Petrobia (Petrobia) carthagensis, Auger, Philippe, Chaaban, Samah Ben, Grissa, Kaouthar Lebdi, Khoualdia, Othman & Flechtmann, Carlos H. W., 2009

Auger, Philippe, Chaaban, Samah Ben, Grissa, Kaouthar Lebdi, Khoualdia, Othman & Flechtmann, Carlos H. W., 2009, Five new species of Tetranychidae (Acarina, Prostigmata) from south Tunisian oasis areas, Zootaxa 2232, pp. 29-49 : 36-40

Petrobia (Petrobia) carthagensis sp. nov. Auger & Flechtmann

(Figures 24–39)

Type-specimens. Holotype (male), 11 male and 11 female paratypes on Salicornia arabica L., 1753, ( Chenopodiaceae ), El Hamma, Gouvernorat de Tozeur, Tunisia, 05/06/2005, coll. P. Auger. All the material on 22 microscopic preparations. Holotype, 8 male and 8 female paratypes deposited in the collection of the CBGP. Remaining paratypes deposited in the type collection of the MNHN.

Diagnosis. Petrobia (P.) carthagensis resembles P. (P.) b re v i p e s Reck and Bagdasarian in that it bears a similar dorsohysterosomal striation pattern and short subspatulate setae but it is distinctive in having different leg setae formula.

FIGURES 24, 25. Petrobia (P.) carthagensis sp. nov., female. 24, dorsal aspect; 25, dorsal h 1 seta (enlarged).

Description. Male: Holotype 284 µm long (without gnathosoma), gnathosoma 102 µm long. Ten paratypes measured, 260–318 µm long, gnathosoma 95–109 µm long.

Dorsum – Dorsal body setae slender and serrate, fourth pair of lateral setae and clunals being longer than other setae (length of holotype and variations of ten paratypes): v 2 16 (13–15); sc 1 12 (11–13); sc 2 11 (11–14); c 1 12 (11–13); c 2 11 (10–12); c 3 12 (11–15); d 1 11 (11–12); d 2 11 (10–11); e 1 12 (10–12); e 2 11 (10–11); f 1 13 (11–14); f 2 19 (17–19); h 1 16 (16–19). There are no lobes on striation.

Gnathosoma – Peritreme anastomosed distally but distal enlargement smaller compared to female. Palpal claw not accute, slightly truncate distally. Palptarsus eupathidium su longer than eupathidia ul', ul'' and solenidion.

FIGURES 26–32. Petrobia (P.) carthagensis sp. nov., male. 26, tarsus and tibia I; 27, tarsus and tibia II; 28, empodia I– IV; 29, peritremal anastomosis; 30, palptarsus; 31, h 1 setae; 32, aedeagus.

Venter – Ventral striae without lobes.

Legs – Legs length inferior to the body, leg I 230 (212–230) µm long (length of holotype and variations of ten paratypes). Leg chaetotaxy as follows:

I 2 − 1 − 4 − 5 − 5 + (3) + 4 duplexes − 9 + (2) [(3)] + 4 [3] duplexes;

II 2 − 1 − 3 − 5 − 5 − 10 + (1) + 1 duplex;

III 1 − 1 − 2 − 3 − 3 − 9+ (1) + 1 duplex;

IV 1 − 1 − 2 − 3 − 3 − 9+ (1) + 1 duplex.

Duplex tactile setae on tarsi III and IV not serrate and about one fourth the length of solenidia. Empodia I– IV bear true claws pad-like, about half the length of empodial claws bearing two raws of ventrally directed hairs

Aedeagus – Shaft long, 105 (94–105) µm long, slender and abruptly constricted towards its distal end forming a slender stylet about one fourth to one fifth as long as the whole shaft.

Female: 11 females measured. Idiosoma: length 347–421 µm long, gnathosoma 119–133 µm long, width 258–284 µm.

Dorsum – Dorsal body setae short, subequal in length, serrate and subspatulate. As in male, external sacrals and clunals longer and more spatulate than other dorsal hysterosomal setae: v 2 15–17; sc 1 11–15; sc 2 11–13; c 1 11–13; c 2 10–11; c 3 10–11; d 1 9–11; d 2 9–11; e 1 8 –10; e 2 9 –10; f 1 9–12; f 2 12–17; h 1 12–15.

Prodorsal integument with irregular reticulum medially. Laterally, prodorsum with irregular broken longitudinal striation. Hysterosomal striation with irregular widely spaced furrows. Medially, hysterosoma with transverse striae except in the area immediatly above the third pair of dorsocentral setae. Lateral striation broadly longitudinal with transverse patterns near d 2 setae insertion and above e 2 setae insertion. Caudal part of hysterosoma with smooth punctuations in an arched array. There are no lobes on stiation.

Gnathosoma – Stylophore rounded; peritreme ends in anastomosing chambers. Palptarsus as in male.

Venter – Area immediatly anterior to genital flap with irregular striation. Two pairs of para-anal setae and three pairs of anal setae are present.

Spermatheca – Sacculus elongate, constricted medially and bulbous distally.

Legs – Legs length strongly inferior to body length, leg I 217–253 µm long. Leg chaetotaxy as follows:

I 2 − 1 −3 [4] − 5 − 9 + (1) − 11 [10] + 2 duplexes;

II 2 − 1 − 3 − 5 − 5 − 10 [9] + 1 duplex;

III 1 − 1 − 2 − 3 − 3 − 9+ 1 duplex;

IV 1 − 1 − 2 − 3 − 3 − 9+ 1 duplex.

Associated setae on tarsi III and IV serrate and about two-thirds as long as solenidia. Empodia I–IV with true claws pad-like, about the half the length of empodial claws bearing two raws of ventrally directed hairs.

Etymology. The species designation, carthagensis , refers to the antique capital in present-day Tunisia, the country where the mites were collected.