Typhlodromus (Anthoseius) anomalos Ferragut

Ferragut, Francisco & Navia, Denise, 2015, Phytoseiid mites (Acari: Phytoseiidae) from Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego, Zootaxa 3990 (4), pp. 525-550 : 543-545

Typhlodromus (Anthoseius) anomalos Ferragut n. sp.

( Figures 46–51 )

Diagnosis. Female dorsal shield elongate, striate and weakly reticulate. Dorsal setal pattern 12A:8A. Dorsal setae short, smooth and acute except for Z5, thick and serrate. Position of seta S4 variable in the holotype; inserted on soft integument in the left side and on the dorsal shield in the right side. Six pairs of dorsal solenostomes (gd1, gd2, gd5, gd6, gd8, gd9). Peritremes almost reaching setae j1. Sternal shield with three pairs of setae, posterior margin not well discernible, apparently concave. Ventrianal shield smooth, with four pairs of pre-anal setae and without pores. Three pairs of setae around the ventrianal. Seta JV4 absent. Spermathecal calyx elongate, with a cylindrical base and a distal cup. Chelicerae apparently with two teeth on fixed digit, movable digit unidentate. Genu II with seven setae. One short and curved macroseta on tarsus IV. Ventrianal shield in the male oblong, reduced and with five pairs of pre-anal setae. Two large and rounded metapodal plates on the soft integument, near the ventrianal anterior angles.

FEMALE ( Figures 46–49 ) (one female measured)

Dorsal surface. Dorsal shield elongate, 390 long, 190 wide, striated to reticulate. Eighteen pairs of thick, smooth and acute setae, except for Z5 serrated. Setae r3 and R1 on lateral integument; seta S4 on lateral integument in the left side of the mite. Seta j1 23, j3 22, j4 14, j5 13, j6 17, J2 19, J5 15, z2 18, z3 18, z4 20, z5 16, Z4 26, Z5 46, s4 23, s6 26, S2 24, S4 22, S5 30, r3 23, R1 20. Six pairs of solenostomes, being gd4 absent; gd1 anterolateral to j3, distance gd1–j3 7; gd2 close and medial to z4, distance gd2–z4 14; gd9 posteromedial to S5, distance gd9– S5 12. Peritremes almost reaching setae j1.

Ventral surface. Sternal shield smooth and weakly sclerotised; posterior margin difficult to discern. Apparently with three pairs of setae; st4 inserted on the tegument. Distance st1–st3 74, distance st2–st2 64. Genital shield 66 wide. Smooth ventrianal shield 127 long, 99 wide at level of ZV2, 92 wide at level of anus. Anterior margin convex, laterals concave, two lateral areas of muscle attachments on the posterior margin, at the level of anus. Four pairs of pre-anal setae, very short, 7–9 long. Pre-anal pores absent. Three pairs of setae around the shield, ZV1, ZV3 and JV5. Seta JV4 absent. Seta JV5 34 long.

Chelicerae. Not well discernible due to their position. Apparently, fixed digit with two teeth, movable digit unidentate.

Insemination apparatus. Major duct broad, atrium not prominent. Calyx 22 long, with distal cup 12 long and a proximal narrow and cylindrical structure 10 long.

Legs. Genu II with seven setae; 2–2/0, 2/0–1. One short and curved macroseta on basitarsus IV, 26 long.

MALE ( Figures 50–51 ) (one male measured):

Dorsal surface. Dorsal shield 330 long, 176 wide, anteriorly striated and reticulate posteriorly. Twenty pairs of smooth and acute setae, being Z5 lightly serrated. Seta j1 22, j3 18, j4 13, j5 11, j6 15, J2 14, J5 11, z2 15, z3 12, z4 14, z5 12, Z4 23, Z5 33, s4 20, S2 20, S4 20, S5 22, r3 19, R1 17. Six pairs of solenostomes, with gd4 absent. Peritremes extend to bases of setae j3.

Ventral surface. Ventrianal shield oblong in shape and reduced, showing two well-developed metapodal plates at the level of anterior corners, 16–18 long, 8–10 wide. Anterior margin straight, laterals strongly convex; length 120, width at level of ZV2 115, at level of anus 88. Five pairs of pre-anal setae; pre-anal pores absent. Seta JV5 24.

Chelicerae. Inner margin not discernible. Spermatodactyl L-shaped, with a small anterior projection.

Legs. Macroseta on leg IV (basitarsus) short and curved, 24 long.

Type material. One female holotype and one male paratype on Araucaria araucana (Molina) K. Koch (Araucariaceae) . Mamuil-Malal Pass, 65 Km from Junín de los Andes ( Argentina), near the border between Argentina and Chile; 39º 34'56" S, 71º 27'44" W; 1210 m asl. 7 January 2013. Holotype female and male paratype were deposited at Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid, Spain ( MNCN). Reference number of holotype: MNCN 20.02/17395; 1 male paratype MNCN 20.02/17396.

Etymology. The Greek word anomalos means "unusual" and "different" and refers to the freakish morphological features in the female and male of this species.

Comments. Typhlodromus (Anthoseius) anomalos sp. nov. is the unique species in the genus with seta S4 present and JV4 absent, and it does not fit with the species groups created by Chant & McMurtry (1994). Seta S4 is inserted well ahead of seta Z4 and much closer to S2 than to S5. Because this species is represented only by two adults we do not know if this seta is found in the same position in immature stages. Despite of its position we consider this seta S4 because S3, present in the families Ascidae and Blattisocidae, is suppressed in the Phytoseiidae ( Chant & McMurtry, 2007) . On the right side of holotype S4 is inserted on the dorsal shield; however, on the left side is inserted on the lateral integument.

The new species shares the absence of seta JV4 with Typhlodromus (Anthoseius) arizonicus (Tuttle & Muma) . This apomorphy is shared with species in the tribes Typhloseiopsini and Metaseiulini and it was considered as a secondary adaptation by Chant & McMurtry (1994). Based on this atypical setal pattern Denmark & Evans (2011) placed T. (A.) arizonicus in the genus Meyerius and described Meyerius waltheriae Denmark & Evans as a related species. It is interesting to note that seta S2 is located in its normal position (more or less aligned with J2) in T. (A.) arizonicus but distinctly displaced in a posterior position (anterolaterad to solenostome gd8) in M. waltheriae . The insertion of S 2 in this latter species is similar to the position of that we have considered seta S 4 in T. (A.) anomalos . As T. (A.) arizonicus and M. waltheriae have been described from only one female and T. (A.) anomalos from two adults will be necessary to examine more individuals, including immature stages, to end the uncertainty about these dorsal setae.

The shape of the male ventrianal shield in this species, broadly pentagonal, and the presence of two large metapodal plates are also a very unusual character.

The mite was collected on the Chilean pine or "Pehuén", Araucaria araucana , considered as a living fossil and now restricted to Chilean and Argentinian south–central Andes above 1,000 m asl.

Figures

FIGURES 46 – 49. Typhlodromus (Anthoseius) anomalos n. sp. female. 46. Dorsal shield, 47. Ventral surface, 48. Spermatheca, 49. Genu, tibia and tarsus of leg IV.

FIGURES 50 – 51. Typhlodromus (Anthoseius) anomalos n. sp. male. 50. Dorsal shield, 51. Ventrianal shield.