J 80 Acarology 



Odontoscirinae Grandjean, 1938 



Genera: 



1 . Odontoscirus Thor, 1913 



Type: Bdella virgukita G. Canestrini and Fanzago, 1876 



2. Bdellodes Oudemans, 1937 {— Scirus Thor, 1931, non Hermann, 



1804) 

 Type. Scinis longirostris Hermann, 1804 



3. Neomolgiis Oudemans, 1937 (= Molgiis Thor, 1931 nom. praeocc.) 

 Type. Acanis littoralis Linnaeus, 1758 



4. Thoribdella Grandjean, 1938 



Type. Bisciriis meridiomdis Thor, 1931 



Vnassigned genera: The following genera were not adequately de- 

 scribed and cannot be placed under any of the above subfamilies. 



1. C aenobdella OudQmdiX\s, \92>1 



Type. Bdella crassipes C. L. Koch, 1839 



2. Hoplomolgus Berlese, 1923 



Type. Bdella capillata Berlese, 1891 {non Kramer, 1881) 



(= Molgus {Hoplomolgus) tuherculatus Berlese, 1923) 



3. Hoploscinis Thor, 1937 



Type. Scirus dubitatus Womersley, 1933 



4. Troglobdella Oudemans, 1937 

 Type. Scirus obisiuin Gervais, 1841 



Discussion: Males and females are usually very similar, the differ- 

 ences lying in the genital organs, although occasionally there may be 

 some slight differences in the palpi. The egg is slightly elliptical and is 

 covered with a number of clavate spines or projections. They are laid 

 on the soil, in leaf mold, or wherever the mite happens to be. They 

 hatch into the six-legged larva, which is similar to the adult except in 

 the number of legs and in lacking genital plates. The proto-, deuto-, 

 and trito-nymphal stages have the genital plates, two pairs of genital 

 suckers, fewer genital setae, and are smaller than the adult. 



This family appears to be distributed throughout the world in both 

 extremes of climate. They are predaceous on other mites and small 

 insects. Little is known of the effect of these predators on their prey 

 except for one species, Biscirus lapidarius (Kramer) which controls 

 the lucerne flea Sminthurus viridis L. in certain localities in Western 

 Australia. These mites are usually to be found in moss, lichens, leaf 

 mold, and debris, wherever there is an abundance of small insects and 

 other mites. 



