Coleolaelaps costai, Joharchi, Omid & Halliday, Bruce, 2011

Joharchi, Omid & Halliday, Bruce, 2011, New species and new records of mites of the family Laelapidae (Acari: Mesostigmata) associated with Coleoptera in Iran, Zootaxa 2883, pp. 23-38 : 24-26

Coleolaelaps costai sp. nov.

Specimens examined. Holotype, female, Tehran, Karaj, Shahrestanak, 35°57' N, 51°21' E, alt 2130 m, 27 June 2009, O. Joharchi coll., on adult Polyphylla olivieri (in JAZM). Paratypes: four females, same data as holotype (in JAZM and ANIC).

Female. Dorsal idiosoma. Dorsal shield length 1064–1184 µm, width at level of r3 596–602 µm (n = 2) ( Fig. 1 ). Opisthonotal section narrower than podonotal section, podonotal and opisthonotal sections separated by lateral incisions at a level between j6 and J1. Podonotal region with 17 pairs of setae plus five pairs of setae on lateral soft skin, z3 absent. Opisthonotal region with weak reticulation, with 11 pairs of setae on shield (J1-J5, Z1-Z5, S5) and approximately 19 pairs on lateral soft skin, S5 on the shield (length 336–344 µm), other S series setae outside shield, S5 very long and wavy. All setae except z1 long, j3 and z2 210–231 µm, j3 long enough to reach past j5, j6 (168–176 µm), J1 long enough to reach past J2, j5 (142–147 µm) not long enough to reach j6.

Ventral idiosoma ( Fig. 2 ). Tritosternum with paired pilose laciniae; pre-sternal area with indistinct granular ornamentation. Sternal shield longer than wide, with straight anterior margin, entire surface with distinct polygonal ornamentation. Sternal setae long and smooth, st1 outside shield, one pair of circular pores on anterior margin of sternal shield and a pair of circular pores between st2 and st3. Metasternal setae st4 located in soft skin, metasternal pores located on minute platelets. Endopodal plates II/III triangular, fused to sternal shield to varying degree in different specimens, endopodal plates III/IV elongate, narrow, curved. Genital shield short and tongue-shaped, length 218–231 µm, maximum width 100–126 µm, posterior edge rounded with two minute platelets outside the shield, surface smooth with a few longitudinal lines, genital setae st5 outside the shield. Paragenital pores located on soft skin close to JV1. Anal shield triangular, its anterior half with lineate ornamentation, para-anal setae shorter than unpaired post-anal seta, cribrum large, anal pores indistinct, located on lateral edge of anal shield. Opisthogastric skin with one pair of oval metapodal plates and 14 pairs of smooth setae including st5, JV5 very long and wavy. Exopodal plates behind coxa IV small and narrow. Peritrematal shields free, peritremes short, extending from coxa IV to mid level of coxa II, post-stigmatal section long and narrow, with one pair of post-stigmatal pores.

Gnathosoma . Epistome triangular, irregularly denticulate ( Fig. 3 ). Hypostomal groove with six rows of denticles, each with about 8–10 small teeth except sixth row with only five teeth, and smooth anterior and posterior transverse lines. Hypostome with four pairs of setae, all similar in length ( Fig. 4 ). Corniculi robust and horn-like, reaching mid-level of palp femur. Palp chaetotaxy: trochanter 2, femur 5, genu 6, tibia 12, tarsus 15, genu with a distinct dorso-distal triangular condyle, all setae smooth and needle-like, palp tarsal claw two-tined. Fixed digit of chelicera with about seven small teeth and one large distal tooth ( Fig. 5 ), pilus dentilis short and robust, dorsal seta short, thick, prostrate, movable digit with two large teeth, arthrodial membrane with a rounded flap and a few short filaments.

Legs. Legs II and III short, leg IV longest. Chaetotaxy: Leg I: coxa 0 0/1 0/1 0, trochanter 1 1/1 1/1 1, femur 2 3/1 2/3 2, genu 2 3/2 3/1 2, tibia 2 3/2 3/1 2. Leg II: coxa 0 0/1 0/1 0, trochanter 1 0/1 0/1 1, femur 2 3/1 2/2 1 (pd 1 and pd 2 long), genu 2 3/1 2/1 2 (ventral setae thick), tibia 2 2/1 2/1 2 (ventral setae thick). Leg III: coxa 0 0/1 0/1 0, trochanter 1 1/1 0/1 1, femur 1 2/1 1/0 1, genu 2 2/1 2/1 1 (ad 1 long, 184–192 µm, ad 2 long 147–160 µm, ventral setae all thick, Fig. 6 ), tibia: 2 1/1 2/1 1 (pl and ventral setae thick). Leg IV: coxa 0 0/1 0/0 0, trochanter 2 1/1 0/1 1, femur 1 2/1 1/0 1 (macroseta ad 1 336–348 µm, ad 2 long 130–142, Fig. 7 ), genu 2 2/1 3/0 1 (macrosetae ad 1 394– 420 µm, ad 2 184–189 µm, Fig. 8 ), tibia 2 1/1 3/1 2 (lateral and ventral setae thick). Tarsi I–IV with 18 setae, 3 3/2 3/2 3 + mv, md. On tarsus IV macrosetae ad 2 (231–240 µm), pd 2 (248–252 µm), ad 3 (320–336 µm), pd 3 (344 – 356 µm) ( Fig. 9 ). All pre-tarsi with a pair of claws and a long thin membranous ambulacrum.

Insemination structures: Insemination ducts opening on posterior margin of coxae III, sacculus indistinct, apparently unsclerotised.

Etymology. This species is named in honour of Michael Costa, who made many important contributions to the systematics of the family Laelapidae .

Notes. Coleolaelaps costai differs from all other species in the genus by the presence of nine setae on genu IV, a short peritreme, and 17 pairs of setae on the podonotal shield. Podonotal setae j6 are unusually long, z3 is absent, and S5 is very long and wavy. On the legs, both genua III and IV have two long dorsal setae.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 9. Coleolaelaps costai sp. nov., female. 1. Dorsal idiosoma; 2. Ventral idiosoma; 3. Epistome; 4. Hypostome; 5. Chelicera; 6. Genu III; 7. Femur IV; 8. Genu IV; 9. Tarsus IV. Scale bar = 100 μm for 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9, 50 μm for 3, 4, 5.