Hypoaspis melolonthae, 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 : 33-35

Hypoaspis melolonthae sp. nov.

Specimens examined. Holotype, female, Iran, Yazd, 31°33'N, 54°11'E, alt 2300 m, 17 May 2010, O. Joharchi coll., on Melolontha melolontha (in JAZM). Paratypes: six females, same data as holotype; three females, Tehran, Savojbolagh, Taleghan, 36°09' N, 50°40'E, alt 1909 m, 1 July 2009, on Melolontha melolontha (in JAZM and ANIC).

Description. Female. Dorsal idiosoma. Dorsal shield length 796–840 µm, width at level of r3 399–428 µm (n = 4) ( Fig. 41 ). Shield oval shaped, narrower posteriorly, with weak posterolateral reticulation, with 37 pairs of long setae, 20 podonotal, 16 opisthonotal, including two pairs of Zx setae between J and Z setae, S3 outside shield in soft skin, z6, r2, r3 absent. Seta Z4 longest (336–357 µm), s3 (239–247 µm), s4 (201–231 µm), r4 (285–294 µm) and j3 (231–252 µm) also long. Seta j6 long enough to reach J2, J4 long enough to reach J5, J5 and Z5 similar in length, J1 not long enough to reach J3, soft skin surrounding shield with eight pairs of setae including S3.

Ventral idiosoma ( Fig. 42 ). Tritosternum with paired pilose laciniae, pre-sternal area weakly sclerotised. Sternal shield with straight anterior margin, entire surface with distinct polygonal ornamentation, with three pairs of smooth setae, one pair of lyrifissures adjacent to setae st1, and a pair of circular pores between st2 and st3. Metasternal platelets absent, metasternal setae st4 and metasternal pores located in soft skin. Endopodal plates II/ III completely fused to sternal shield, endopodal plates III/IV elongate, narrow, curved. Genital shield tongueshaped, length 285–294 µm, maximum width 118–134 µm, posterior edge rounded, surface with polygonal ornamentation, bearing the genital setae st5. Paragenital pores located on soft skin close to edge of shield. Anal shield triangular, its anterior half with lineate ornamentation, para-anal setae similar in length to unpaired post-anal seta, cribrum large, anal pores on minute elongate platelets adjacent to shield. Opisthogastric skin strongly striated, with one pair of oval metapodal plates and 11 pairs of long smooth setae, ZV4, ZV5, JV4, JV5 very long and wavy. Exopodal plates behind coxa IV small and narrow. Peritrematal shield free, peritreme extending from coxa IV to anterior level of coxa I, post-stigmatal section conspicuous and narrow, with one pair of pores.

Gnathosoma . Epistome irregularly denticulate laterally, apical section smooth with terminal point ( Fig. 43 ). Hypostomal groove with six rows of denticles, each row with about ten small teeth, and a smooth anterior transverse line. Hypostome with four pairs of setae, internal posterior hypostomal setae h3 longest ( Fig. 44 ). 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 twotined. Fixed digit of chelicera with about ten small teeth, a larger median tooth, and one large distal tooth ( Fig. 45 ), 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, and leg IV longest. Chaetotaxy: Leg I: coxa 0 0/1 0/1 0, trochanter 1 1/2 1/0 1, femur 2 3/1 2/3 2, genu 2 3/2 3/1 2 (pd 1 long), tibia 2 3/2 3/1 2. Leg II: coxa 0 0/1 0/1 0, trochanter 1 0/1 0/2 1, femur 2 3/1 2/2 1 (macroseta pd 1 302 µm), genu 2 3/1 2/1 2 (macrosetae pd 1 181–197 µm, pd 2 93–105 µm, Fig. 46 ), tibia 2 2/1 2/1 2 (pv thick). Leg III: coxa 0 0/1 0/1 0, trochanter 1 1/1 0/1 1, femur 1 2/1 1/0 1 (macrosetae ad 1 380–400 µm, ad 2 195–208 µm, Fig. 48 ), genu 2 2/1 2/1 1 (macrosetae pd 1 184–200 µm, ad 1 181–200 µm, lateral and ventral setae all thick, Fig. 49 ), 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 0, femur 1 2/1 1/0 1 (macrosetae ad 1 420–450 µm, ad 2 155–160 µm, Fig. 51 ), genu 2 2/1 3/1 1 (macrosetae ad 1 300–330 µm and pd 1 312–355 µm, Fig. 52 ), tibia 2 1/1 3/1 2 (pl 1 and ventral setae thick). Tarsi I– IV with 18 setae 3 3/2 3/2 3 + mv, md. On tarsus II, al 1 and pl 1 thick, all ventral setae thick ( Fig. 47 ). Tarsus III with four moderately long setae, ad 2, pd 2, ad 3, pd 3, 130–160 µm ( Fig. 50 ). On tarsus IV ad 2 (193–210 µm), pd 2 (200–220 µm), ad 3 (252–268 µm), pd 3 (235–246 µm) macrosetae ( Fig. 53 ). All pre-tarsi with a pair of claws and a long thin membranous ambulacrum.

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

Etymology. The name of this species is taken from its host beetle, Melolontha melolontha. Notes. Hypoaspis melolonthae differs from almost all other species in the genus by the presence of four long macrosetae on tarsus IV, two macrosetae on each of genu II, genu III and genu IV, and very long opisthogastric setae ZV4, ZV5, JV4, and JV5. It is also distinctive in lacking podonotal setae z6, r2 and r3.

Figures

FIGURES 41 – 53. Hypoaspis melolonthae sp. nov., female. 41. Dorsal idiosoma; 42, ventral idiosoma; 43. Epistome; 44. Hypostome; 45. Chelicera; 46. Genu II; 47. Tarsus II; 48. Femur III; 49. Genu III; 50. Tarsus III; 51. Femur IV; 52. Genu IV; 53. Tarsus IV. Scale bar = 100 μm for 41, 42, 46 – 53, 50 μm for 43 – 45.