Scutacarus karafiati, Khaustov, 2015

Khaustov, A., 2015, Mites of the family Scutacaridae (Acari: Pygmephoroidea) associated with Formica fusca L. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Western Siberia, Russia, Acarologia 55 (4), pp. 377-386 : 378-381

Scutacarus karafiati n. sp.

( Figures 1-3 )

Description

Female — Length of idiosoma 230 (215 – 230), width 200 (190 – 200).

Gnathosoma — Gnathosomal capsule short, oval, with well developed dorsal median apodeme, dorsally with two pairs of weakly barbed and pointed setae (cha, chb) and one pair of postpalpal setae (pp), situated anterolaterally to bases of setae cha. Palps dorsolaterally with subequal setae dFe and dGe. Ventral surface of gnathosoma not visible.

Idiosomal dorsum ( Figure 1A ) — Prodorsum completely covered by tergite C, with two pairs of smooth needle-like setae v 2 and sc 2, one pair of barbed capitate trichobothria, and one pair of oval stigmata. All dorsal shields with numerous small dimples. Cupules ia on tergite D and ih on tergite H large, round. Setae c 1, c 2, d and f thick, blunt-ended and distinctly barbed; setae e and h 2 pointed, curved medially and sparsely barbed; setae h 1 needle-like, smooth. Posterior margin of tergite EF undulate. Lengths of dorsal setae: c 1 42 (40 – 42), c 2 34 (31 – 34), d 39 (37 – 39), e 46 (43 – 46), f 52 (48 – 52), h 1 8 (7 – 8), h 2 37 (35 – 37). Distances between setae: c 1 - c 1 65 (64 – 65), d -d 130 (125 – 130), f -f 98 (90 – 98), h 1 - h 1 54 (50 – 54).

Idiosomal venter ( Figure 1B ) — All ventral plates with numerous small dimples. Apodemes 1 (ap1) well-developed and joined with prosternal apodeme (appr), apodemes 2 (ap2) w-like, joined with appr; sejugal apodeme (apsej) well developed and joined with appr. Secondary transverse apodeme well developed. Apodemes 3 (ap3) weakly developed, diffuse, apodemes 4 (ap4) short, joined with poststernal apodeme (appo). Apodemes 5 fused with appo, diffuse. Setae 2 b slightly thickened, smooth, blunt-ended, setae 4 a smooth, situated on the same level as 4 b and reaching slightly beyond posterior margin of poststernal plate, setae ps 3 short and smooth. Setae 4 c thickened and heavily barbed. Other ventral setae sparsely barbed. Distance 4 a – 4 a about 1.5 times longer than 4 a – 4 b. Anterior genital sclerite tongue-like, posterior genital sclerite triangular. Length of ventral setae: 1 a 37 (34 – 37), 1 b 30 (26 – 30), 2 a 30 (29 – 32), 2 b 30 (28 – 30), 3 a 28 (26 – 29), 3 b 34 (31 – 35), 3 c 44 (40 – 45), 4 a 15 (15 – 16), 4 b 70 (66 – 71), 4 c 37 (33 – 37), ps 1 33 (29 – 33), ps 2 29 (26 – 29), ps 3 6 (4 – 6).

Legs ( Figures 2 , 3 ) — Leg I ( Figure 2A ). Leg chaetotaxy: Tr-1, Fe-3, Ge-4, TiTa-16(4). Tibiotarsus with large tarsal claw, pointed distally. Seta k barbed, pointed, eupathidion tc" situated on long pinnaculum. Lengths of solenidia: ω 1 13 (12 – 13)> ω 2 11 (10 – 11)> φ 1 10 (9 – 10) <φ 2 11 (10 – 11); ω 2 and φ 2 baculiform, φ 1 clavate, ω 1 fingershaped. Seta dFe flattened, with several large barbs. Setae l’ of femur blunt-ended and smooth. Leg II ( Figure 2B ). Leg chaetotaxy: Tr-1, Fe-3, Ge-3, Ti- 4(1), Ta-6(1). Tarsus with large padded claws and well-developed flipper-like empodium. Solenidion ω 12 (11 – 12) finger-shaped, solenidion φ weakly clavate. Setae pl" spine-like, barbed, u’ blunt-ended and barbed in distal half. Leg III ( Figure 3A ). Leg chaetotaxy: Tr-1, Fe-2, Ge-2, Ti-4(1), Ta-6. Claws of same shape as on tarsus II. Solenidion φ weakly clavate. Setae pl" spine-like, barbed, u’ blunt-ended and barbed in distal half. Leg IV ( Figure 3B ). Leg chaetotaxy: Tr-1, Fe-2, Ge-1, TiTa-7. Setae d of femur blunt-ended. Tibiotarsus short, only slightly longer than its width. Setae tc" shorter than pv’.

Male and larva unknown.

Type material — Female holotype, slide AK130914, Russia, Tyumen Province, Tyumen region, vicinity of Tyumen, 57°13’43.6" N, 65°28’28.4" E, on ants Formica fusca Linnaeus , 13 September 2014, coll. A.A. Khaustov. Paratypes: 3 females, same data ; 6 females, Russia, Tyumen Province, Uvat region, vicinity of settlement Demyanka , 59°31’35" N, 69°57’47" E, on ants Formica fusca , 22 August 2014, coll. V. A. Stolbov .

Etymology — The new species is named after Helmut Karafiat, a German acarologist, for his contribution to the study of European scutacarid mites.

Differential diagnosis — The new species is most similar to S. rotundus ( Berlese, 1903) by thick and distinctly barbed setae c 1, c 2, d, f, curved and pointed e and h 2, and very short h 1. It differs from S. rotundus by setae f less than 1.5 times longer than d (f about two times longer than d in S. rotundus ), setae h 1 needle-like and smooth (sparsely barbed and characteristically curved medially in S. rotundus ), setae tc" of tibiotarsus IV shorter than pv’ (tc" much longer than pv’ in S. rotundus ), setae 4 c distinctly thickened, heavily barbed and not reaching beyond posterior margin of poststernal plate (setae 4 c not thickened, sparsely barbed and reaching far beyond posterior margin of poststernal plate in S. rotundus ), solenidia ω 2 and φ 2 subequal (solenidion ω 2 longer than φ 2 in S. rotundus ).

Figures

FIGURE 1: Scutacarus karafiati Khaustov n. sp., female: A – idiosomal dorsum, B – idiosomal venter.

FIGURE 2: Scutacarus karafiati Khaustov n. sp., female: A – leg I in dorsal view, B – leg II in dorsal view.

FIGURE 3: Scutacarus karafiati Khaustov n. sp., female: A – leg III in dorsal view, B – leg IV in ventral view.