Cheiroseius Berlese

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 : 36-37

Cheiroseius Berlese

FEMALE

Gnathosoma. Anterior margin of epistome smooth or serrated, usually with three projections of various shapes, occasionally two projections, each distally denticulate or not; median and/or lateral projections bifurcate in some species (lateral projections very small in C. digitalis Karg ). Seta h1 markedly longer than h2, h3 and pc setae; insertion of h2 usually slightly anterior to slightly posterior to insertion of h3 (well posterior in C. aldershofae Faraji & Karg and C. rajasthanicus Bhattacharyya & Bhattacharyya ). Inner palp trochanter seta much longer than outer seta, elongate. Deutosternum without delimiting lateral lines and with seven usually long rows (six or eight in some species) of 4–24 denticles each; in some species, denticles not evenly distributed, but grouped near the extremes of each row; distance between fifth and sixth rows usually slightly longer than between fourth and fifth rows. Corniculi 1–2 times as long as their basal widths, well separated from each other, subparallel. Chelicerae elongate; cheliceral digits of similar lengths; fixed digit usually with 1–2 long subapical teeth followed by a row of 2–10 small teeth that may or may not be on a ridge; with a deep subapical pocket to receive apex of movable digit; the latter with 1–2 teeth in addition to apical tooth.

Idiosoma. Ovoid. Dorsum: dorsal shield usually ornamented, sometimes with a network of ridges and depressions (smooth in C. greeneae (De Leon)) ; without lateral incisions ( C. frenatus Karg and C. ornatus (Evans & Hyatt) with lateral incision between S2 and S3) or delineated strip along lateral margins; usually not strongly deflexed anteriorly (although often extending to anterior margin of idiosoma, with j1 inserted right at the edge of the shield and directed forward); setae j1, j2 and z1 often close together, on an anterior protuberance. Usually with 20–21 pairs of setae on podonotal region of shield (some species reported to have 14–19 or 22–25 pairs), 15 pairs on opisthonotal region of shield (some species reported to have 14, 16 or 18); with a rather variable number of setae on unsclerotised lateral cuticle, usually with 0–10, rarely up to 16 pairs (numbers of setae above the usual set on dorsal shield normally refer to reported insertion of some of the r - R setae on the edge of the shield); r2 and r3 usually inserted on the shield, r4 on or off the shield and other r and R setae inserted off the shield; given the common irregularity of the shield edge and its common downward inflexion, it is often difficult to ascertain the exact place of insertion of some of these setae; supernumerary setae seem to be present on the podonotal region of the shield of C. foliatus Karg and on the opisthonotal region of shield of C. dromadis (Evans & Hyatt) ; r3 usually similar to neighbouring setae. Dorsal and lateral setae of idiosoma usually of similar lengths and shape; usually ranging from distinctly shorter to slightly longer than distance between subsequent setae (few species with some of the setae distinctly longer or shorter, especially j1 and/or z1; of rather variable lengths in C. kennedyi (Evans & Hyatt)) ; setae usually acicular and smooth (stout and pilose in C. dromadis ; foliate to dagger-shaped in C. latocorpus Karg , C. pugiunculus Karg and C. reptans Karg ). Vent er: 0–1 pair of presternal platelets. Sternal shield with three pairs of setae (st1–st3). Third pair of lyrifissures (iv3) and st4 usually on metasternal plates (iv3 on unsclerotised cuticle in C. dromadis and C. ornatus ; iv3, st4 and metasternal plates absent in C. floridianus (De Leon)) ; st1–st3 of similar lengths (st1 about as long as st2 and shorter than st 3 in C. rajasthanicus ; st2 about as long as st3, longer than st 1 in C. cassiteridium (Evans & Hyatt) , C. parbatensis (Evans & Hyatt) and C. pustulus Karg ); st2 about equidistant to st1 and st3 or slightly closer to st3; posterior shield margin concave to truncate (indistinct in C. dromadis ; slightly convex in C. latocorpus ). Genital shield not wide enough to include iv5, but including st5 (on unsclerotised cuticle in C. floridianus (De Leon)) ; usually slightly convex to truncate posteriorly (concave in some species). Usually with a pair of variously shaped metapodal plates (rarely without distinct metapodal plates; two pairs in C. pustulus and C. trilobus Karg ). Usually with 1–3 pairs of elongate platelets between genital and ventrianal shields (in some species without distinct platelets, but with an elongate sclerotised line). Opisthogaster usually with 7–10 pairs of setae (four pairs in C. floridianus ; five pairs in C. creber Karg , C. ovalis Bhattacharyya & Bhattacharyya and C. salicorniae (Willmann)) in addition to circumanal setae, of which usually three pairs (two or four pairs in some species; five pairs in C. porulatus Karg ) on subtriangular to ovoid (rarely rounded) ventrianal shield; seta Zv1 usually present (absent in C. floridianus and C. porulatus ); para-anal setae inserted usually at level of or behind posterior margin of anal opening (between levels of posterior margin and mid-length of anal opening in C. foliatus ; between levels of anterior margin and mid-length of anal opening in C. brevipes Karg and C. porulatus ), usually as long as or slightly longer than post-anal seta (much longer in some species; slightly shorter in C. porulatus and C. pugiunculus Karg ). Anal opening not enlarged, 1/4 to 1/6 of shield length, positioned anterior to or posterior to shield centre. Endopodal shield near coxae I–II fused with sternal shield; section between coxae II–III either reduced to an elongate platelet or fused with sternal shield; section between coxae III–IV reduced to an elongate platelet (sections between coxae II–III and III–IV united in a single elongate platelet in some species; in other species, with an additional elongate platelet beside coxa IV). Exopodal shield usually distinct between coxae II–IV.

Peritreme. Extending from stigma to level of j1, or distally fused with peritreme of the opposite side; most commonly with post-stigmatic extension of variable length; usually wider, often much wider, than diameter of stigma. Peritrematic shield wide, broadly fused with dorsal shield anteriorly and with exopodal shield beside coxa IV.

Legs. Median section of pulvilli of legs II–IV acute; paradactyli of these legs elongate and acuminate. Setation of legs I–IV, genu: 13 (or 12), 10, 8, 9 (or 8); tibia: 13 (or 12), 10, 8, 10. Leg II not distinctly different from other legs. Setae ad1 and pd1 at most 1.5 times as long as paradactyli. Usually with two elongate and partially flattened setae on tarsi II–III and one on tarsus IV.

Spermathecal apparatus. Phytoseiid-type.

MALE

Epistome usually similar to female. Cheliceral digits similar to female, but stouter in some species; spermatodactyl 1–4 times as long as movable digit; highly variable: simple and slightly curved, distinctly curved downward, sinuous or with a complex (usually spiral-shaped) distal structure. Dorsal shield with ornamentation similar to female, but usually broader, including a larger number of r - R setae ; with three fewer pairs of setae on unsclerotised lateral cuticle in C. rajasthanicus . Sternogenital shield with 4–5 pairs of setae (st1–st5; in some species st4 absent) and three pairs of lyrifissures (iv1–iv3); posterior margin truncate to convex; st1 about as long as st2–st5. Endopodal shield fused with sternogenital shield. Metapodal plates absent. Exopodal shield fused with peritrematic shield beside coxa IV. Opisthogaster usually with 4–5 pairs of setae (3–4 pairs in C. neophalangioides Mineiro et al. ) all of which on semi-circular ventrianal shield (two more pairs of setae in C. aciculatus (Evans & Hyatt) , both on unsclerotised cuticle behind ventrianal shield), which is distinctly separate from other shields. Setation and other leg structures similar to female.