Aceria zanjani, Flechtmann, Carlos H. W., Tarasi, Javad & Saboori, Alireza, 2003

Flechtmann, Carlos H. W., Tarasi, Javad & Saboori, Alireza, 2003, A new species of eriophyid mite from Iran (Acari: Prostigmata: Eriophyidae), Zootaxa 203, pp. 1-4 : 1-4

Aceria zanjani n. sp. ( Figs. 1 , 2 )

DIAGNOSIS ­ Prodorsal shield with two lateral raised areas anteriorly to the seta­bearing tubercles, presenting a small posterior wart­like eminence; accessory seta present.

FEMALE (n = 7) ­ Idiosoma elongate, vermiform, 239 (181­239), 67 (57­67) wide. Gnathosoma bent down; basal seta 4 (4­5); antapical seta 5 (4­5); chelicera 20 (19­23); rostrum (30). Prodorsal shield 31 (29­33), 35 (31­35) wide; frontal lobe conspicuous, rounded, 4 (4­6), 9 (7­10) wide. Shield surface finely granulated or rough, with a lateral raised area ahead of each seta­bearing shield tubercle and presenting a posterior wart­like eminence near the scapular seta basis. Prodorsal shield tubercles 24 (23­25) apart, projecting scapular seta (sc) backwards; seta 41 (35­41), extending over 11 (11­13) dorsal opisthosomal annuli. Legs with all segments and setae present. Leg I 31 (27­31); femur 8 (7­9), femoral seta (bv) 10 (7­10); genu 5 (4­5), genual seta (l") 26 (23­27); tibia 7 (5­7), tibial seta (l') 5 (4­6); tarsus 7 (6­8), dorsal seta (ft') 13 (10­14), lateral seta (ft") 28 (25­28), unguinal seta (u') 3 (3­4), solenidion blunt, 7 (7­8), empodium 10 (9­11), 4­rayed, apical bifurcation with rays dissimilar in length. Leg II 28 (25­28); femur 8 (8), bv 8 (8­10); genu 3 (3­4), l" 9 (8­10); tibia 6 (4­7); tarsus 7(7­8), ft' 5 (5­7), ft" 27 (26­32), u' 3 (3­4), solenidion 9 (9), empodium 10 (10­11), 4­rayed. Coxigenital area: coxae smooth; coxal seta I (1b) 11 (9­16), 13 (11­13) apart; coxal seta II (1a) 21 (21­15), 7 (6­7) apart; coxal seta III (2a) 46 (46­56), 25 (20­25) apart. Sternal line 6 (5­8). Coxisternal area with 5 (4­5) semiannuli, with a few microtubercles. Genitalia 19 (18­19) wide, 13 (8­13) long; genital seta (3a) 18 (16­19). Epigynium smooth. Opisthosoma evenly arched in cross section. Lateral seta (c2) 18 (15­19), on annulus 2 (2) counting from genital rear margin. Ventral seta I (d) 64 (62­67), longer than distance to base of second ventral seta, 41 (32­41) apart, on annulus 12 (11­12); ventral seta II (e) 16 (15­18), 20 (16­20) apart, on annulus 25 (22­25); ventral seta III (f) 20 (19­21), 23 (20­23) apart, on annulus 47 (42­47) or 5 (5) th from rear. Total dorsal annuli 58 (54­61), microtuberculate except for the caudal 14 (11­15) annuli which are devoid of microtubercles; total ventral annuli 51 (45­51), microtuberculate. Caudal seta (h2) 73 (73­82); accessory seta (h1) 4 (3­4).

MALE ­ not seen.

TYPE MATERIAL ­ female holotype and 46 female paratypes, from black poplar, Populus nigra (L.) Black. ( Salicaceae ), Zanjan, Iran, 1640 m altitude, 36o 55' N, 48o 55' E, 8 Sept. 2002, coll. J. Tarasi, on 8 microscopic preparations in the collection of Departamento de Entomologia, Fitopatologia e Zoologia Agrícola, Universidade de São Paulo, ESALQ, Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil and three preparations in the Acarology Collection, College of Agriculture, Tehran University, Karaj, Iran.

RELATION TO HOST ­ Proliferation around the trunk buds of black poplar.

ETYMOLOGY ­ The specific designation is derived from the geographic area in which it was collected

REMARKS ­ Aceria zanjani sp. n. is unique among the Aceria species reported from black poplar in presenting two raised lateral areas on the prodorsal shield, in the absence of any shield lines and in the presence of an accessory seta. According to Amrine & Stasny (1994) the other species of the genus Aceria known to occur on Populus nigra are A. populi ( Nalepa, 1890) and A. dispar ( Nalepa, 1891) and A. varius ( Nalepa, 1892) , which have prodorsal shield lines present, shield raised areas not present and accessory setae missing, and A. parapopuli ( Keifer, 1940) The new species is close to A. parapopuli ( Keifer, 1940) which may present a small wart­like eminence near the base of the scapular seta base (there is only an indication of a possible wart­like structure in Keifer's dorsal illustration of the mite, however, it is neither shown in the lateral drawing nor mentioned in the description) and also has an accessory seta.

Although A. populi , A. parapopuli and A. zanjani differ in the shield pattern and the absence or possession of accessory setae, they cause the same type of damage. Further studies of Nalepa's and Keifer's species may indicate that the latter are varieties of A. populi , as already suggested for A. parapopuli by Keifer (1940). A. varius causes leaf erineum and A. dispar leaf rolling.

Acknowledgements: To Dr. J.W. Amrine Jr. in making literature items available. The second author wishes to thank Dr. Ebrahim Sadeghi for harmonizing the "Identification and Investigation of poplar arthropod fauna in Zanjan Province ID Code 80­0310910909­02 and Registration code 3851" by which the current survey was conducted.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Aceria zanjani n. sp. AD, anterior dorsal aspect of a paratype female; CD, caudal dorsal aspect of a paratype female; D, dorsal view of female; V, ventral aspect of female.

FIGURE 2. Aceria zanjani n. sp. AL, anterior lateral aspect of a paratype female; CL, caudal lateral aspect of a paratype female; E, empodium, enlarged; L 1, leg I; L 2, leg II.