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Major mite taxa—Key feature pages

Male cheliceral modifications

In some derived groups of Mesostigmata, the males transfer sperm with modifications of the chelicerae that can be diagnostic for their groups. In the Parasitidae, the males have thickened chelicerae with a slit on the movable digit called the spermatotremespermatotreme:
a slit-like opening on the movable digit of male Parasitidae that grasps the neck of the spermatophore during sperm transfer; considered to be a foramen left by the distal fusion of a spermatodactyl to the movable digit.
 (Fig. 1) that grasps the neckneck:
(neck-like) a narrow constricted region joining the capitulum to the idiosoma.
 of the spermatophorespermatophore:
any structure that carries a packet of sperm, including complex stalks deposited on substrate by male acariform mites and flask-like structures carried on the chelicerae of male mesostigmatans.
 during transfer to the female's genital opening. In all of the many families of hyporder Dermanyssiae (a derived lineage of suborder Mongynaspida), the males transfer sperm to a secondary sperm system in the female using a 'sperm finger' or spermatodactylspermatodactyl:
(also spermadactyl) the 'sperm finger' on the chelicerae of male dermanyssine Mesostigmata used to transfer sperm to the secondary sperm system in the female; spermatodactyls take various forms, from simple finger-like processes to very long, contorted structures.  
 (Fig. 2). Spermatodactylispermatodactyl:
(also spermadactyl) the 'sperm finger' on the chelicerae of male dermanyssine Mesostigmata used to transfer sperm to the secondary sperm system in the female; spermatodactyls take various forms, from simple finger-like processes to very long, contorted structures.  
 may be simplesimple:
unadorned; simple setae are needle-like and without hairs or pectins.
 digit-like processes that are barely longer than the movable digit on which they originate, but are often very extremely elongate or highly convoluted structures. Some Trigynaspida (Celaenopsoidea) also have a short, finger-like process (Fig. 3) on the movable digit, but also have well developed cheliceralcheliceral:
of or pertaining to the chelicera.
 excrescences.

Fig. 1 spermatotreme  
Fig. 1. Spermatotreme
Fig 2 spermatodactyl  
Fig. 2. Spermatodactyl
Fig. 3 finger-like process  
Fig. 3. Finger-like process
Feature pages