Transeius audeae Kreiter, Allam & Tixier

Tixier, Marie-Stephane, Allam, Latifa, Douin, Martial & Kreiter, Serge, 2016, Phytoseiidae (Acari: Mesostigmata) of Morocco: new records, descriptions of five new species, re-descriptions of two species, and key for identification, Zootaxa 4067 (5), pp. 501-551 : 532-533

Transeius audeae Kreiter, Allam & Tixier , new species

Specimens examined: Holotype: female, at Meknès on Vitis vinifera . June, 16, 2001. Deposited in the Montpellier SupAgro—INRA Acarology collection.

Description of the adult female (n = 1) ( Figs 17–21 )

Diagnosis. Dorsal shield smooth with anterolateral striae. All setae smooth. Measurements of the following setae different from other species of the genus Transeius : s4 = 55, S2 = 50 and Z5 = 78. Peritremes extend to j1. Sternal shield with three pairs of setae, posterior margin slightly concave. Ventri-anal shield striated and squareshaped. Three pairs of pre-anal setae and a pair of round pores. Calyx of spermatheca pocular tubular. Fixed digit of chelicera with two teeth; movable unidentate. Genu II with eight setae. Three macrosetae on leg IV (Ge IV 47, tibia, STI IV 35 and basitarsus, ST IV 70).

Dorsum ( Fig. 17 ). Dorsal shield mostly smooth with anterolateral striae, with six solenostomes (gd1, gd2, gd4, gd6, gd8 and gd9) and eight poroids, 385 long and 200 wide, 17 pairs of dorsal setae and two pairs of sub-lateral setae: j1 25, j3 43, j4 10, j5 10, j6 10, J2 10, J5 10, z2 30, z4 40, z5 5, Z1 13, Z4 63, Z5 78, s4 55, S2 50, S4 12, S5 12, r3 34, R1 22. All setae smooth. Peritreme extending to j1 ( Fig. 17 ).

Venter ( Fig. 18 ). Sternal and genital shields smooth, ventri-anal shield reticulated. Sternal shield with three pairs of setae and two pairs of lyrifissures; one pair of sternal setae on small metasternal plate and with a pair of lyrifissures; posterior margin slightly concave. Distances between ST1 – ST3 63, ST2 – ST2 72, ST5–ST5 72. Two pairs of metapodal plates 25 long, 6 wide for the largest and 18 long and 2 wide for the smallest. Ventri-anal shield with three pairs of pre-anal setae, JV1, JV2, and ZV2, and one pair pre-anal pores present. Membrane surrounding ventri-anal shield with four pairs of setae ZV1, ZV3, JV4 and JV5; square ventri-anal shield 118 long, 100 wide at anterior corners, and 100 wide at level of anus. JV5 67. A pair of lyrifissures near JV5.

Legs ( Fig. 19 ). Leg IV with three macrosetae on genu, Ge IV 47, tibia, STI IV 35 and basitarsus, ST IV 70. Length of leg I: 340, II: 250, III: 250, IV: 355. Chaetotactic formula of Ge II: eight setae; 1 2/1, 2/1 1 and Ge III: seven setae, 1 2/2, 2/0 1.

Chelicera ( Fig. 20 ). Fixed digit 37 long with two teeth; and movable digit 34 long with one tooth. Pilus dentilis visible.

Spermatheca ( Fig. 21 ). Pocular tubular ( Denmark et al., 1999), with a cervix elongate 20 long and 6 wide, with a neck at the basis of the cervix and visible minor and major ducts.

Remarks. Transeius audeae ressemble to T. fragilis (Kolodochka & Bodarenko) but S2 length is 36 µm for this latter species and 50 µm in T. audeae . The shapes of the spermatheca and of the ventri-anal shield are also totally different. It also resembles T. soniae Zannou, Moraes & Oliveira but differs largely in the length of s4, S2, Z5 ( T. soniae : s4 = 90, S2 = 63, Z5 = 99; T. audeae : s4 = 55, S2 = 50 and Z5 = 78) and in the shape of the spermatheca and ventri-anal shield. It also looks like T. sosninae (Wainstein) but differs in the length of S2 (32 in T. sosninae and 50 in T. audeae ), and the shapes of spermatheca and ventri-anal shields are totally different. It finally resembles to T. avetianae (Arutunjan & Ohandjanian) which is the closest species but again measurements of s4, S2 and Z5 are very different (T. avetianae : s4 = 63, S2 = 60, Z5 = 85; T. audeae : s4 = 55, S2 = 50 and Z5 = 78). Furthermore, shapes of spermatheca and ventri-anal shield are very different and pores are more close to JV2 (so more central than lateral) in T. avetianae than in the new species. This species was so different and was found in a so specific location and on a specific plant without any other Transeius species that it was decided to describe it, despite the fact that we have only one female. It cannot constitute a variant of an already known and described species.

Etymology. The name “ audeae ” refers to the daughter of Serge Kreiter, Aude Kreiter.

Figures

FIGURES 17 – 21. Transeius audeae n. sp., female. 17. Dorsal shield; 18. Ventral idiosoma; 19. Tibia and basitarsus IV; 20. Chelicera; 21. Spermatheca.