Sphaerochthoniidae

Belongs within: Cosmochthonioidea.

The Sphaerochthoniidae are a cosmopolitan group of oribatid mites with the notogaster divided by a telescoping type L scissure.

Characters (from Norton & Behan-Pelletier 2009): Integument distinctly patterned (foveolate or reticulate); at least some dorsal setae of notogaster and/or prodorsum heavily ciliate, T-shaped. Prodorsum stegasime; base of bothridial seta with conspicuous sharp proximal d bend. Notogaster with single transverse type L scissure, posterior to setal row c; four pairs of setae inserting on anterior notogastral plate (pronotaspis); opisthonotal gland absent. 4–10 pairs of anal setae present in linear arrangement. Legs with five free segments past coxisternum (femora undivided); trochanters I and II each with one seta; leg pretarsi with empodial claw well developed.

<==Sphaerochthoniidae
    |--Similochthonius Mahunka 1985 [incl. Sphaerochochthonius Mahunka 1985]S04
    |    |--*S. decoratus Mahunka 1985S04
    |    `--S. australis (Mahunka 1985) [=Sphaerochochthonius australis]S04
    `--Sphaerochthonius Berlese 1910 [incl. Sphaerochthoniella Mahunka 1985]S04
         |--*S. splendidus (Berlese 1904) [=Hypochthonius splendidus]S04
         |--S. bengalensis Sanyal & Sengupta 1990S04
         |--S. dilutus Sergienko 1991S04
         |--S. fungifer Mahunka 1983S04
         |--S. gemma (Oudemans 1909)S04 (see below for synonymy)
         |--S. longisetus Wallwork 1977S04
         |--S. ovatus Sergienko 1991S04
         |--S. pallidus Muñoz-Mingarro 1987S04
         |--S. phyllophorus Balogh & Mahunka 1969S04
         |--S. spectabilis Gordeeva, Niemi & Petrova-Nikitina 1996S04
         |--S. strinatii Mahunka 1982S04
         |--S. suzukii Aoki 1977S04
         |--S. transversus Wallwork 1960S04
         |--S. uruguayensis Pérez-Íñigo & Sarasola 1998S04
         `--S. variesetosus Mahunka 1997S04

Sphaerochthonius gemma (Oudemans 1909)^S04 [=Hypochthonius gemma^S04, Cosmochthonius gemma^G32; incl. S. elegans Berlese 1910^S04, S. elegans Berlese 1916 non Berlese 1910^S04, S. wallworki Lee 1982^S04]

*Type species of generic name indicated

References

[G32] Grandjean, F. 1932. La famille des Protoplophoridae (acariens). Bulletin de la Société Zoologique de France 57: 10–36.

Norton, R. A., & V. M. Behan-Pelletier. 2009. Suborder Oribatida. In: Krantz, G. W., & D. E. Walter (eds) A Manual of Acarology 3^rd ed. pp. 430–564. Texas Tech University Press.

[S04] Subías, L. S. 2004. Listado sistemático, sinonímico y biogeográfico de los ácaros oribátidos (Acariformes, Oribatida) del mundo (1758–2002). Graellsia 60 (número extraordinario): 3–305.