Ameroseius furcatus Karg, 1971

Masan, Peter, 2017, A revision of the family Ameroseiidae (Acari, Mesostigmata), with some data on Slovak fauna, ZooKeys 704, pp. 1-228 : 1

Ameroseius furcatus Karg, 1971

Plates 14 , 15 , 16

Ameroseius furcatus Karg, 1971a: 231.

Ameroseius pseudofurcatus Livshits & Mitrofanov, 1975: 462. Syn. n.

Ameroseius furcatus . - Bregetova 1977: 158; Karg 1993: 228; Hajizadeh et al. 2013b:68.

Type depository.

Of Ameroseius furcatus - Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin, Germany; of Ameroseius pseudofurcatus - Nikita Botanical Gardens, National Scientific Center, Yalta, Crimea, Russia (the type specimens not found and probably lost, based on personal communication from Alex Khaustov).

Type locality and habitat.

Of Ameroseius furcatus - Germany, Naturschutzgebiet Kalktuffmiedermoor at Oechsen ( Rhön), in tussocks of grass with roots; of Ameroseius pseudofurcatus - Russia, Crimea, Nikita Botanical Gardens, in leaf litter under common hazel ( Corylus avellana ) from a park.

Comparative material.

Germany: 2 ♀♀ (ZMB: 40199, holotype; ZMB: 40200, paratype) - 17. 8. 1967, Kalktuffniedermoor, südw. von Oechsen / Rhön, Gras m. Wurzeln am Westhang , 2979, 2980 . Iran: 2 ♀♀ (CJH) - Guilan Province, soil sample, leg. J. Hajizadeh. Russia: 10 ♀♀, 4 ♂♂ (IZSAV) - 9. 1. 1973, Crimea, Nikita Botanical Gardens, litter under Quercus pubescens (labelled Ameroseius pseudofurcatus ) .

Published material from Slovakia.

Cerová Vrchovina Highland: Šiatorská Bukovinka Village, Šomoška Castle ( Fenďa and Mašán 2009).

Revised material from Slovakia:

Podunajská Rovina Flatland: 1 ♀ - 30. 11. 1994, Bodiky Village (labelled as Ameroseius pseudoplumosus - leg. et det. S. Kalúz, unpublished but registered by the ' Databank of Slovak Fauna’ at former http://zoology.fns.uniba.sk/dfs/system300.htm) .

New material from Slovakia.

Horehronské Podolie Basin: 2 ♀♀, 1 ♂ - 20. 6. 2006, Zlatno Village , Zlatnianske Skalky Forest, pine forest ( Pinus sylvestris ), soil and detritus from ant-hill of Formica sp. ( Hymenoptera , Formicidae ), altitude 755 m, leg. P. Mašán. Malé Karpaty Mts. : 2 ♀♀ - 1. 5. 2005, Bratislava Capital , Karlova Ves Settlement, Mokrý Jarok Valley, oak forest ( Quercetum ) with ash ( Fraxinus sp.), hornbeam ( Carpinus betulus ) and maple ( Acer sp.), moss and tinder from decaying ash stump, altitude 230 m, leg. P. Mašán ; 85 ♀♀, 9 ♂♂ - 8. 6. 2013, Plavecky Mikulas Village , Deravá Skala Cave, broad-leaved deciduous forest, rocky shelter (crepuscular cave), soil detritus, altitude 380 m, leg. P. Mašán. Nitrianska Pahorkatina Wold : 1 ♀, 1 ♂ - 28. 6. 2004, Nemecky Village , Kulháň Forest, oak-beech forest ( Querco-Fagetum ), leaf litter and soil detritus, altitude 320 m, leg. J. Čarnogurský. Volovské Vrchy Hills : 2 ♀♀ - 7. 8. 2016, Kojsov Village , Turniská Forest, beech forest ( Fagion sylvaticae ), rocky shelter (crepuscular cave), leaf litter and soil detritus deposited in rocky cervices, altitude 720 m, leg. P. Mašán.

Remarks.

Ameroseius furcatus was originally described from Germany, where it was collected in a tussock of grass with roots ( Karg 1971a). Karg included this species to an identification key, without adequate morphological description. The species was only very briefly diagnosed by him, and based only on two accompanying illustrations, the epistome and dorsal shield. These illustrations were partly confusing because Karg drew the epistome as a flat structure having smooth anterior margin, and the dorsal shield bearing only 24 pairs of setae. The examination of the type material of A. furcatus showed that the epistome is elongate and marginally serrate, and the dorsal shield possesses the normal 29 pairs of setae. Distinctive features of A. furcatus females include the peculiar presence of a pair of small rounded platelets between pseudo-metasternal platelets, short and rounded hyaline appendage on distal apex of movable cheliceral digit, and the insertion of JV3 on (ventri)anal shield, but they were neglected by Karg (1971a).

I believe that the inconsistent original description of Ameroseius furcatus , especially the absence of comments on specific ventral features and a misinterpretation of the dorsal chaetotaxy ( Karg 1971a), led to description of the same species under the name Ameroseius pseudofurcatus . The latter has been thoroughly described and illustrated by Livshits and Mitrofanov (1975) from specimens from the Nikita Botanical Gardens, Crimea, from leaf litter under common hazel. I have not examined type specimens of that species, but I have a slide with numerous specimens (ten females, four males) from a mite collection of the Nikita Botanical Gardens, National Scientific Center, Yalta, Crimea (received from Alex Khaustov), collected in the type locality, and labelled as follows: Ameroseius pseudofurcatus , дуб пушистый, подстилка, гнбс ( госудaрсенный никитский ботанический сaд), 9. 1. 1973 (leaf litter under downy oak, Quercus pubescens , State Nikita Botanical Gardens). From previously published descriptions ( Karg 1971a, Livshits and Mitrofanov 1975), observations of the primary type of A. furcatus , and examination of conspecific material from Germany, Crimea and Slovakia I have concluded that the both above mentioned species are identical and should be considered as synonymous.

Figures

Plate 14. Ameroseius furcatus, female, dorsal idiosoma.

Plate 15. Ameroseius furcatus, female, dorsal idiosoma (pressed specimen).

Plate 16. Ameroseius furcatus, female. A Dorsal idiosoma with legs B Setae j 1 C Epistome D Sternal shield and metasternal area E Ventrianal shield F Posterior margin of dorsal shield.