Gnathosoma
Encyclopedia
The gnathosoma is the part of the body of the Acari (mite
s and tick
s) comprising the mouth and feeding parts. These are the hypostome
, the chelicerae
and the pedipalp
s. It is also called the capitulum (however, this word also has other meanings
). It is separated from the main body of the animal (the idiosoma) by a flexible section of the cuticle called the circumcapitular furrow or circumcapitular suture.
Mite
Mites, along with ticks, are small arthropods belonging to the subclass Acari and the class Arachnida. The scientific discipline devoted to the study of ticks and mites is called acarology.-Diversity and systematics:...
s and tick
Tick
Ticks are small arachnids in the order Ixodida, along with mites, constitute the subclass Acarina. Ticks are ectoparasites , living by hematophagy on the blood of mammals, birds, and sometimes reptiles and amphibians...
s) comprising the mouth and feeding parts. These are the hypostome
Hypostome
A hypostome , is a calcified harpoon-like structure near the mouth area of certain parasitic arthropods including ticks and mites , that allows them to anchor themselves firmly in place on a host mammal while sucking blood...
, the chelicerae
Chelicerae
The chelicerae are mouthparts of the Chelicerata, an arthropod subphylum that includes arachnids, Merostomata , and Pycnogonida . Chelicerae are pointed appendages which are used to grasp food, and are found in place of the chewing mandibles most other arthropods have...
and the pedipalp
Pedipalp
Pedipalps , are the second pair of appendages of the prosoma in the subphylum Chelicerata. They are traditionally thought to be homologous with mandibles in Crustacea and insects, although more recent studies Pedipalps (commonly shortened to palps or palpi), are the second pair of appendages of the...
s. It is also called the capitulum (however, this word also has other meanings
Capitulum
The term Capitulum can refer to several things:*In botany, a type of flower head where the bracts are located under the basis, such as a daisy's*Also in botany, the top of a Sphagnum moss plant with compact clusters of young branches....
). It is separated from the main body of the animal (the idiosoma) by a flexible section of the cuticle called the circumcapitular furrow or circumcapitular suture.