Acalitus simplex, Flechtmann, Carlos H. W. & Etienne, Jean, 2002

Flechtmann, Carlos H. W. & Etienne, Jean, 2002, New records of plant mites (Acari, Acaridae, Tetranychidae) from Guadeloupe and Marie Galante with descriptions of five new eriophyid species, Zootaxa 47, pp. 1-16 : 10-12

Acalitus simplex n.sp. ( Fig. 4 )

DIAGNOSIS ­ An Acalitus species with 4­rayed empodia; fused, granulated coxae I, smooth coxae II; coxisternal area with coarse granules not arranged in transverse lines; reduced prodorsal shield design: one pair of complete admedian lines and fragments of submedian line.

FEMALE ­ (n = 6). Body wormlike, 158 (145­171), 53 (53­57 wide. Gnathosoma projecting downwards; basal seta 3 (3); antapical seta absent; chelicerae 13 (13). Prodorsal shield anteriorly broadly rounded, 25 (24­26), 29 (28­31) wide; design reduced to one pair of complete admedian lines and partial submedian lines. Dorsal tubercles near rear shield margin, 19 (18­21) apart, directing scapular seta (sc) divergently backwards; sc 24 (22­25). Legs lacking femur and tibia I setae. Leg I 24 (22­25); femur 11 (9­11), femoral seta (bv) absent; femur with a few ventral lines; genu 3 (3), genual seta (l") 15 (14­16); tibia 3 (3), tibial seta (l') absent; tarsus 6 (5­6), solenidion 7 (6­7), straight, not knobbed, empodium 5 (5), 4­rayed, dorsal seta (ft') 6 (5­9), lateral seta (ft") 20 (18­20), unguinal seta u' 4 (3­4). Leg II 22 (21­22); femur 10 (8­10), bv 9 (8­9); genu 3 (2­3), l" 9 (8­10); tibia 3 (3); tarsus 5 (5­7), solenidion 7 (7­8), empodium 5 (4­6), 4­rayed, ft' 5 (4­5), ft" 18 (18­23), u' 4 (3­4). Coxae I fused, mesally granulated; coxal seta I (1b) 7 (7­8), 9 (7­9) apart; coxal seta II (1a) 18 (16­22), 9 (9­11) apart; coxal seta III (2a) 28 (28­33), 19 (19­20) apart. Coxisternal area with a few coarse granules. Genitalia 20 (19­22) wide, 12 (12­16) long; epigynium with coarse granules; genital seta (3a) 8 (8­10). Opisthosoma evenly arched in cross section; annuli continuous dorsoventrally. Lateral seta (c2) 20 (18­25), on annulus 3 (2­4) from genitalia rear margin. Ventral seta I (d) 44 (43­46), 37 (36­40) apart, on annulus 15 (14­16); ventral seta II (e) 19 (19­24), 21 (19­23) apart, on annulus 29 (26­29); ventral seta III (f) 13 (13­15), 16 (14­18) apart, on annulus 50 (46­50) or 5­6th from rear. Total ventral annuli 54 (50­54), microtuberculate; total dorsal annuli 68 (64­72), microtuberculate, caudal 9 (7­12) annuli with smaller microtubercles and fading to rear annuli. Caudal seta (h2) 46 (43­57); accessory seta (h1) 2 (2­3).

MALE ­ (n = 3). Similar to female, 141­161, 48 wide. Gnathosoma: basal seta 3; antapical seta absent; chelicerae 12­13. Prodorsal shield 20­24, 27­28 wide; sc 18­22, 16­ 19 apart. Legs: leg I 20­23; femur 8­9, bv absent: genu 2­3, l" 11­14; tibia 3, l' absent; tarsus 4­5, solenidion 6, empodium 5, 4­rayed, ft' 5­10, ft" 18­19, u' 2­3. Leg II 17­20; femur 7­8, bv 7­9; genu 2, l" 7­8; tibia 2­3; tarsus 4­5, solenidion 7­8, empodium 4­5, 4­rayed, ft' 3­4, ft" 15­18, u' 2­3. Coxae: 1b 5­7, 8 apart; 1a 11­13, 9 apart; 2a 23­25, 17­18 apart. Genitalia 13­16 wide, 8­11 long, granulated; 3a 6­7. Opisthosoma: c 2 17­19, on annulus 3; d 35­38, 31­35 apart, on annulus 12­14; e 12­16, 18­21 apart, on annulus 24­26; f 12­13, 13­14 apart, on annulus 41­46 or 5th from rear. Total ventral annuli 46­50; total dorsal annuli 59­64, caudal 7­11 dorsal annuli with smaller microtubercles; h2 37­38; h1 2,

TYPE MATERIAL ­ Female holotype, 19 female and 6 male paratypes, from Ruellia tuberosa L.( Acanthaceae ), Clairange, Grand Bourg, Marie Galante / Guadeloupe, coll. J. Etienne, 4 Aug. 2001, on 7 microscopic preparations in the collection of Departamento de Entomologia, Fitopatologia e Zoologia Agrícola, Universidade de São Paulo, ESALQ, Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil. One paratype slide deposited in the New Zealand Arthropod Collection.

RELATION TO HOST ­ vagrant on lower leaf surface.

ETYMOLOGY ­ The specific designation, simplex , is from the Latin simplex meaning simplicity and refers to the reduced prodorsal shield design.

REMARKS ­ One species of Acalitus , A. ruelliae ( Channabasavanna, 1966) , described from Ruellia patula in India, was reported on R. tuberosa from Venezuela ( Boczek & Nuzzaci, 1988) and from Guyana ( Mohanasundaram & Muniappan, 1990). A. simplex n.sp. differs in being much larger ( A. ruelliae 115­125 long); in presenting a granulated epigynium (with longitudinal scorings in A. ruellia ) and in the anteriorly rounded prodorsal shield (triangular, acuminate in A. ruelliae ).

Figures

FIGURE 4. Acalitus simplex n. sp. AD, anterior dorsal aspect; AL, anterior lateral aspect; CD, caudal dorsal aspect; CGF, coxigenital area of female; CV, caudal ventral aspect; E, empodium; GM, genitalia of male; L 1, leg I; L 2, leg II.