The palp apotelepalptarsal apotele:
(= palp apotele, palptarsal claw) the most distal segment of the palp; absent in Acariformes, claw-like in Opilioacarida, and a subdistal, tined structure in the Mesostigmata.
is believed to represent the
reduced pretarsustarsal apotele:
(also pretarsus) the most distal segments of legs and palps bearing the claws and empodium
. Presumably the 3-times in the primitive condition
represent the two claws and empodiumempodium:
(pl. empodia) an unpaired structure arising between the tarsal claws, ranging from pad-like to claw-like and often bearing structures such as tenent hairs, dense setulae, or taking the form of a featherclaw (Eriophyoidea)..
. The 3-tined condition is often
reduced to 2-tines, but only in the genus Gamasolaelaps (Veigaiidae) are
there more than 3-tines. As in most Veigaiidae, a membranous scale-like
process may be extruded above the apoteleapotele:
(Greek apotelein = to complete)—the terminus of an appendage; the most distal leg segment, often consisting of an empodium and a pair of claws. The apotele of a leg is usually treated as equivalent to the pretarsus or some part thereof (e.g., the claws and empodium), but the palptarsal apotele in Mesostigmata is a tined structure originating at the base of the palptarsus and thought to be a remnant of the claws. The chelicerae are also an appendage and terminate in the movable digit.
.
Author: David E. Walter
Content last updated Sept. 2006, unless indicated otherwise
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