Cochlodispus

The Microdispidae are the least diverse family of pygmephoroid mites, with 20 described genera and about 120 species.^[2] Most members of the family are fungivores, although some may be parasitoids of insects.^[2] All 11 described species of Cochlodispus inhabit soil and litter.^[3] The type species, Cochlodispus cochleatus, was originally designated Microdispus cochleatus by Sándor Mahunka in 1969.^[3] Three years later, Mahunka formally described Cochlodispus as a distinct genus.^[3]

The genus Cochlodispus currently contains 11 species:^[3]

• Cochlodispus africanus Mahunka, 1975 – described from Ethiopia
• Cochlodispus chilensis Mahunka, 1972 – described from Chile
• Cochlodispus cochleatus Mahunka, 1969 – described from Brazil
• Cochlodispus europaeus Mahunka and Mahunka-Papp, 1994 – described from Hungary
• Cochlodispus fimbrisetus Mahunka, 1975 – described from Ethiopia
• Cochlodispus ghilarovi Mahunka, 1977 – described from Abkhazia
• Cochlodispus minimus Mahunka, 1976 – described from Ethiopia
• Cochlodispus pectinifer Mahunka, 1971 – described from Sri Lanka
• Cochlodispus reticordis Mahunka, 1972 – described from New Guinea
• Cochlodispus tarandus Mahunka, 1972 – described from New Guinea
• Cochlodispus zanzibariensis Khaustov and Ermilov, 2018 – described from Zanzibar

An additional species from Belgium was originally described as Cochlodispus operosus^[4] but later research suggested it be reassigned to the genus Bakerdania of the family Neopygmephoridae.^[3]