Abstract
Abstract The juvenile stages of oribatid mites of the family Licnodamaeidae sensu lato are poorly known, and little information is available on the morphology of ontogenetic stages. Herein, the nymphs and exuvial scalps of two species, Pedrocortesella fusca (Rjabinin, 1986) and P. inaequalis (Balogh & Mahunka, 1965) are described and illustrated. The nymphs are generally similar in their habitus. Basic characteristics of nymphs are: the lightly sclerotized and unpigmented body, slightly stockier than adults with tuberculate cerotegument; lateral sides of body as well as epimeral and anogenital regions are distinctly folded; nine (c1–c3, lp, h1, h2, p1–p3) or eight pairs of gastronotic setae (setae c2 absent in P. inaequalis); conspicuously concaved or nearly rounded posterior end of gastronotum; exuvial scalps with slightly folded reticulate sculpture, without adherent materials, lightly fastened to gastronotum of nymphs, but their adults do not carry exuvial scalps. Both are Palaearctic species, currentl...
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