Parholaspididae, Evans, 1956

Hajizadeh, Jalil, 2022, Review of the Iranian Parholaspidid mites (Acari: Mesostigmata) with a key to the species, Zootaxa 5178 (3), pp. 229-240 : 234

Key to Parholaspididae species in Iran

1. Peritrematal shield fused with ventrianal shield shield........................................................ 2

- Peritrematal shield not fused with ventrianal shield.......................................................... 3

2. Genital shield fused to ventrianal shield ( Figure 12 ); sternal shield without T-shaped groove and oval pits; movable digit of chelicera longer than corniculi; cheliceral seta smooth, pointed, needle-like........... Holaspulus tenuipes Berlese, 1904

- Genital shield not fused to ventrianal shield ( Figure 13 ); sternal shield with a T-shaped groove and some oval pits; movable digit of chelicera shorter than corniculi; cheliceral seta expanded, wedge-shaped.... Neparhoaspis arcuatus Petrova, 1977

3. Metasternal setae ( st4) on separate metasternal shields....................................................... 4

- Metasternal setae ( st4) on sternometasternal shields (fused sternal and metasternal shields); peritrematal shield fused to the sternometasternal shield between coxae I–III, posteriorly fused with the parapodal shield and extended beyond posterior margin of the coxae IV; genitiventrianal shield longer than wide, reticulate, flask-shaped and bearing four pairs of setae st5, JV1–3, as well as three circumanal setae ( Figure 16 )............................. Krantzolaspina angustatus ( Ishikawa, 1987)

4. Pre-sternal area with one pair of free and elongate pre-sternal platelets; dorsal shield setae often modified, strongly expanded or lanceolate; chelicerae short and robust.................................................................. 5

- Pre-sternal area with several pairs of pre-sternal platelets; dorsal shield setae always smooth, pointed and needle-like; chelicerae long and slender...................................................................................... 7

5. Setae on the dorsal shield and some of the pleuralsetae slightly expanded, lanceolate; sternal shield covered with a clear regular reticulum made up of evenly sized cells; tarsi of legs I without claws; apices of tarsi II without strongly thickened setae; on the wide ventrianal shield behind coxae IV there is a pair of darkly-colored characteristic thickenings.......................................................................... Gamasholaspis browningi ( Bregetova & Koroleva, 1960)

- All body setae acicular; sternal shield with a different ornamentation; on the tip of tarsus II there is a strongly thickened seta; ventrianal shield without darkly-colored thickenings......................................................... 6

6. Anterior margin of ventrianal shield with a deep notch, in which there is positioned the posterior part of the genital shield; sternal shield ornamented with a network of ridges laterally and coarse punctuations medially ( Figure 14 )................................................................................ Gamasholaspis gamasoides Berlese, 1904

- Anterior margin of ventrianal shield weakly notched or straight; sternal shield reticulate medially and punctates laterally ( Figure 15 ).............................................................. Gamasholaspis akimotoi ( Ishikawa, 1966)

7. Genital shield fused with ventrianal shield; peritremes extending anterodorsally to middle of coxa I; movable digit of chelicera with equal length to corniculus............................................ Holaspina muscorum ( Ewing, 1909)

- Genital shield not fused with ventrianal shield; peritremes extending anteriorly beyond coxa II; movable digit of chelicera slightly longer than corniculus ( Figure 17 )..................................... Parholaspulus alstoni Evans, 1956

Figures

FIGURES 12–17. 12. Holaspulus tenuipes Berlese, 1904, female, venter. 13. Neparhoaspis arcuatus Petrova, 1977 female, venter. 14. Gamasholaspis gamasoides Berlese, 1904, female, venter. 15. Gamasholaspis akimotoi (Ishikawa, 1966), female, venter. 16. Krantzolaspina angustatus (Ishikawa, 1987), female, venter. 17. Parholaspulus alstoni Evans, 1956, female, venter. Scale bar: 140 μm for 12; 130 µm for 13; 107 μm for 14; 120 μm for 15; 130 μm for 16; 115 μm for 17.