PROCEEDINGS OF THE UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 

 U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Vol. 99 Washington: 1949 No. 3238 



A KEVIEW OF THE MITES OF THE FAMILY 



CHEYLETIDAE IN THE UNITED STATES 



NATIONAL MUSEUM 



By Edward W. Baker 



The family Cheyletidae Leach, 1814, as previously considered in- 

 cluded two groups of mites, those with small, poorly developed, non- 

 grasping palpi {Myobia^ etc.) and those with large, highly developed, 

 grasping palpi {Gheyletus^ etc.). The former are parasitic mites and 

 are adapted to live on such hosts as birds, snakes, and rats, while 

 the latter are primarily free-living predators. 



Ewing (Proc. Ent. Soc. Washington, vol. 40, No. 7, p. 180, 1938) 

 erected the subfamily Myobiinae to include those mites of the genus 

 Myohia and its generic derivatives. In this paper, Myobiinae is raised 

 to family rank and is considered to include the following genera: 

 Amorphdcarus Ewing, Harpyrhynchus Megnin, Myohia Heyden, 

 Ophioptes Sambon, Picobia Haller, Protomyohia Ewing, Psorergates 

 Tyrrel, Radfordia Ewing, and Syringophilus Heller. 



The family Cheyletidae is now considered to include the following 

 genera : Acaropsis Moquin-Tandon, Chelacaropsis new genus, Chel- 

 etoids Ouclemans, Cheletogenes Oudemans, Cheletomimus Oudemans, 

 Cheletomorpha Oudemans, Cheletonella Womersley, Cheletophanes 

 Oudemans, Cheletophyes Oudemans, Cheletopsis Oudemans, Cheleto- 

 soina Oudemans, Chelonotus Berlese, Cheyletia Haller, Cheyletiella 

 Canestrini, Cheyletus Latreille, Eucheyla Berlese, Eucheyletia new 

 genus, Eutogenes new genus, and Neocheyletiella new genus. 



The Cheyletidae are prostigmatic mites with short styletlike 

 chelicerae; with a short palpal tarsus located on the posterior part 

 of the palpal tibia rather than on tip and in most cases bearing 

 comblike and sicklelike setae; palpal tibia with a strong claw which 



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