Neopetrobia mcgregori (Pritchard & Baker)

Kamran, Muhammad, Mirza, Jawwad Hassan & Alatawi, Fahad Jaber, 2016, The genus Paraplonobia Wainstein and Neopetrobia Wainstein (Acari, Trombidiformes, Tetranychidae) from Saudi Arabia: new species, new records and key to the world species of Paraplonobia, ZooKeys 598, pp. 27-55 : 40-42

Taxon classification Animalia Prostigmata Tetranychidae

Neopetrobia mcgregori (Pritchard & Baker) Figs 37-38, 39, 40, 41-44

Monoceronychus mcgregori Pritchard & Baker, 1955.

Neopetrobia mcgregori (Pritchard & Baker) Meyer, 1987. Bolland et al. 1998.

Redescription.

Female (n=9). Body oval; length of idiosoma 369-372, maximum width 238-241, length of body (gnathosoma + idiosoma) 430-433.

Dorsum (Fig. 37). Propodosoma without anterior projections. Dorsum of opisthosoma and most of opisthosoma with nearly smooth integument, metapodosomal dorsum with widely spaced strong striations. Dorsal body setae minute, lanceolate, densely serrate, not present on tubercles. Length of dorsal setae: v2 13-14, sc1 14-15, sc2 13-14, c1 13-14, c2 12-13, c3 10-11, d1 11-12, d2 12-13, e1 10-11, e2 12-13, f1 11-12, f2 15-16, h1 16-17. Distance between dorsal setae: v2-v2 54-56, v2-sc1 48-50, sc1-sc2 47-50, sc1-sc1 113-114, sc2-sc2 165-167, c1-c1 57-58, c1-c2 50-52, c2-c3 41-42, c2-c2 161-162, c3-c3 234-236, d1-d1 57-58, d1-d2 56-57, d2-d2 160-161, c1-d1 57-58, c3-d2 79-80, e1-e1 54-56, e1-e2 45-47, e2-d2 64-66, e2-e2 135-136, f1-f1 80-82, f2-f2 86-88, f1-f2 31-32, f1-d1 79-80, h1-h1 38-40.

Venter (Fig. 38). Idiosoma ventrally with transverse simple widely spaced striations from setae 1a to 3a; longitudinal regular between setae 3a and 4a; transverse pos terior to setae 4a; striations transverse regular anterior to aggenital setae (ag). Length of intercoxal and coxal setae: 1a 18-19, 3a 19-20, 4a 15-16, 1b 30-31, 1c 13-14, 2b 16-17, 2c 10-13, 3b 15-17, 4b 11-12; aggenital setae (ag) 26-27, ag–ag 38-39; genital setae two pairs, g1 17-18, g2 21-22, g1-g1 41-42, g2-g2 76-78, g1-g2 21-22; anal setae three pairs, ps1 11-12, ps2 10-11, ps3 12-13, ps1-ps1 11-13, ps2-ps2 16-18, ps3-ps3 11-13; para-anal setae two pairs, h2 11-13, h2- h2 7-9, h3 7-8, h3-h3 17-19.

Gnathosoma (Figs 39-40). Stylophore slender, the sides angularly converging anteriorly and with a small mediocephalic emargination. Peritremes anastomosing with distal enlargement slender. Scapular setae m 17-18, m–m 19-21. Palp femur and genu each with one seta, palp tibia with three setae, tibial claw strongly curved; palp tarsus with two setae, two eupathidia, one solenidion.

Legs (Fig. 41-44). Length of legs I–IV (without coxae) 240, 150, 148, 180 respectively. Number of setae and solenidia (in parenthesis) on legs I–IV: coxae 2 –2–1– 1, trochanters 1 –1–1– 0, femora 8 –6–2– 2, genua 4 –4–4– 4, tibia 8(1) –9–9– 9; tarsi I with 11 tactile setae, two sets of duplex setae at distal end, three setae proximal to duplex setae, two eupathidia and one solenidion; tarsi II with nine tactile setae, one set of duplex setae, two setae proximal to duplex setae, one setae in line with duplex setae, two eupathidia and one solenidion; tarsi III with six tactile setae; tarsi IV with seven tactile setae. True claws pad like each with one pair of tenant hair; empodium pad-like with two rows of small tenant hairs.

Materials examined.

12 females, Cynodon dactylon ( Poaceae ), near exit10, King Abdullah Road, Riyadh, SA, 24°45.826'N, 46°45.470'E, September 07, 2015, coll. M. Kamran and E. M. Khan.

Remarks.

Neopetrobia mcgregori was originally described very briefly under the genus Monoceronychus and has been only reported from Miami shores of Florida, USA ( Pritchard and Baker 1955). Later, it was moved to the genus Neopetrobia on the basis of widely spaced fourth pair of dorsocentral setae (f1) ( Bolland et al. 1998). Worldwide, this is the second report of this species and no obvious differences have been observed in Saudi Arabian specimens from the original description.