Chelacheles indra, Bochkov & Otto, 2010

Bochkov, Andre V. & Otto, Jurgen C., 2010, Five new species of predaceous cheyletid mites (Acari: Prostigmata: Cheyletidae), Zootaxa 2727, pp. 1-20 : 16-17

Chelacheles indra sp. nov.

( Figs. 10, 11B)

Description. FEMALE (holotype). Body, including gnathosoma, 480 long (460–535 in 8 paratypes), 145 wide (120–155). Gnathosoma 95 long (90–100), 55 wide (50–57). Palpal femur 32 long (30–35). Setae dF of palpal femur serrate, about 50 long. Palpal claws with 3–4 basal teeth. Eupathidium sul with 6–7 tines. Peritremes archlike, with 9–10 pairs of segments, lateral segments punctated. Rostrum (protegmen) laterally with small area densely covered by tubercles. Rostral shield unornamented. Idiosoma 390–400 long; idiosomal length/width ratio 2.7, distance 2c–3b 200–220 long, 1.4–1.5 times longer than body width. Remnants of propodonotal shield discernible. Propodonotum with 7 pairs of setae, setae c4 absent. All propodonotal setae, including c2, serrate rod-like, 24–27 long. Hysteronotum with 6 pairs of serrate rod-like setae similar in sizes and shape to propodonotal setae (d1, d2, e1, e2, f2, and h1 —slightly shorter than other hysteronotal setae). Setae f1 absent. Setae e1 inserted distinctly posterior to e2. Three pairs of pseudoanal setae, setae ps1 very short; 2 pairs of genital setae; 2 pairs of aggenital setae, setae ag2 absent. Legs. Setae vs II–IV, dG I–III, l’G IV, and vF III and IV absent. Solenidion ω 1 of tarsus I rod-like, 20 long. Leg I–IV setation: tarsus 9 + solenidion ω 1 (ft, tc ’, tc ”, a”, u’, u”, vs —smooth, p’ and p” apically serrate)–6 + solenidion ω 1 (tc ’, tc ”, u’, u” —smooth, p’ and p” apically serrate)–6–6, tibia 4 + solenidion φ (d, l’, v’, v” — smooth)–4 + solenidion φ–4–4, genu 1 + solenidion σ (l’ —smooth)–1 (l’ —smooth)–1 (l’ — smooth)–1(d —serrate), femur 2 (d —serrate, v —smooth)–2(d —serrate, v —smooth)–1(d —serrate)–1(d —serrate), trochanter 1(v —smooth)–1–2(v, l’ —smooth)–1(v —smooth), coxa 3 (1a, 1b, 1c —smooth)–1 (2b —smooth)–3 (3a, 3c —smooth, 3b —serrate)–1(4b —smooth).

MALE. Unknown.

Type material. Female holotype and 8 female paratypes ( ANIC # 42–000004); Australian border interception ( V 127799) on timber crates from India, phoretic on Sinoxylon crassum Lesne ( Coleoptera : Bostrichidae ); 7 July 2010, coll. W. Sforcina.

Etymology. This predaceous species is dedicated to the ancient Indian God Indra, and treated here as a noun in apposition.

Remarks. This new species is belongs to the “ strabismus ” species group and within this group is closely related to Chelacheles baiwanganae Corpuz-Raros & Sotto, 1977 from the Philippines and Thailand (Corpuz- Raros & Sotto 1977; Bochkov & OConnor 2004). In both these species, the idiosoma is strongly elongated, distance 2b–3b is distinctly greater than the body width, setae c2 are subequal in length to the other propodonotal setae, setae ag2, 4c, vF III, dG I–III, l’G IV, and vs II–IV are absent. Chelacheles indra sp. nov. clearly differs from C. baiwanganae by the absence of setae f1 and by setae h1 being slightly shorter than other hysteronotal setae. In C. baiwanganae , setae f1 are present, setae h1 are slightly longer than other hysteronotal setae.