Aculus blagayanae, Jočić, Ivona, Petanović, Radmila & Vidović, Biljana, 2011

Jočić, Ivona, Petanović, Radmila & Vidović, Biljana, 2011, Three new species of eriophyoid mites (Acari: Prostigmata: Eriophyoidea) from Montenegro, Zootaxa 2828, pp. 38-50 : 47-49

Aculus blagayanae n. sp.

( Fig. 8 )

Female: (n=10). Body elongate, vermiform 194 (133–204), 72 (67–75) wide, 70–72 thick yellowish. Gnathosoma 25 (20–25) downcurved; dorsal genual setae d 7 (4–7), chelicerae16 (14–20). Prodorsal shield 32 (27–32), 50 (45–55) wide, subrhomboidal with frontal lobe over gnathosoma. Prodorsal shield ornamentation consisting of only two admedian lines which commence at the middle part of shield, diverging to rear margin; prodorsal shield tubercules located at rear of shield 23 (22–25) apart, scapular setae sc 30 (20–31), directed to the rear. Legs with all segments and setae present apart from tibial setae of legs II. Leg I 33 (28–35); femur 8 (7–11), femoral setae bv (5– 9); genu 5 (5), genual setae l'' 25 (20–25); tibia 8 (7–10), tibial setae l' 6 (6–7); tarsus 5 (5–8), with setae ft' 19 (10– 20), setae ft'' 25 (11–25), unguinal setae u' 5 (3–5); solenidion (ω) 7 (7); empodium 7 (6–7), 7 rayed. Leg II 32 (28–33); femur 10 (9–10), femoral setae bv (7–10); genu 5 (5–6), genual setae l'' 11 (7–13); tibia 8 (6–8); tarsus 6 (6–7), with setae ft' (5–7), setae ft'' 25 (20–26), unguinal setae u' 3 (3–4); solenidion (ω) 7 (6–7); empodium 5 (5- 7), 7 rayed. Coxigenital area with 7 (7–9) microtuberculated annuli, sternal line 9 (8–10); coxal seta 1b 8 (8–9), 10 (9–10) apart; coxal setae 1a 17 (17–30), 10 (6–10) apart; coxal setae 2a 30 (30–37), 22 (20–22) apart. Genitalia 16 (15–18), 24 (24–25) wide, genital coverflap with 8–9 longitudinal ridges in a single row, coxal setae (3a) 20 (11– 25), 12 (12–15) apart. Opisthosoma with 58 (54–58) dorsal annuli, 64 (60–64) ventral annuli; opisthosoma viewed dorsally with annuli downcurved over lateral opisthosomal margins. Dorsal annuli with rounded microtubercles, ventral microtubercles small, beadlike. Setae c2 32 (32–40), 57 (54–60) apart, on annulus 15(11–15); setae d 45 (37–55), 37 (36–40) apart, on annulus 25 (23–25); setae e 35 (24–47), 13 (13–23) apart, on annulus 40 (38– 40); setae f 30 (25–30), 23 (23–25) apart, on annulus 59 (54–59), 5th annulus from rear; setae h2 5 (4–5), 5 (4–5) apart; setae h1 30 (30–50), 9 (9) apart.

Male, nymph and larva: Not seen.

Type material. Holotype female on slide ELB24/1 and 13 paratypes. Ten specimens were collected at the foothills of the mountain Bjelasica by the first author on 16 June 2004. Four specimens were also collected in the village Kovren near Bijelo Polje by the same author.

Etymology. The specific name is derived from the specific name of the host plant on which the new mite species was found.

Host plant. Daphne blagayana Frey. (Thymelaeaceae)

Relation to host. Vagrants in the receptacles of the plant.

Differential diagnosis. This new species is close to Aculus daphnes ( Roivainen 1951) , but it differs in the shape of prodorsal shield, length of sc, d and e setae, number of rays of the tarsal empodium, number of striae on the genital coverflap, appearance of the dorsal opisthosoma and the host plant. In A. daphnes , the prodorsal shield is semicircular in shape with an indistinct design, sc setae 15 long, d setae 30 long, e setae 27 long, empodium 6 to 7-rayed, female genital coverflap with 12 striae, dorsal opisthosomal annuli smooth. In addition, A. daphnes occurs as a vagrant on the undersurfaces of the leaves of Daphne mezereum L. In A. blagayanae n. sp., the prodorsal shield is subrhomboidal with two admedian lines appearing from the middle part of shield and diverging to the rear shield margin, sc setae 30 (27–32) long, d setae 45 (40–45) long, e setae 35 (32–47) long, empodium 5-rayed, female genital coverflap with 9 longitudinal striae, dorsal opisthosomal annuli with rounded microtubercles. This new species occurs as a vagrant in the receptacles of Daphne blagayana Frey.

Figures

FIGURE 8. Semi-schematic line drawings of Aculus blagayanae n. sp.: CG. coxigenital region of female; CS. lateral view of the caudal opisthosoma; D. dorsal aspect of female, em-empodium (enlarged); ES. lateral view of annuli; IG. internal female genitalia; SA. lateral view of anterior region of female.