Phytoseiidae (Acari: Mesostigmata) of Morocco: new records, descriptions of five new species, re-descriptions of two species, and key for identification Tixier, Marie-Stephane Allam, Latifa Douin, Martial Kreiter, Serge Zootaxa 2016 4067 5 501 551 Tixier, Kretier & Allam Tixier, Kretier & Allam [151,935,1232,1258] Arachnida Phytoseiidae Typhlodromus Animalia Mesostigmata 32 533 Arthropoda species ballotae sp. nov. Typhlodromus   Description of the adult female(n = 14) ( Figs 22–26)   Diagnosis. Dorsal shield lightly reticulated with three pairs of solenostomes ( gd2, gd6, gd9). Dorsal setae long and smooth. Peritreme relatively short reaching level between setae z2and z3. Ventri-anal shield usually quadrate but variable in shape with four pairs of pre-anal setae and no pre-anal pores. In some specimens, the ventri-anal shield is truncated on one side and only bears three setae. Chelicerae with two teeth on fixed digit and no teeth on movable digit. Calyx of spermatheca pocular with the atrium well differentiated and neck cervix and atrium. Genu II with eight setae. Leg IV with a macroseta on basitarsus.   Dorsum( Fig. 22). Dorsal shield 326 (300–335) long and 148 (140–160) wide, basally reticulated, with three solenostomes ( gd2, gd6, gd9), four pairs of poroids, 17 pairs of dorsal setae and two pairs of sub-lateral setae: j121 (20–23), j339 (33–43), j424 (23–25), j525 (23–28), j627 (23–30), J235 (30–38), J57 (5–8), z223 (28–25), z340 (38–45), z441 (38–45), z526 (25–30), Z446 (43–50), Z564 (60–73),  s450(43–58),  s652(50–55),  S251(48–55),  S449(48–53), r341 (38–45), R138 (35–43). All setae smooth. Peritreme extending between z2and z3( Fig. 22).    Venter( Fig. 23). All shields lightly reticulated. Sternal shield with two pairs of setae and two pairs of lyrifissures; two pairs of sternal setae and lyrifissures on small metasternal plates; posterior margin ill-defined. Distances between ST1 –ST360 (58–63), ST2 –ST258 (55–63), ST5–ST560 (58–65). Sternal setae long. Two pairs of metapodal plates 22 (25–28) long, 3 (3–4) wide for the largest and 14 (13–15) long, 1 wide for the smallest. Ventri-anal shield with four pairs of pre-anal setae, JV1, JV2, JV3and ZV2, and no pre-anal pores. In some specimens, the ventri-anal shield is truncated on one side and only three setae are inserted on it ( Fig. 26). Membrane surrounding ventri-anal shield with four pairs of setae ZV1, ZV3, JV4and JV5, and six pairs of round to oblong poroids; ventri-anal shield 108 (110–113) long, 87 (70–95) wide at anterior corners, and 76 (73–88) wide at level of anus. JV552 (48–58) long.   FIGURES 22–26.  Typhlodromus( Typhlodromus) ballotae  n. sp., female. 22. Dorsal shield; 23. Ventral idiosoma; 24. Chelicera; 25. Spermatheca; 26. Variations of the ventri-anal shield.  Legs. Legs IV with a macroseta on the basitarsus, ST IV39 (35–40). Chaetotactic formula of genu II: eight setae, 2 2/1, 2/0 1; genu III: seven setae, 1 2/1, 2/0 1. Length of leg I: 319 (308–325), II: 240 (235–240), III: 238, IV: 335 (325–338).   Chelicera( Fig. 24). Fixed digit 25 long with two teeth; and movable digit 28 long with no teeth. Pilus dentilis slightly visible.   Spermatheca( Fig. 25). Spermatheca pocular ( Denmark et al., 1999), with a cervix elongate 17 (15–18) long and 6 (5–8) wide, with an atrium well differentiated and a neck between the basis of the cervix and the atrium.   Etymology. The name ballotaerefers to the host plant on which the new species was found.   Remarks. This species is similar to  T. ( T.) pyriand  T. ( T.) tubiferin bearing three solenostomes on the dorsal shield, no pores on the ventri-anal shield and eight setae on the genu II. However, it differs in several idiosomal seta dimensions and chelicera dentition. Table 4shows the difference between these two species and  T. ( T.) ballotae. For many setae ( s4, s6, S4), the difference between the new species and the others are much higher than 14 µm, proposed by Tixier (2013) to be the threshold between intra- and inter-specific variations for seta lengths. This upper surface of ventri-anal shield is quite variable in shape and seems to have been cut, deformed in several specimens. Such distortions make the number of setae on the ventri-anal shield variable (three or four). Such intraspecific variations have been already observed in other species as for instance,  Galendromus( Mugidromus) sulamericanusby Demite et al. (2008) and  Eharius tuttleiKolodochkaby Kolodochka (1995).