Exotic mite taxa—Key feature pages

Palps

The four superfamilies containing the most important plant-parasitic mites may be separated by modifications of the capitulumgnathosoma:
(= capitulum) the anteriormost part of a mite or ricinuleid, composed of the cheliceral and pedipalpal segments and separated from the body (idiosoma) by a ring of soft cuticle.
.

• The Penthaleidae (Eupodoidea) have simplesimple:
  unadorned; simple setae are needle-like and without hairs or pectins.
  palps, usually with 4 free segments and never have a thumbclaw process.

• The Eriophyoidea have the cheliceralcheliceral:
  of or pertaining to the chelicera.
  stylets closely supported by their stubby palps (4 or fewer difficult to distinguish segments) that end in a pair of suction cups.

• The Tetranychoidea have 5 free segments and a thumbclaw process in the Tetranychidae, and usually in the minor families (Allochaetophoridae, Linotetranidae, Tuckerellidae), but the thumbclaw process is lost in the Tenuipalpidae and the palps may be reduced from 5 free segments to 4, 3, 2 or a single rudiment.

• The Tarsonemidae (TarsonemoideaTarsonemoidea:
  (also Tarsonemina) a superfamily within Prostigmata > infraorder Eleutherengona > hyporder Heterostigmata consisting of two families: Tarsonemidae and Podapolipidae.
  ) have minute palps, typically with 2 segments.

Feature pages

• Mouthparts—chelicerae
• Palps
• Number of legs in adult
• Prodorsal structures
• Prodorsal shield and setation
• Most posterior tarsal claws and empodium
• Lateral ocelli
• Silken webbing