Chordodes colchis, male, cuticular structure. A. Cuticle of the ventral surface with simple, tubercle (tu), thorn (th) and crowned (cl) areoles. B. Magnification of twisted thorn surrounded by simple areoles (sar) and tubercle areoles. C. Cluster of crowned areoles (crar) with short filaments, surrounded by circumcluster areoles (ccar). D. Overview on the cuticle with all areolar types (for abbreviations see A–C). A by light microscopy (no scale taken), B–D by SEM.