56 



Acarology 



Genera: 



1. Discozercon Berlese, 1910 



Type. Discozercon mirabilis Berlese, 1910 



2. Allozercon \iizXhum, \926 



Type. Allozercon fecundissiinus Vitzthum, 1926 



3. Atacoseius Berlese, 1905 



Type. Atacoseius pellucens Berlese, 1905 



4. Discomegistus Tvdigkrdh, 1911 



Type. Discomegistus pectinatiis Tragardh, 1911 



5. Heterozercon Berlese, 1888 



Type. Heterozercon degeneratus Berlese, 1888 



Figure 41 a Heterozercon oiidemansi 

 Finnegan, 1931. Ventral view of fe- 

 male. (After Finnegan 1931) 



Figure 41 h Discozercon mirabilis 

 Berlese, 1910. Ventral view of female. 

 (After Berlese 1914) 



Discussion: The placement of Atacoseius in the family is somewhat 

 doubtful since the type species is known only from immature speci- 

 mens that do not exhibit all of the characteristics of the family. Vitz- 

 thum reports that Berlese proposed the family Heterozerconidae for 

 the group in 1892, but a search to verify his report was unsuccessful. 

 The discozerconids are ectoparasites of large millipedes, centipedes, 

 termites, snakes, and some are free-living or at least have been found 

 unassociated with a host. All of the species are tropical or subtropical 



