Nicoletiella, Feider & Vasiliu, 1969

Bertrand, M., Sidorchuk, E. & Hoffeins, C., 2015, Before the summer turns to winter: the third labidostommatid genus from Baltic amber has subtropical kin, Acarologia 55 (3), pp. 321-336 : 332-333

and Nicoletiella ; see Remark)......................6

6. Famulus with a "fruit", rounded or needle like. With or without latero-frontal projections (cornua). Frontal eye usually overlooking the chelicerae.... 7 — Famulus regressive, often hidden by dorsal setae of the tarsus, spinelike. Cornua present or lacking. Frontal eye subterminal, or overlooking the chelicerae, (cosmopolitan).................................... Subgenus Labidostomma . Type species Labidostomma luteum Kramer, 1879 .

Note: Two entities with this subgeneric diagnosis: (i) with cornua and lateral file of lateral pores on the dorsal shield not underlined by a thickened cuticule drawing a line: L. luteum group, (including L. denticulatus Schrank, 1777 ); (ii) without cornua and with dorso-lateral pores confined to a cuticular gutter: L. integrum group (including species similar to L. integrum Berlese, 1918 ).

7. Seta la inserted between eye and pustule. No additional pustules present. Cornua lacking. Penultimate segment of palp with five or more setae............ Subgenus Pseudocornutella y Sidorchuk & Bertrand, 2013. Type species Labidostomma (Pseudocornutella) electri y Sidorchuk & Bertrand, 2013.

— Seta la inserted posterior to pustule; additional pustules present or absent. Cornua present or absent. Penultimate palp segment typically with three setae............................................. 8

8. One pair of multiporous pustules in the unique species of this subgenus. Ornamentation vanished in the central zone of the dorsal shield. Anterior eye projected forward by a "collar" anterior to the setae (ga) and the anterior trichobothria, cornua absent. Elongate hollow present on the ventral shield at the level of the legs IV. All leg segments have alveolar ornamentation. Only one neotrichous species described from Peru......................... Subgenus Pselistoma Bertrand, 1990 (Type species: Labidostomma (Pselistoma) legendrei Bertrand, 1990b).

— At least one pair of multiporous pustules close to the lateral eye. If multiple pustules are present, additional pustules are uniporous. Anterior eye not as above, cornua present......................... 9

9. Additional pustules present or absent. Cornua more or less developed, sharpened or blunted distally. Frontal eye in terminal position above chelicerae. Genua of legs I clearly shorter than tibia I. Chelicerae with proximal seta inserted on a short tubercle. Penultimate palp article with 3 setae.......................... Subgenus Nicoletiella Feider & Vasiliu 1969 . Type species: Nicoletiella cornuta Canestrini et Fanzago, 1882 (1877) : L. (N.) paleoluteum y Dunlop & Bertrand, 2011

— With a single pair of large multiporous pustules. Distinct cornua, directed forward, and distally sharpened. Frontal eye usually present, distinct, not overlooking chelicerae. Genua of legs I longer than tibia. Proximal cheliceral seta may arise atop a long tube with alveolar ornamentation or on a short and rounded tubercle (in L. glymma Grandjean, 1942a ). Penultimate palp article with 3 setae, exceptionally with 5....................... Subgenus Cornutella . Feider & Vasiliu 1969 Type species: Nicoletiella cornuta Canestrini et Fanzago 1882 (as defined, Cornutella is a junior objective synonym of Nicoletiella , see Remark)

Remark — The taxonomy within Labidostommatidae is highly problematic, with two main issues: (i) the lack of well-established diagnoses for genera and subgenera (ii) the confusion with type species of several genus-groups. (i) In the current state of knowledge, Labidostommatidae (ca 50 species) includes at least five well-defined genera: Eunicolina , Labidostomma , Akrostomma , Sellnickiella , and Atyeonella (the latter was previously considered a subgenus of Labidostomma , see Bertrand (1990a). The use of subgenera have helped in the identification of the species as a useful but limited tool and more recent descriptions of species allow now a better overview of the diversity ( Feider and Vasiliu 1969; Bertrand 1990; Pflieger and Bertrand 2011). This diversity pointed out some problems, notably the definition of the genus Labidostomma which needs to be revised: this genus aggregated an heterogeneous assemblage of species which cannot be readily assigned to any subgenus, whereas some emergent species-groups are obvious (i.e. the groups " cornuta ", " luteum ", " integrum "), each readily defined by morphology, even if it is sometimes difficult to characterize the apomorphies, synapomorphies or possible convergence induced by adaptation.

(ii) The second problem has been caused by reassigning type species of the genus Labidostomma , as well as those of the subgenera Nicoletiella and Cornutella , during the XIX-XXth centuries. Especially much confusion arose since Feider and Vasiliu’s "Critical review of Nicoletiellidae " in 1969, where they proposed several new genus-groups and changed type species of the old ones. Up to date, there is no satisfying correction following the ICZN rules and respecting the species groups defined by morphology. Feider and Vasiliu (1969, p. 205) proposed as the type for the genus and the subgenus Nicoletiella Canestrini et Fanzago, 1882 , L. luteum Kramer 1879 , the sole species of Labidostomma as ’ Nicoletiella lutea Kramer 1879 ’. For the newly proposed subgenus Cornutella , they (op. cit) proposed Nicoletiella cornuta Canestrini et Fanzago 1882 as the type species (as ’ Nicoletiella (Cornutella) cornutum Canestrini et Fanzago 1877 ’ dated from the date of proposed name Nicoletia which was a junior homonym allowing confusion with a thysanuran name). Labidostomma Kramer, 1879 ended up with ’ L. integrum Berlese 1887 ’ for the "type" species (op. cit.). Such type designation discords with the Principle of Coordination of genus-group names (ICZN, art. 43), and even with the general provisions of the Code in the section concerning types in the genus group (see especially art. 67.2): the ICZN prescriptions rule that N. cornuta should be the type species of the genus-group Nicoletiella , being the unique species originally included in this genus ( Canestrini et Fanzago 1877, p. 52). In the genus Labidostomma , L. luteum is the type species by monotypy, as there was no other species included in this genus, or even mentioned alongside, originally (see Kramer 1879, pp. 13-16). Regarding the problem created for the subgenus Cornutella , it is deemed to be suppressed as a junior objective synonym of Nicoletiella as defined to date. The easiest decision would be to redefine the respective group of species under a new name, with its own type species. If the name Cornutella is to be kept (by the application to, and subsequent decision of the International Commission on the Zoological Nomenclature), the type species should be chosen among the originally included nominal species (ICZN art. 67.2.). The oldest (Fei- der and Vasiliu, 1969, p. 205) is Acarus denticulatus Schrank, 1776 , but it is closer to L. luteum than to L. cornuta . Notwithstanding the choice of the replacement type species for Cornutella , proper fixation requires the adequate description of type material and/or designation of a neotype, and following the rules of the abovementioned application to the Commission.