Carolinea 77

158 Carolinea 77 (2019) tarsi I-IV close to the tibio-tarsal joint. Claws mo- nodactyl, with a length of about 30 µm on all tarsi, with smooth, sickle-shaped ungues. A diminutive area porosa visible, immediately proximal to the ambulacrum, in ventral location, on all tarsi. Se- tae p’, p’’ and s eupathidial on tarsus I. 3.1.2 Larva and nymphs Body dimensions Larva: length 250 µm, width 114 µm, height 121 µm. Protonymph: length 294 µm, width 145 µm, height 140 µm. Deutonymph: length 403 µm, width 194 µm, height 203 µm. Tri- tonymph: length 510 µm, width 268 µm, height 250 µm. Body length of larva measures about 0,45 x, and that of tritonymph 0,93 x the adult total body length. Ratio of body length to width about 2,2:1 in the larva and 2:1 in the three nym- phal stages. Integument Cuticle of body smooth, transparent and white in colour. Gnathosoma, legs, some setal apophy- ses and sclerites lightly sclerotized, light to dark brown. The extent and degree of sclerotization are greatest in the tritonymph and least in the larva. Cerotegument a continuous thin film with more or less regularly spaced hemispherical gra- nules or tubercles. Granules spherical in dorsal view, tuberculate to conical in lateral view, gene- rally with a diameter of 1-2 µm or less. Cerotegu- ment generally very thick, covering most of body and legs and also setal bases. Cerotegument more strongly developed, with slightly larger granules in tritonymph than in preceding stases. Setae of prodorsum, notogaster and legs light to very dark brown, possessing a hyaline base. Amount of pigmentation least in ventral setae. Prodorsum (Figs 8, 10, 11, 13) Prodorsum short, measuring about half the length of the notogastral region in lateral view. Rostrum broadly rounded. Prodorsal apophyses absent. Interlamellar seta fairly short (23 µm), smooth and attenuate in larva; extremely short (tritonymph 14 µm), without barbs, and trun- cate in nymphs. Sensillus long (larva 167 µm; tritonymph 224 µm), smooth, distally flagellate. Bothridia funnel-shaped. Exobothridial seta smooth, of moderate length in the larva (45 µm) and tritonymph 53 µm), Rostral setae of larva smooth, about similar in length (44 µm) to the unbarbed lamellar setae (48 µm). In later onto- genetic stages setae ro similarly without barbs, Figure 10. Belba sculpta larva, lateral view.