Cunaxinae Den Heyer, 1978, 1887

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 : 40-43

Cunaxinae Den Heyer, 1978

Historical review.

Von Heyden (1826) erected Cunaxa for Scirus setirostris . Oudemans (1902) used Cunaxinae in the same sense that Trouessart (1892) used Scirinae , that is for those mites in the family Bdellidae (sensu Koch) that have pedipalps with a curved terminal segment and movable chela only (= Cunaxidae sensu Thor). Oudemans (1906) substituted Cunaxinae for Cunaxidae . Berlese (1916) erected Dactyloscirus as a subgenus of Scirus to accommodate Scirus (Dactyloscirus) eupaloides . Oudemans (1922) erected Rosenhofia to accommodate Rosenhofia machairodus . Vitzthum (1931) raised Dactyloscirus to full generic status but later (1940-43) treated it as a subgenus. Thor and Willmann (1941) again elevated Dactyloscirus to generic status and designated Dactyloscirus eupaloides as the type specimen. Baker and Hoffmann (1948) regarded Dactyloscirus as a senior synonym of Cunaxa . Smiley (1975) synonymized Rosenhofia with Dactyloscirus . Den Heyer (1978a) preserved the name Cunaxinae , but limited its concept to those cunaxids possessing 5-segmented pedipalps that extend past the subcapitulum by at least the distal two segments; he also erected Armascirus . Den Heyer (1979d) erected Rubroscirus for Rubroscirus africanus . Gupta and Ghosh (1980) erected Indocunaxa . Smiley (1992) synonymized Rubroscirus with Cunaxa but failed to give his reasoning for doing so. Den Heyer (2006) erected Riscus for a species known only from Thailand. Castro and Den Heyer (2008) erected Cunaxatricha and provided a key to the genera of Cunaxinae . Den Heyer and Castro (2008) erected Allocunaxa for a Neotropical species, synonymized Indocunaxa with Armascirus , and provided the most up-to-date key to world genera of Cunaxinae .

Diagnosis.

Gnathosoma. Pedipalps 5-segmented and extend beyond the subcapitulum by at least the distal half of the tibiae. Basifemora and telofemora fused but often dark line remains to indicate the division between the segments; telofemora and genua also fused in this manner in Allocunaxa . Apophyses may be present on the telofemora and between the genua and tibiotarsi. Tibiotarsi end in a strong claw. Chelicera with or without seta. Subcapitulum with up to 6 pairs of setae; setae hg1 - 4 always present, 2 pairs of adoral setae present or absent. Setae hg4 longest. In species with pedipalpal apophyses, the apophyses of the males shorter.

Idiosoma, dorsal. Female proterosoma bears a shield complemented with 2 pairs of setae (lps and mps) and 2 pairs of setose sensillae (at and pt). Dorsal hysterosoma may bear any combination of a median plate and lateral platelets (i.e., median plate and platelets absent, only median plate present, only lateral platelets present, or both median plate and lateral platelets present). Median plate, if present, may be complemented with 0-6 pairs of dorsal setae; lateral platelets, if present, may bear setae c2. Setae not born on plates or platelets may be born on tiny platelets barely larger than the setal socket. Integument that does not bear plates or platelets striated. Males differ in that the dorsal shields often more extensive and may be holodorsal.

Idiosoma, ventral. Coxae I-II fused or divided and may coalesce medially to form a sternal shield; coxae III-IV fused or divided and may extend caudally past the genital plates. Coxae each complemented 0-3 setae. Genital plates each bear 4 setae (g1 - 4); 2 pairs of genital papillae visible underneath the plates. Anal plates complemented with at least one pair of setae, ps1. Setae ps2 present or absent, either on the anal plates or on the integument adjacent to the anal plates. Setae h2 present ventrally on the integument adjacent to the anal plates. Cupule ih present laterad of h2. Integument that does not bear plates striated. Legs. Tarsi constricted apically so as to end in lobes. A trichobothrium on tibia IV present or absent.

Key to adult female Cunaxinae

(modified from Den Heyer and Castro 2008a)

1	Anal seta ps2 absent; pedipalp telofemora with dorsal simple seta ( Figs 46a-e ); tarsal lobes small to medium size ( Fig. 47a ); dorsal plates reticulated or not ( Figs 48a-c ) Cunaxini	2
-	Anal seta ps2 present; pedipalp telofemora with dorsal spine-like seta ( Figs 46f, g ); tarsal lobes medium to large size ( Fig. 47b ); dorsal plates always reticulated ( Fig. 48c ) Armascirini	6
2 (1)	Dorsal plates never reticulated ( Figs 48a, b ); integumental striae smooth or lobed; coxae II-IV setal formula usually 1-3-2 (rarely 2-3-1)	Cunaxa Von Heyden, 1826
-	Dorsal plates usually reticulated ( Fig. 48c ); integumental striae usually papillated; coxae II-IV setal formula usually 1-3-1	3
3 (2)	Pedipalpal telofemora with one or more apophyses ( Fig. 46a ); sensillae at and pt not densely pilose	Rubroscirus Den Heyer, 1979
-	Pedipalpal telofemora without apophyses ( Figs 46b-e ); sensillae at and pt densely pilose	4
4 (3)	Tibiae IV trichobothrium present	5
-	Tibiae IV trichobothrium absent	Cunaxatricha Castro & Den Heyer, 2008
5	Articulation joint between pedipalpal telofemora and genua functional ( Fig. 46b )	Riscus Den Heyer, 2006
-	Articulation joint between pedipalpal telofemora and genua fused/non-functional ( Fig. 46c )	Allocunaxa Den Heyer & Castro, 2008
6 (1)	Pedipalpal basifemora with simple seta ( Fig. 46f ); coxae II-IV setal formula usually 1-3-3 (male) or 2-3-3 (female); famulus normal; pedipalpal apophyses (when present) usually long in females and short in males, and with pointed apices ( Fig. 46f )	Armascirus Den Heyer, 1978
-	Pedipalpal basifemora with spine-like seta ( Fig. 46g ); coxae II-IV setal formula usually 3-3-3; famulus large, broad based with tri-pronged tip; pedipalpal apophyses (when present) usually equal length in females and males, and with bulbous apices ( Fig. 46g )	Dactyloscirus Berlese, 1916

Figures

Figures 46 - 48. Cunaxinae key illustrations. 46 Pedipalps, dorsal 46 a Rubroscirus 46 b Riscus 46 c Allocunaxa 46 d Cunaxatricha 46 e Cunaxa 46 f Armascirus 46 g Dactyloscirus. 47 a, b. Distal end of tarsus 47 a Armascirini, showing large tarsal lobes 47 b Cunaxini, showing small to medium tarsal lobes 48 a-c Idiosoma, dorsal. Setae and cupules have been removed for clairity. Shape of proterosomal plate and presence or absence, shape, and extent of hysterosomal plate (s) will differ between species 48 a Plates smooth 48 b Plates with dot-like pattern 48 c Plates with reticulated pattern.