Cosmochthonius emmae Berlese

van der Hammen, L., 1959, Berlese's Primitive Oribatid Mites, Zoologische Verhandelingen 40, pp. 1-93 : 22-23

Cosmochthonius emmae Berlese , 1910

Cosmochthonius emmae Berlese , 1910, p. 222, pl. 20 fig. 49; Lombardini, 1936, p. 39; Grandjean, 1950, p. 80.

This is the single species of the genus, known to be bidactylous at I, II, and III, and tridactylous (exceptionally bidactylous) at IV. It is easily recognizable by the peculiar, leaf-shaped hairs.

According to the Catalogue two slides must be present in the Berlese Collection, viz. the nos. 69/19, and 69/20; the last-mentioned preparation is, however, lost. Slide no. 69/19 is designated as type; the locality is "S. Vincenzo, Pisa, humus della macchia".

The species is apparenty rare. Grandjean (1950) records the capture of a very small number of specimens in Algeria. Franz (1954) mentions that the species was collected in the environs of Vienna (Austria) by Dr. E. Piffl; the last-mentioned kindly informed me that in the course of five years he found only one specimen of it.