Antennochelidae Lindquist & Moraza 2014, fam. nov.
Creators: name: Lindquist, Evert E.
name: Moraza, María L.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2014
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Mesostigmata
Antennochelidae

description: Family ANTENNOCHELIDAE fam. nov.   Type genus: Antennocheles new genus. Family monotypic, based on adult female and male, deutonymphal and protonymphal material representing one new genus and two new species.    Diagnosis   
 Adults and nymphs are uniquely apomorphic among members of the superfamily Ascoidea in their chelicerae having the basal and middle articles of the shaft greatly elongated, capable of being projected beyond the body for a distance slightly greater than the length of the idiosoma when feeding, yet retractable by a sheathing mechanism entirely within the idiosoma when at rest. The sclerotized intercoxal region of adults is unique in having a pair of invaginations associated with poroids iv2, which seem to be apodematal struts for muscular insertions between the second and third pairs of sternal setae. The subcapitulum of adults and nymphs has the four pairs of hypostomatic setae aligned longitudinally, rather than hyp-2 and hyp-3 being aligned transversally (an attribute otherwise typical among families of the distantly related cohort Uropodina, and to a variable extent in the Veigaiidae). Setation of the idiosoma and legs is nearly holotrichous; however, among the few deficiencies detailed in the description for the genus, the absence of deutonymphal seta al-2 proximal to the lyrifissure on the femur of legs II is extraordinary.    Description   
 Gnathosoma. Gnathotectum well developed, triramous. Cheliceral shafts elongated, each fully retractable inside an elastic sheath and capable of being projected outside the gnathosoma for a distance up to slightly longer than the idiosomatic length. Cheliceral digits normal, apposed, dentate; fixed digit with setiform pilus dentilis, and with hyaline rim smooth, unfringed along paraxial face above base of movable digit; movable digit lacking a pointed process on ventral face; movable digit of male with spermatodactyl digit-like, directed anteriorly, not recurved basally (Figures 4A, B, 12A). Corniculi normal in form, parallel (Figures 4D, 9C, D); internal malae well developed; salivary stylets normally developed, angled anteromedially along midlength, blunt apically; labrum normally developed, blade-like, with finely fringed margins, projecting slightly beyond apices of corniculi. Subcapitulum with the four pairs of setae smooth, aligned longitudinally, rather than h2 and h3 being aligned transversally. Deutosternum with seven rows of denticles of similar width (Figures 4D, 9C). Palpi with normal setation as described for Gamasina by Evans (1964), including only one trochanter seta on protonymph; palpfemoral seta al and palpgenual setae al- 1 and al-2 more or less spatulate; palptarsal apotele two-tined (Figure 9C).   
 Idiosomal dorsum. Adult (Figures 1A, 3A, 8A, 12C). Dorsal shield entire, well sclerotized, nearly holotrichous (details in description of genus), with caudal setae J5 present, and with setae Z5 inserted laterad J5. Peritrematal shields broadly united with dorsal shield anteriorly; peritremes well developed.   
 Deutonymph. Dorsal shield well sclerotized, with lateral incisions reaching to level of setae Z1; paravertical poroids idj1 added to protonymphal complement. Peritrematal shields not uniting with dorsal shield anteriorly (Figures 6A, 13A,B).   
 Protonymph. Idiosoma with well sclerotized podonotal and pygidial shields. Podonotum holotrichous, with 11 pairs of setae on shield, flanked by r2, r3, r5, s6 on soft cuticle. Opisthonotum holotrichous, with eight pairs of setae, including S4, S5, on pygidial shield, and seven pairs of setae on soft interscutal cuticle. Mesonotal scutellae weakly sclerotized as three pairs on sigillar areas between setae J1–J2 and Z1–Z2 (Figures 7A, 14A).   
 Idiosomal venter. Adult female (Figures 2A,B, 9A, C). Tritosternum well developed. Sternal shield entire, with well developed endopodal extensions between coxae I–II and II– III, with three pairs of setae, two pairs of poroids, and a pair of sclerotized, concave invaginations closely lateral to poroids iv2 (Figure 15B); poroids iv3 and setae st4 on small metasternal plates. Endopodal strips between coxae III and IV free, well defined. Epigynal shield well developed, with one pair of setae, and flanked by paragenital poroids iv5 on soft cuticle. Ventrianal shield well developed, with paranal setae inserted at mid-level of anus; posterior margin of shield free from that of dorsal shield; cribrum well developed on posterior margin of shield behind level of postanal seta, but not extending onto caudal region of dorsal shield; anal valves nude. Peritrematal shield broadly connected with exopodal strips beside coxae IV; peritrematal shield with poroid ip2 and gland pore gp2 along mid-length, and with two poroids and one gland pore (gp3) in area behind stigma (Figure 9A); exopodal strip continuous alongside peritrematal shield by coxae I–III. Spermathecal apparatus of the laelapoid type, tubular, lacking a sclerotized calyx with minor duct and expandable vesicle (Figures 1C, 8C); sperm induction pore located on intercoxal region between bases of legs III and IV.   
 Adult male (Figures 3B, 4D, 12D). Sternitigenital shield consolidated with ventrianal shield, with transverse line of fusion evident. Sternitigenital region of holoventral shield continuous with endopodal extensions between coxae I–II, II–III and III–IV, united with exopodal/peritrematal strips behind coxae IV, with five pairs of setae, three pairs of poroids, and a similar pair of sclerotized, apodematal invaginations closely lateral to poroids iv2 as in female. Ventrianal region of holoventral shield encompassing sigillar areas representing metapodal plates, and with broadly rounded posterior margin and cribrum of shield as in female, well separated from caudal margin of dorsal shield (Figures 3B, 12C). Exopodal and peritrematal shielding fused with ventrianal shield; peritremes similar to those on adult female.   
 Deutonymph (Figures 6B, 13C). Sternal shield not contiguous with endopodal extensions and platelets (sigilla) between coxae I and II. Intercoxal soft cuticle with setae st5, and with poroids iv3 and setae st4 added to protonymphal complement. Opisthogaster with well sclerotized anal shield much wider than long. Rim of exopodal plate behind coxa IV well delineated, with gland pore gv2 at its medial extremity.   
 Protonymph (Figures 7B, 14C). Sternal shield usually not continuous with weak endopodal platelets (sigilla) between coxae I–II and II–III, and with three pairs of setae and two pairs of poroids. Intercoxal soft cuticle with or without setae st5 between bases of legs IV. Opisthogaster with well sclerotized anal shield much wider than long, lacking euanal setae, and with holotrichous four pairs of ventral setae JV1, JV2, JV5, ZV2 on soft cuticle around anal shield. Rim of exopodal plate discernible behind coxa IV, with gland pore gv2 near its medial extremity.   
 Legs. Legs of similarly moderate length, I and IV not elongated (Figures 5, 10, 11). Tarsus I with paired claws and round-lobed pulvillus; sensilla s inconspicuous, slightly lanceolate (Figure 11D–F). Tarsi II–IV with paired claws and rounded pulvilli well developed, inserted on well-developed pretarsi; ventral setae v-1 and to lesser extent v-2 spine-like (Figure 11A,B); ventral face of coxa I of deutonymph and adult without serrated ridges. Legs I to IV with nearly full complement of setae typical of Ascoidea (chaetotaxy detailed in description of genus), except for these deutonymphal deficiencies: ad on trochanter I, al-2 and ad-3 on femur II, and pv-1 on genua III–IV. Protonymph with normal complement of leg setae as described for Ascidae by Lindquist and Evans (1965) and detailed in description for genus. Legs with some femoral setae thickened, spine-like in form on both female and male, and to lesser extent on deutonymph and protonymph, including dorsal setae ad-1, pd-1, pd-2 on femora I–II, ad-1, ad-2, pd-1 on femora III–IV, and ventral seta av on femora II–III. Adult sexually dimorphic setation inconspicuous.
description: Published as part of Lindquist, Evert E. & Moraza, María L., 2014, Mites coexistent with neotropical hispine beetles in unfurled leaves of Heliconia: a new genus and family of the Ascoidea (Acari: Mesostigmata: Gamasina), pp. 1611-1651 in Journal of Natural History (J. Nat. Hist.) (J. Nat. Hist.) 48 (27 - 28) on pages 1613-1615, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2013.877995, http://zenodo.org/record/5193844