Pedoniphis persicus, Joharchi, Omid, Mašán, Peter & Babaeian, Esmaeil, 2014

Joharchi, Omid, Mašán, Peter & Babaeian, Esmaeil, 2014, A new genus and species of edaphic mite (Acari: Mesostigmata: Eviphididae) from Iran, Zootaxa 3774 (3), pp. 275-281 : 280

Pedoniphis persicus sp. nov.

( Figures 1–7 )

Specimens examined. Holotype: female, Iran, Ardabil Province, Sabalan Mountains (38° 19' N, 47° 51' E), altitude 1,875 m, 24 June, 2008, Saye Serri coll., in sandy soil. Paratypes: six females, with the same data as in holotype. The type material is deposited in the Jalal Afshar Zoological Museum, College of Agriculture, University of Tehran, Iran (holotype and one paratype), the Australian National Insect Collection, CSIRO, Ecosystem Sciences, Canberra, Australia (one paratype), and the Institute of Zoology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia (three paratypes).

Additions to generic description (female). Dorsal idiosoma ( Fig. 1 ). Dorsal shield 658–722 µm long and 417–446 µm wide (n=7). Dorsal setae relatively long, slightly differing in length; marginally and laterally inserted setae longer than those with central position on the shield (j1 54–66 µm, j2 67–82 µm, j6 84–91 µm, J1 84–91 µm, Z4 109–126 µm, S5 98–109 µm); dorsal setae Z5 longest and 126–136 µm in length; setae J5 shortest, rudimentary, 5–10 µm long.

Ventral idiosoma ( Fig. 2 ). Tritosternum with columnar base, the base 35–37 µm long and 30–32 µm wide; paired laciniae 108–111 µm long. Sternal shield 147–161 µm in length, narrowest between coxae II (116–127 µm), widest between coxae II and III (190–198 µm); posterior margin of the shield slightly concave, straight or irregular medially; sternal setae subequal in length (st1 42–50 µm, st2 42–46 µm, st3 39–45 µm), with tips not reaching insertions of the following setae; one pair of lyrifissures adjacent to setae st1, another pair of lyrifissures between setae st2 and st3; metasternal setae st4 42–50 µm long. Epigynal shield ( Fig. 6 ) 184–197 µm in length and 69–81 µm in width, usually widened posteriorly; genital setae st5 50–55 µm long. Anal shield pear-shaped to subtriangular, 129–134 µm long and 97–104 µm wide; postanal seta 69–75 µm in length, apparently longer than two adanal setae (44–52 µm). Length of ventral setae on opisthogastric soft integument as follows: JV1 and JV2 50–55 µm, JV3 55–60 µm, JV4 66–74 µm, JV5 88–99 µm, ZV2 and ZV3 45–57 µm. Parapodal shields behind coxae IV free, elongate, conspicuously narrowed and curved; exopodal shields between coxae I–IV subtriangular and free from peritrematal shields.

Gnathosoma ( Figs 3–5 ). Hypostomal setae h2 57–65 µm in length, longer than other hypostomal setae (h1 38– 42 µm, h 3 29–34 µm); palpcoxal setae 29–36 µm long. Chelicerae 257–345 µm long and 47–50 µm wide laterally (movable digit 59–62 µm and fixed digit 64–67 µm in length).

Etymology. The species name refers to the Latin (" persicus ") or Greek (" persikos ") name of Iran, the country of origin of this species.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 7. Pedoniphis persicus gen. nov, sp. nov., female. 1. Dorsal idiosoma; 2. Ventral idiosoma; 3. Subcapitulum; 4. Epistome; 5. Chelicera; 6. Epigynal shield, a variant form with genital setae off the shield; 7. Femur II. Figs 6 and 7 not to scale.