Typhlodromus pritchardi Arutunjan, 1971

Kolodochka, L. A. & Gwiazdowicz, D. J., 2016, Redescription of three species of phytoseiid mites (Acari, Mesostigmata) from Poland, Acarologia 56 (4), pp. 625-632 : 630-632

Typhlodromus pritchardi Arutunjan, 1971

( Figure 3 )

Typhlodromus pritchardi Arutunjan, 1971: 305-306 , fig. 1.

Typhlodromus pritchardi , Denmark, 1992: 23-24, fig. 94-98.

Typhlodromus (Typhlodromus) pritchardi Papadoulis et al., 2009: 143 , fig. 83.

Typhlodromus pritchardi Faraji et al., 2012: 21 : 15 -19, figs. 6-10.

Material examined — One female, from moss, no BPN 528, data 16.08.2010; one female, litter, no BPN 560, data 17.08.2010, Bialowieza National Park (52°42’N, 23°52’E), coll. D.J. Gwiazdowicz.

Description. Female. Dorsal shield ( Fig. 3A ) oval with constrictions at level of R 1, weakly sclerotized, reticulated, with 4 pairs of distinct solenostomes (gd2, gd6, gd8, gd9) and 17 pairs of short, acute, thin, smooth, and medium-sized setae. Setae Z5 longer than others. Seta j3 longer than distance to seta z2 which also longer than distance to seta z3.

Distance between bases of setae z2 and z3 twice shorter than distance between bases of setae z3 and z4. All ventral setae smooth, pointed, and slender. Sternal shield with 2 pairs of solenostomes and 2 pairs of setae (St1-St2). Setae St3 and St4 placed on separate metasternal platelets ( Fig. 3B ). Ventrianal shield scutiform with 4 pairs of preanal setae JV1, JV2, ZV2, JV3 ( Fig. 3B ). Anal pores very small, round, and transversely aligned with setae JV3. Setae ZV1, ZV3, ZV4 and JV5 on the integument surrounding the ventrianal shield ( Fig. 3B ). Short peritremes reach only bases of setae r3 ( Fig. 3A, C ). Chelicerae normal in relation to body size. Fixed digit with 4 denticles: 3 small in terminal position and one large tooth near pilus dentilis ; movable digit with 2 teeth ( Fig. 3D ). Metapodal plates elongate, anterior plate smaller ( Fig. 3E ). Spermatheca with elongate bottle-shaped funnel; with c-shaped atrium ( Fig. 3F ). Peritremes short, reach only level setae r3 ( Fig. 3C ). Posterior part of peritremal shield as on Fig. 3C . Three pointed macrosetae on leg IV: on basitarsus elongate, and on tibia and genu short ( Fig. 3G ). No macrosetae on other legs. Genu II with 7 setae (0 - 2, 2 / 1, 1 - 1).

Measurements — Lds 360, Wds 185, Lvas 130, Wvas 110, Lian 38; length of peritreme, Lper 90; Ltar IV 122. Setae: j1 27, j3 33, j4 20, j5 20, j6 23; J2 27, J5 9; s4 24, s6 30; S2 37, S4 36; z2 19, z3 31, z4 29, z5 22; Z4 39, Z5 53; r3 23; R 1 35; JV5 50; MCh IV: ge 29, ti 31, tar 50.

Males were absent in investigated material.

Notes — Typhlodromus pritchardi was first described from strawberry ( Fragaria sp. ), 800 m a.s.l., Ijevan District, Armenia. Chant and Yoshida-Shaul (1987) gave T. pritchardi the status of species inquirenda in a world review of the " pyri species" group in the genus Typhlodromus Scheuten. These authors were unable to examine the holotype and proposed T. andrei Karg, 1982 as a possible synonym of the T. pritchardi because of its close resemblance. Revising the genus Typhlodromus , Denmark (1992) redescribed T. pritchardi adequately but established 4 teeth on fixed digit of chelicera whereas Arutunjan (1971) specified 3 teeth. Also he didn’t support Chant’s and Yoshida-Shaul’s opinion (1987) about about close resemblance of T. pritchardi and T. andrei Karg when noted: "The spermathecae are distinct in the two species ...".

Faraji et al. (2012) compared descriptions of these two species, found some differences, and identified the Iranian specimen as T. pritchardi .

After Denmark’s revision, T. pritchardi was redescribed twice. But neither of these descriptions corresponds to that of Arutunjan (1971) in details. Re-description of T. pritchardi by Faraji et al. (2012) includes the following difference: "dorsal setae smooth, except for Z5, slightly serrate". On the contrary, seta Z5 smooth in original description and in the Polish specimens.

Posterior dorsal setae (Z4, Z5, S2, and S4) in figure of T. pritchardi in Papadoulis et al. (2009) are shown shorter, and atrium of spermatheca sedentary (neck absent), but setae Z5 smooth, fixed digit of chelicera with 3 teeth, and leg IV with three macrosetae as in original description.

Usually, some of morphological differences (especially metric data) may occur as a result of variability of specimens collected from different geographical distributions. But other distinctions may indicate deeper dissimilarity and testify of an interspecies distance. Thus, additional revision of discussed specimens would be useful to reach a final conclusion.

Typhlodromus pritchardi is a rare and not numerous species. As a rule, it inhabits coniferous plants but from time to time solitary specimens were found on herbs and mosses in Armenia, Iran, Greece, Russia (Moscow Province, Yaroslavl Province), and Ukraine ( Demite et al., 2015).

Figures

FIGURE 3: Typhlodromus pritchardi (Arutunjan, 1971). Female: A – dorsal shield; B – fragment of ventral body surface; C – peritreme and seta r3; D – chelicera; E – metapodal plates; F – spermatheca; G – fragment of leg IV (top-down: tibia, genu, fragment of tarsus).