Foreliinae

Gerecke, R., 2014, Pseudofeltria (Acariformes: Pionidae) In Europe: Three Previously Described Taxa, A Species New To Science From The Northern Apennines, And A Redefinition Of Foreliinae, Acarologia 54 (1), pp. 57-67 : 58

subfamily Foreliinae

Diagnosis — Integument of idiosoma from smooth to completely covered by dorsal and ventral shields, leaving only a narrow membranous dorsal furrow. Posteromedial apodemes of Cx-I varying from short to moderately long. Medial margins of Cx-IV often (in multiacetabulate species always) reduced to median angles. If medial margins of Cx-IV are developed, in females they form blunt or rounded, never sharp, posteromedial angles. Genital field occasionally with three, generally with numerous acetabula, in males along its whole anterior edge fused to Cx-IV. Posteromedial margin of gnathosoma with a short to moderately long anchoral process. P-4 with a peg-like distomedial seta. In males, IV-L-6 with a dorsal concavity flanked by two to numerous peglike setae, occasionally also IV-L-4 and III-L-6 modified for sperm transfer, but IV-L-5 simple.

Discussion — Separation of Tiphysinae from other pionids on the base of the presence of only three pairs of acetabula was never satisfactory – not only due to the presence, in the Nearctic, of a polyacetbulate Tiphys species, but mostly because the triacetabulate condition is a plesiomorphy ( Cook 1974). In a cladistic analysis, Smith (1976) showed Pionacercus to be the outgroup of [ Forelia and Pseudofeltria ], but the necessary consequence, shifting the genus to Foreliinae , has not been taken so far. His interpretation is supported by the sexual modification of male legs for sperm transfer in representatives of all three genera: The deep dorsal incurvation of IV-L-6, flanked by peg-like setae ( Figs. 1 D , 3 C-D, 4 A-D) is an obvious synapomorphy. As a consequence, the subfamily must be redefined as above, and we must assume that polyacetabulism evolved within this clade in parallel to Pioninae .

Figures

FIGURE 1: Pionacercopsis vatrax (Germany, SMF 46850): A-C male. A – venter; B – palp; C – IV-L-4-6; D-F, female. D – I-L-6; E – palp; F – venter partial view. Bars = 100 µm.

FIGURE 3: Pseudofeltria scourfieldi (D BGL 312): A-B female; A – dorsum; B – palp; C-D male; C – venter; D – IV-L-2-6. Bars = 100 µm.

FIGURE 4: Pseudofeltria aemiliana, paratype female: A – venter; B – dorsum; C – gnathosoma and right palp medially; D – right palp laterally. Bars = 100 µm.