Labidostoma, , Kramer, 1879

Bertrand, M., Bagheri, M., Akbari, A., Yazdanian, M., Irani-Nejad, K. H., Mohajer, S. S. & Saboori, A., 2012, A New Iranian Species Of The Subgenus Labidostoma (Prostigmata: Labidostomatidae), With New Biogeographic Data On The Integrum Species Group, Acarologia 52 (3), pp. 233-245 : 234-235

The genus Labidostoma and the subgenus Labidostoma (Labidostoma)

Berlese (1911) described the species type Labidostoma integrum from Umbria ( Italy) in a brief diagnosis (less than 40 words) :

" Flavidum, ovale; angulis non in cornua productis; mandibulorum digito mobili dentibus (in medio margine dentario) numero novem, intersese statura subequalibus, sat magnis; digiti fixi ramo apicali superno sat inferiorem securiformem superanti. Tuberculus mandibulae parvulus."

Berlese did not provide any details concerning the exceptional characteristic of this species: the line of dorso-lateral pores that distorts the alveolar arrangement. Fortunately, Grandjean (1942, a, b) examined some specimens and provided illustrations. He noted that Algerian and French specimens differed by:

• ornamentation of the dorsal shield,

• the number of teeth on the mobile cheliceral digit,

• the organization of the terminal and subterminal teeth of the fixed digit.

Feider and Vasiliu (1970) compared the morphology of Romanian specimens of L. caucasicum ( Reck 1940) and L. integrum to clarify their identity. Until now, amongst the species belonging to the subgenus Labidostoma , only two shared the unusual arrangement of a dorso-lateral line of pores: i.e. integrum and caucasicum.

From 1879 to 1969, several authors described newly discovered species, named them in the genus Labidostoma (syn. Nicoletiella Kramer 1879 ). However, providing a different perspective from previous authors, Feider and Vasiliu (1969) and some years later, Bertrand (1990) considered that it is preferable to subdivide the genus into different subgenera. The subgenus Labidostoma , (comprising the species closely allied to L. integrum ) and the subgenus Nicoletiella , (comprising the species closely allied to L. luteum ) must keep separated from each other at least as subgenera if not as different genera.