , Cunaxa newyorkensis , Cunaxa rackae , Cunaxa reevesi , and Cunaxa reticulatus are moved to Rubroscirus and Cunaxa otiosus , Cunaxa valentis , and Cunaxa rasile returned to Rubroscirus as they possess dorsal plates that are reticulated instead of smooth as in Cunaxa .

Cunaxa nankanaensis Bashir, Afzal, Ashfaq, Raza, Kamran, 2011 is considered a junior synonym and junior homonym of Cunaxa nankanaensis Bashir & Afzal, 2009.

1	Setae lps present ( Figs 54a-d )	2
-	Setae lps absent ( Fig. 54e )	Cunaxa anomala Khaustov & Kuznetzov, 1998
2 (1)	Setae at normal, nearly as long as pt	3
-	Setae at short and stubby, less than half the length of pt	Cunaxa anacardae Gupta, 1992
3 (2)	Basifemora I with 1 sts	4
-	Basifemora I with 2 sts	5
-	Basifemora I with 3 sts	7
-	Basifemora I with 4 sts	14
-	Basifemora I with 5 sts	43
4 (3)	Basifemora I-IV setal formula 1-2-3-0; telofemora I-IV setal formula 2-2-4-3; India	Cunaxa prinia Gupta & Paul, 1985
-	Basifemora I-IV setal formula 1-1-1-2; telofemora I-IV setal formula 2-2-1-1; India	Cunaxa magniferae Gupta, 1992
5 (3)	Basifemora II-IV setal formula 2-1-0	6
-	Basifemora II-IV setal formula 3-3-1	Cunaxa dotos Bashir & Afzal, 2009
6 (5)	Tibia II with 5 sts; Pakistan	Cunaxa mahmoodi Bashir & Afzal, 2009
-	Tibia II with 7 sts; Pakistan	Cunaxa okaraensis
7 (4)	Genua I with 3 solenidia	8
-	Genua I with 4 solenidia	9
8 (7)	Genua II with 1 solenidion; setae f1, h1 smooth ( Fig. 55a )	Cunaxa setirostris (Hermann, 1804)
-	Genua II with 2 solenidia; setae f1, h1 spiculate ( Fig. 55b )	Cunaxa magoebaensis Den Heyer, 1979
9 (7)	Coxae I-IV setal formula 3-1-3-2 sts	10
-	Coxae I-IV setal formula 3-2-3-1 sts	Cunaxa eupatoriae Chinniah & Mohanasundaram, 2001
10 (9)	Dorsal setae short (c1 - f1, c2: 7-10, h1: 17)	Cunaxa mercedesae Corpuz-Raros & Garcia, 1995
-	Dorsal setae longer (19-40)	11
11 (10)	Oval area formed by broken striae around setae sci present ( Fig. 54a )	Cunaxa maculata Sergeyenko, 2009
-	Oval area formed by broken striae around setae sci absent ( Fig. 54b )	12
12 (11)	Genua II proximal solenidion extremely short, its length subequal to the diameter of its alveolus; ventral surface of the coxal region of hypognathum smooth	Cunaxa guanotoleranta Sergeyenko, 2009
-	Genua II proximal solenidion long, its length several times longer than the diameter of its alveolus; ventral surface of the coxal region of the hypognathum with numerous papillae	13
13 (12)	Length of setae sci longer than half the distance between their bases; dorsal hysterosomal striae distinctly lobed (= with festoons) ( Fig. 56a )	Cunaxa papuliphora Sergeyenko, 2009
-	Length of setae sci shorter or equal to half the distance between their bases; dorsal hysterosomal striae smooth ( Fig. 56b )	Cunaxa gordeevae Sergeyenko, 2009
14 (3)	Basifemora III with 2 sts	15
-	Basifemora III with 3 sts	17
-	Basifemora III with 4 sts	41
15 (14)	Telofemoral apophysis uncinated (e.g., bent, hook-shaped) ( Fig. 59a )	Cunaxa jatoiensis Bashir & Afzal, 2006
-	Telofemoral apophysis straight, not uncinated	16
16 (14)	Basifemora IV with 1 sts; cheliceral longitudinal striations present ( Fig. 57a )	Cunaxa heterostriata Khaustov & Kuznetzov, 1998
-	Basifemora IV with 0 sts; cheliceral longitudinal striations absent ( Fig. 57b )	Cunaxa yaylensis Sergeyenko, 2009
17 (14)	Basifemora IV with 0 sts	Cunaxa violaphila Sergeyenko, 2009
-	Basifemora IV with 1 sts	18
-	Basifemora IV with 2 sts	Cunaxa brevicrura Den Heyer, 1979
-	Basifemora IV with 5 sts	Cunaxa meiringi Den Heyer, 1979
18 (17)	Median plate present (may be indistinctly defined) ( Figs 58a-e )	19
-	Median plate absent ( Fig. 58f )	36
19 (18)	Telofemoral apophysis uncinated (e.g., bent, hook-shaped) ( Fig. 59a )	20
-	Telofemoral apophysis present or absent; if present, not uncinated ( Figs 59b-e )	25
20 (19)	Setae c1 not on hysterosomal shield, on integument	21
-	Setae c1 on hysterosomal shield	22
21 (20)	Tibiae I with 3 asl, 4 sts; Pakistan	Cunaxa clusus Bashir & Afzal, 2009
-	Tibiae I with 2 asl, 4 sts; Pakistan	Cunaxa nankanaensis
22 (20)	Setae f1 on hysterosomal shield	23
-	Setae f1 not on hysterosmal shield, on integument	24
23 (22)	Tibia III with 5 sts	Cunaxa leuros Bashir, Afzal, Ashfaq, Akbar & Ali 2010
-	Tibia III with 6 sts	Cunaxa rafiqi Bashir, Afzal, Ashfaq, Akbar & Ali 2010
24 (22)	Genua I with 2 asl, 5 sts	Cunaxa capreolus (Berlese, 1887)
-	Genua I with 3 asl, 3 sts; tibia I with 2 asl, 4 sts; Pakistan	Cunaxa pakpatanensis
-	Genua I with 3 asl, 4 sts; tibia I with 2 asl, 4 sts; Pakistan	Cunaxa bashiri Bashir & Afzal, 2009
25 (19)	Telofemoral apophysis truncated ( Fig. 59b )	Cunaxa carina Den Heyer, 1979
-	Telofemoral apophysis not truncated ( Figs 59c-e )	26
26 (25)	Line of small sharp spines on pedipalp tibiotarsi present ( Fig. 60a )	Cunaxa dentata Sergeyenko, 2003
-	Line of small sharp spines on pedipalp tibiotarsi absent ( Fig. 60b )	27
27 (26)	Median plate complemented with c2 ( Figs 58a-d )	28
-	Median plate not complemented with c2 ( Fig. 58e )	Cunaxa terrula Den Heyer, 1979
28 (27)	Median plate indistinctly defined ( Fig. 58a )	29
-	Median plate distinctly defined ( Fig. 58b-d )	30
29 (28)	Setae f1, h1 smooth	Cunaxa romblonensis Corpuz-Raros & Garcia, 1995
-	Setae f1, h1 finely setose	Cunaxa sordwanaensis Den Heyer, 1979
30 (28)	Median shield complemented with c1, d1, c2 ( Fig. 58b )	Cunaxa sudakensis Khaustov & Kuznetzov, 1998
-	Median shield complemented with c1 - e1, c2 ( Fig. 58c, d )	31
31 (30)	Coxae IV with 1 sts	32
-	Coxae IV with 2 sts	33
32 (31)	Broken striae that form cell-like structures on median shield present ( Fig. 58c )	Cunaxa thailandicus Smiley, 1992
-	Broken striae that form cell-like structures on median shield absent ( Fig. 58d )	Cunaxa veracruzana Baker & Hoffmann, 1948
33 (31)	Setae c1 longer than all other dorsal setae	Cunaxa womersleyi Baker & Hoffmann, 1948
-	Setae c1 not longer than all other dorsal setae	34
34 (33)	Genua I-IV with 4-2-1-1 solenidia	Cunaxa lamberti Den Heyer, 1979
-	Genua I-IV with 3-1-1-1 solenidia	35
35 (34)	Setae c1 - h1 approximately equal in length	Cunaxa hermanni Den Heyer, 1979
-	Setae c1 - e1 half as long as f1, h1	Cunaxa thessalica Sionti & Papadoulis, 2003
36 (18)	Telofemoral apophysis uncinated ( Fig. 59a )	37
-	Telofemoral apophysis not uncinated ( Fig. 59b-e )	38
37 (36)	Genua I-IV setal formula 1 asl, 6 sts-7-6-6; Philippines	Cunaxa pantabanganensis Corpuz-Raros & Garcia, 1995
-	Genua I-IV setal formula 1 asl, 4 sts-5-6-6; Pakistan	Cunaxa lodhranensis Bashir & Afzal, 2009
38 (36)	Proterosomal shield striated ( Fig. 54c )	39
-	Proterosomal shield smooth ( Fig. 54d )	Cunaxa potchensis Den Heyer, 1979
39 (38)	Setae f1, h1 smooth ( Fig. 55a )	40
-	Setae f1, h1 spiculate ( Fig. 55b )	Cunaxa gazella (Ewing, 1913)
40 (39)	Pedipalp telofemoral apophysis short and cone-like ( Fig. 59c )	Cunaxa mageei Smiley, 1992
-	Pedipalp telofemoral apophysis short and finger-like ( Fig. 59d )	Cunaxa neogazella , Smiley, 1992
41 (14)	Median plate present ( Fig. 58d ); basifemora IV with 1 sts	Cunaxa luzonica Corpuz-Raros & Garcia, 1995
-	Median plate absent ( Fig. 58f ); basifemora IV with 1 or 2 sts	42
42 (41)	Basifemora IV with 1 sts	Cunaxa cogonae Corpuz-Raros & Garcia, 1995
-	Basifemora IV with 2 sts	Cunaxa doxa Chaudhri, 1980
43 (3)	Basifemora III with 4 sts	Cunaxa evansi Smiley, 1992
-	Basifemora III with 6 sts	Cunaxa grobleri Den Heyer, 1979

Figures

Figures 54, 55. Cunaxa key illustrations. 54 a-e Proterosomal shield, dorsal 54 a Proterosomal shield with oval area formed by broken striae around pt present, mps present 54 b Proterosomal shield with oval area formed by broken striae around pt absent, mps present 54 c Proterosomal shield striated, mps present 54 d Proterosomal shield smooth, mps present 54 e Proterosomal shield with lps absent 55 a Smooth f 1, h 1 55 b Spiculate f 1, h 1.

Figures 56 - 60. Cunaxa key illustrations. 56 a, b Integumental striations 57 a Chelicera with longitudinal striations present 57 a Chelicera with longitudinal striations absent 58 a-f Examples of variation in the hysterosomal median plate 59 a Pedipalp telofemoral apophysis uncinated 59 b Pedipalp telofemoral apophysis truncated 59 c Pedipalp telofemoral apophysis short and cone-like 59 d Pedipalp telofemoral apophysis short and finger-like 59 e Pedipalp telofemoral femoral apophysis long 60 a Pedipalp tibiotarsus with small teeth present 60 b Pedipalp tibiotarsus with small teeth absent.