Family CRYPTOGNATHIDAE Oudemans, 1902

Museums

Regional Maps

• Cryptognathidae Oudemans, A.C. 1902. Verslag. Tijdschrift voor Entomologie 45(Verslag): 50-64.

Introduction

The Cryptognathidae is a family of two genera and about 40 species that are found in litter and moss, in lichens, and under bark (Walter et al. 2009). They are easily recognised by the prominent prodorsal hood that projects forward to conceal the gnathosoma from above. The Australian fauna includes seven species, six of which were described by Luxton (1973), who also provided a key to the species known to that time. Unidentified species have been recorded from Australia a number of times as listed for each genus, and unidentified Cryptognathidae were also reported by Springett (1976), Heatwole et al. (1981), Adolphson & Kinnear (2008), Proctor et al. (2011) and Majer et al. (2013). Womersley (1935) recorded Cryptognatha cucurbita Berlese from Australia, but this was a misidentification. The specimens were described under Cryptognathus woodi Luxton, 1973.

Excluded Taxa

Misidentifications

Cryptognathidae: Cryptognathus cucurbita Berlese, 1916 — Berlese, A. 1916. Centuria seconda di Acari nuovi. Redia. Giornale di entomologia, Firenze 12: 125-177

General References

Adolphson, H. & Kinnear, A. 2008. Acari (mite) assemblages under plantations of bluegum, Eucalyptus globulus, in southwestern Australia. Pedobiologia 51: 427–437

Heatwole, H., Done, T. & Cameron, E. 1981. Community Ecology of a Coral Cay: A study of One-Tree Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia. The Hague : W. Junk 379 pp.

Luxton, M. 1973. Mites of the genus Cryptognathus from Australia, New Zealand, and Niue Island. Acarologia 15: 53-75

Majer, J.D., Callan, S.K., Edwards, K., Gunawardene, N.R. & Taylor, C.K. 2013. Baseline survey of the terrestrial invertebrate fauna of Barrow Island. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 83: 13-112.

Proctor, H., Kanowski, J., Catterall, C.P., Wardell-Johnson, G. & Reis, T. 2011. Rainforest-restoration success as judged by assemblages of soil- and litter-dwelling mites (Arachnida: Acari). Zoosymposia 6: 234–254

Springett, J.A. 1976. The effect of planting Pinus pinaster Ait. on populations of soil microarthropods and on litter decomposition at Gnangara, Western Australia. Australian Journal of Ecology 1: 83-87

Walter, D.E., Lindquist, E.E., Smith, I.M., Cook, D.R. & Krantz, G.W. 2009. Order Trombidiformes. pp. 233-420 in Krantz, G.W. & Walter, D.E. (eds). A Manual of Acarology. Lubbock, Texas : Texas Tech University Press Third edition, 807 pp.

Womersley, H. 1935. On some Cryptognathid and Nicoletiellid Acarina from Australia and New Zealand. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 10 16: 151-154

History of changes