A series of dorsaldorsal:
relating to the upper or back side; opposed to ventral.
shields covering the
podonotal, mesonotal and pygidial areas in the immatures and an entireentire:
a shield or sclerite with a continuous margin without incisions.
dorsal
shield covering most or all of the adult dorsaldorsal:
relating to the upper or back side; opposed to ventral.
idiosoma is probably the
primitive condition in Mesostigmata, but variations in the dorsaldorsal:
relating to the upper or back side; opposed to ventral.
shields are
common.
This can range from a sharp truncation of the
dorsal shield (usually a failure to fully express the opisthonotalopisthonotal:
dorsal opisthosoma.
region of the
shield) to the expression of large lateral marginal shields or divisions in
unusual areas.
Additionally, unusual ornamentation, both subtle
as in the narrow bands where separate podonotalpodonotal:
relating to the dorsal podosoma, the region of the idiosoma over the legs.
and opisthonotalopisthonotal:
dorsal opisthosoma.
shields overlap
in unfed or non-reproductive females and egregious as in the large posteriorposterior:
the back part of the body or towards that region in comparison, e.g., 'posterior to'.
horns found in several different genera in different families, can be useful
taxonomic characters.
Author: David E. Walter
Content last updated Sept. 2006, unless indicated otherwise
Lucid key player updated Sept. 2025
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