Stigmaeus ladanae, 2012

Nazari, A., Khanjani, M. & Kamali, K., 2012, Two New Eyeless Mite Species From The Western Provinces Of Iran: Stigmaeus Ladanae N. Sp. And Stigmaeus Nasrinae N. Sp. (Acari: Stigmaeidae), Acarologia 52 (2), pp. 173-181 : 175-177

Stigmaeus ladanae n. sp.

( Figs. 1-2 )

Diagnosis — All dorsal, ventral and suranal shields reticulated, dorsum with 14 pairs of setae (h 3 present), eyes and post ocular bodies absent, median hysterosomal shield with two setae (c 1, d 1), genital setae two pairs, aggenital setae four pairs, genua 5(+1 κ) - 5 - 2 - 2, propodosomal setae ve/vi 1.26 (1.29 – 1.35), ratio vi / vi- vi 0.85 (0.54 – 0.80), c 1 / c 1 -c 1 0.52 (0.46 – 0.51); c 1 -c 1: d 1 -d 1: e 1 -e 1: f 1 -f 1: 0.87 (1 – 1.86): 0.89 (0.81 – 1.60): 0.79 (0.81 – 1.09): 1.0.

Material examined — Holotype female, collected from soil beneath apple trees, Malus domestica Borkh. (Rosaceae) , Hamedan (34º46’48.13"N, 48º28’11.46"E and altitude 1930 m a.s.l), Hamedan Province, Iran, 8 June 2011, Alireza Nazari; 6 females paratypes with the same data. The holotype female and 5 paratypes females are deposited as slide-mounted specimens in the Collection of the Acarology Laboratory, University of Bu-Ali Sina , Hamadan, Iran and one paratype female will be deposited in the National Collection of Arachnida, Plant Protection Research, Pretoria, South Africa.

Female (n = 7) — Color in life red. Idiosoma oval. Measurements of holotype with measurements of paratypes in parentheses: Length of body (excluding gnathosoma) 420 (419 – 441), (including gnathosoma) 523 (510 – 548); width 206 (206 – 245); length of leg I 240 (218 – 242); leg II 188 (175 – 193); leg III 185 (153 – 190), leg IV 223 (208 – 246).

Dorsum ( Fig. 1A ) — Prodorsal shield oblong and reticulated; bearing three pairs of setae (vi, ve, sci), eyes and post ocular bodies absent; dorsal hysterosoma with 10 pairs of setae, almost smooth, four pairs of paired and three unpaired shields and surrounded with entire and reticulated ( Fig. 1A ). Setae c 2 situated laterally between coxae II-III. Setae ve almost as long as or slightly longer than setae vi, setae sce on lateral propodosomal shields, reticulated; lengths of dorsal setae: v 1 23 (20 – 24), ve 29 (27 – 31), sc 1 28 (22 – 29), sc 2 30 (28 – 32), c 1 25 (20 – 27), c 2 41 (32 – 43), d 1 19 (19 – 24), d 2 21 (20 – 24), e 1 22 (20 – 24), e 2 21 (21 – 24), f 1 30 (28 – 33), h 1 32 (28 – 37), h 2 40 (37 – 44); distances between dorsal setae: vi-vi 26 (25 – 44), ve-ve 50 (46 – 55), vi-ve 32 (25 – 34), sci -sci 85 (73 – 88), sce-sce 135 (131 – 152), ve-sci 47 (41 – 50), sci-sce 25 (18 – 34), c 1 -c 1 46 (43 – 53), c 1 -c 2 73 (57 – 89), c 2 -c 2 191 (170 – 206), c 1 -d 1 59 (48 – 64), d 1 -d 1 47 (37 – 43), d 1 -d 2 49 (44 – 56), d 1 -e 1 68 (62 – 71), d 1 - e 2 51 (48 – 69), d 2 -e 2 73 (71 – 77), d 2 -d 2 128 (118 – 151), e 1 - e 1 42 (25 – 43), e 2 -e 2 94 (87 – 121), e 1 - e 2 33 (29 – 40), e 1 -f 1 40 (30 – 42), f 1 -f 1 53 (23 – 53), f 1 -h 1 36 (32 – 45), h 1 -h 1 33 (31 – 38), f 1 -h 2 39 (36 – 43), h 2 -h 2 71 (64 – 72), h 1 -h 2 17 (15 – 21); ratio: vi/vi-vi 0.88 (0.54 – 0.80), c 1 / c 1 -c 1 0.52 (0.46 – 0.51), d 1 / d 1 -d 1 0.40 (0.51 – 0.55), e 1 / e 1 - e 1 0.5 (0.55 – 0.8), f 1 / f 1 -f 1 0.52 (0.62 – 1.21), h 1 / h 1 -h 1 0.96 (0.90 – 0.97), h 2 / h 2 -h 2 0.56 (0.57 – 0.61), h 1 /h 2 0.80 (057 – 0.84), c 1 -c 1: d 1 -d 1: e 1 -e 1: f 1 -f 1: 0.87(1 – 1.86): 0.89 (0.81 – 1.60): 0.79 (0.81 – 1.09): 1.

Venter ( Fig. 1B ) — Coxae I-IV and surrounded shields reticulated, coxisternal shields I-II and III- IV not fused in mid-line, longitudinal striae; cuticle transversely striate between coxisternal II-III; coxisternal shields I-II and III-IV surrounded by longitudinal striae ( Fig. 1B ). Length of setae 1a 24 (18 – 25), 1b 22 (8 – 24), 1c 29 (21 – 32), 2b 34 (25 – 35), 2c 37 (28 – 37), 3a 23 (18 – 25), 3b 23 (18 – 24), 3c 21 (17 – 24), 4a 21 (18 – 24), 4b 18 (14 – 19) and 4c 19 (14 – 20). Aggenital (ag 1,-4) setae ag 1 almost as long as ag 2,-3; and pseudanal seta ps 1 less than two times longer than seta ps 3; measurements of setae: setae ag 1 18 (14 – 21), ag 2 18 (16 – 20), ag 3 22 (17 – 23), ag 4 22 (19 – 26), g 1 19 (16 – 20), g 2 29 (19 – 31), ps 1 52 (36 – 53), ps 2 28 (19 – 28), ps 3 44 (38 – 46). Distances: ag 1 - ag 1 33 (25 – 33), ag 2 -ag 2 35 (33 – 38), ag 3 -ag 3 49 (47 – 53), ag 4 -ag 4 46 (46 – 61).

Gnathosoma ( Fig. 1C ) — Subcapitulum reticulated and with two pairs of subcapitular setae, m 23 (19 – 25) and n 18 (14 – 21), two pairs of adoral setae, or 1 7 (4 – 8), or 2 9 (7 – 10); distances: or 1 -or 1 7 (5 – 18), or 2 -or 2 14 (11 – 16), m-m 31 (29 – 36), n-n 23 (23 – 25), or 1 -m 25 (24 – 27), m-n 6 (5 – 7) ( Fig. 1C ). Chelicerae free 55 (50 – 63), movable digit 25(22 – 27) ( Fig. 1C ). Palpi five segmented, palp tarsus with four simple setae + one simple eupathidium + one solenidion (ω) + one tridentate eupathidium, palp tibia with two setae + one well developed claw + one accessory claw, palp genu with one setae and palp femur with three setae.

Legs ( Fig. 2 ) — Legs about half length of body. Leg segments setal formulae as follows: coxae 2 - 2 - 2 - 2; trochanters 1 - 1 - 2 - 1; femora 4 - 4 - 3 - 2, genua 5+1Κ - 5 - 2 - 2; tibiae 5+1’ρ+1’ - 5+1’ρ - 5+1’ρ - 5+1’ρ; tarsi 13 +1ω - 9 +1ω - 7 +1ω - 7 +1ω. Length of solenidia: ωI 19 (16-20), ωII 17 (14-18), ωIII 10 (7 – 12), ωIV 8 (6 – 9).

Male — Unknown.

Remarks — Stigmaeus ladanae n. sp. is closely similar S. shabestariensis Haddad, Lotfollahi and Akbari, 2010 in having:

– setae h 3,

– entire suranal shield,

– reticulated dorsal shields,

– the same legs chaetotaxy.

However, the new species differs in:

– lateral prodorsal shield reticulate in S. ladanae instead of smooth in S. shabestariensis ,

– subcapiltulum faintly reticulated instead of faintly punctate,

– dorsal setae smooth instead of serrated,

– lateral zonal shields unique instead of divided in S. shabestariensis ,

– base of setae ps1 reticulated instead of smooth in S. shabestariensis ,

– ratio c 1 / c 1 -c 1 0.52 (0.46 – 0.51) and e 1 / e 1 - e 1 0.5 (0.55 – 0.8) in S. ladanae opposed to 0.40 (0.20 – 0.40) and e 1 / e 1 - e 1 0.34 (0.33 – 0.34) in S. shabestariensis ,

– coxal plates I-IV and legs segments reticulated in the new species versus smooth in S. shabestariensis ,

– aggenital and anal shields reticulated instead of smooth in S. shabestariensis ,

– setae ps 2 two times longer than ps 1 instead of as long as in S. shabestariensis . Also this species resembles Stigmaeus pulchellus Kuznetsov, 1987 and S. alvandis Khanjani and Ueckermann, 2002 in having all dorsal and ventral shields, and leg segments reticulated, eyes absent, two pairs of median zonal shield;

however it differs from that: aggenital shields reticulated, setae sce shorter than S. pulchellus , setae ps 1 longer than h 1, h 2, h 3 instead of as long as in S. pulchellus and also it differs from S. alvandis in that:

– the suranal shield entire whereas divided in S. alvandis ,

– femur IV with two setae opposed to one seta in S. alvandis ,

– setae ps 1 longer than h 1, h 2, h 3 instead of as long as in S. alvandis .

Etymology — The new species is named in honor of Mrs. Ladan Mohammadi, wife of senior author, who kindly helped us in mite collection and who is already post student (Agricultural Entomology), Department of Plant Protection, College of Agriculture, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran.

Figures

FIGURE 1: Stigmaeus ladanae n. sp. (female): A – Dorsum; B – Venter; C – gnathosoma.

FIGURE 2: Stigmaeus ladanae n. sp. (female): A – leg I; B – leg II; C – leg III; D – leg IV.