Lobogynium sudhiri ( Datta, 1985 )

Saito, Hajime, 2022, A New Species of Neolobogynium and New Records of Lobogynium sudhiri of the Mite Family Diplogyniidae (Acari: Mesostigmata: Trigynaspida) Phoretic on Some Beetles (Coleoptera: Histeridae, Synteliidae, and Geotrupidae) from Japan, Species Diversity 27 (2), pp. 329-340 : 330

Lobogynium sudhiri ( Datta, 1985)

Ophiocelaeno sudhiri Datta, 1985: 44 .

Lobogynium sudhiri: Plumari and Kazemi 2012: 6 .

Materials examined. All specimens were collected by the author at Mt. Haruka-yama, Katsuraoka-chō, Otaru-shi, Hokkaidō (43.1277°N, 141.1445°E, 168 m alt.) using chickenbaited trap and will be deposited in Systematic Entomology, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido, Japan ( SEHU): one male, 25 July 2020, ex Margarinotus (Grammostethus) niponicus (Lewis, 1895) ( Coleoptera : Histeridae ); one female, 31 July 2020, ex M. niponicus ; one male, 13 August 2020, ex M. niponicus ; one female, 6 September 2020, ex M. niponicus ; one male, 6 September 2020, ex Phelotrupes (Eogeotrupes) laevistriatus (Motschulsky, 1857) ( Coleoptera : Geotrupidae ); one female, 6 September 2020, from soil under the chicken-baited trap; one female, 17 September 2020, ex M. niponicus .

Diagnosis (adults). See Plumari and Kazemi (2012).

Remarks. The species L. sudhiri was first collected from cow dung in India and described as Ophiocelaeno sudhiri on the basis of one male ( Datta 1985). Plumari and Kazemi (2012) redescribed the species based on specimens collected from Iran, Italy, Hungary and Slovakia. Between these specimens and the original description, some detailed differences of structure were observed. Unfortunately, the holotype of O. sudhiri had been broken and was no longer available for comparison. Plumari and Kazemi (2012) concluded that the European and Iranian species were the same species as described from India, and the discrepancies were due to inaccurate observation or depiction in the original description. As such, O. sudhiri was moved to Lobogynium with designation of a neotype and description of the female and male. In addition, Plumari and Kazemi (2012) reported an intraspecific variation of L. sudhiri in the structure of the porose areas proximal to the genital opening of the male holoventral shield; the porose area of some Iranian specimens were less differentiated and the central pore was more visible. The porose area of all three males collected in Japan and examined in this study were well differentiated hence such variation was not observed. However, the number of specimens examined might be insufficient to suggest variation.

A number of specimens of L. sudhiri were collected from dung, manure, rotten plants, and beetles ( Plumari and Kazemi 2012; Farahi et al. 2018). Three histerid species of the genus Atholus (Thomson, 1859) , A. duodecimstriatus (Schrank, 1781) , A. scutellaris (Erichson, 1834) and A. bimaculatus (Linnaeus, 1758) , are preferred hosts of L. sudhiri . Moreover, only one geotrupid species Geotrupes spiniger (Marsham, 1802) is recorded as a host. The wide distribution of L. sudhiri may be caused by the distribution of host beetles. In addition, records of new host beetles, M. niponicus and P. laevistriatus , are provided here. No Atholus species were collected from the chicken traps, so the relationship between L. sudhiri and Atholus species in Japan remains unknown. It should be noted that M. niponicus and Atholus species in Japan are, to some degree, ecologically differentiated ( Ôhara 1990); Atholus species prefers dung, while M. niponicus prefers decaying carcasses as confirmed by the present study. Although their habitat determination is incomplete, the association with M. niponicus implies that the range of habitat of L. sudhiri might be wider than previously considered.