Allonychiurus edinensis (1.3 mm in length) is a soil-dwelling member of the Onychiurinae. Its most distinctive feature is the presence of two pairs of stout pointed setae on the dorsal side of the fifth abdominal segment (Fig. 1). The post-antennal organ has from 12 to 16 complex vesicles (Fig. 2). The empodium on the foot is about half the length of the claw (Fig. 3). There are too few records to allow a firm opinion to be formed of the distribution of Allonychiurus edinensis. There have been no records from Wales or Southwest England. A few of the records were made under the name spinularius Gisin, 1952 which is a junior synonym.
Fig. 1 (above): Anal spines (as) and four stout setae (*) on the dorsal side of the fifth abdominal segment (abd5) of Allonychiurus edinensis collected from Corstophine, Scotalnd in February 1935 by Bagnall. [Note: the magnification is the same as in Fig. 3 i.e. the anal spines are about the same length as the foot claw]
Fig. 2 (above): Post-antennal organ (PAO) of Allonychiurus edinensis collected from Newmarket, Suffolk in March 1971 by A. Baker. ant, base of antenna.
Fig. 3 (above): Foot of the second leg of the same specimen of Allonychiurus edinensis shown in Fig. 2.
