Tetranychoidea: Allochaetophoridae

Superorder Acariformes

  Order Trombidiformes

 Suborder Prostigmata

   Supercohort Eleutherengonides

 Cohort  Raphignathina

   Superfamily Tetranychoidea

       Family Allochaetophoridae

 

Common names:

 

Probability of Encounter: Low

 

Quarantine importance: Low.  The Allochaetophoridae consists of a single genus, Allochaetophora, with two described species, one from California (from the deutonymph) and one from Africa (all stages).  Both are associated with grasses.

 

Diagnosis:

• Empodium & claws with tenent hairs.

• Prodorsum with 3 pairs of setae (ve, sci, sce)

• Adult female with 3 pairs of distally divided anal setae (males with 3 pairs of simple ano-genital setae).

• Cheliceral bases adnate, fused mesally into a stylophore (sometimes withdrawn into the body); chelicerae with fixed digit reduced and movable digit whiplike.

• Peritremes emergent on anterior edge of prodorsum; naso absent; prodorsal trichobothria absent; 2 pairs of eye lenses present. Palps 5 segmented; with thumbclaw process (claw-like seta on the palp tibia and a thumb- or button-like subterminal palp tarsus).  Leg tarsi with tenent hairs on claws and empodium.  Genital papillae absent; males with an intromittent aedeagus.

 

 

Similar taxa.  Allochaetophorids resemble other elongate tetranychoids such as linotetranids (which are blind) and some Tenuipalpidae (which lack a thumbclaw process).

 

Ecology & Distribution.   The Allochaetophoridae consists of a single genus, Allochaetophora, with two described species, one from California (from the deutonymph) and one from Africa (all stages).  Both are associated with grasses.

 

References

Meyer, M.K.P.S. & E.A. Ueckermann 1997. A review of some species of the families Allochaetophoridae, Linotetranidae and Tuckerellidae (Acari: Tetranychoidea). International Journal of Acarology 23: 67–92.