Geckobiella donnae Paredes-León, Klompen and Pérez

Paredes-León, Ricardo, Klompen, Hans & Pérez, Tila M., 2012, Systematic revision of the genera Geckobiella Hirst, 1917 and Hirstiella Berlese, 1920 (Acari: Prostigmata: Pterygosomatidae) with description of a new genus for American species parasites on geckos formerly placed in Hirstiella, Zootaxa 3510, pp. 1-40 : 12-16

Geckobiella donnae Paredes-León, Klompen and Pérez , new species

( Figs. 2 H; 3–4)

Diagnosis. Female. Prodorsal shield shaped as an inverted pentagon with 2 pairs of short setae (vi and sci) that not extending to next row of setae ( Fig. 2 H); anterior sides of shield almost parallel. Dorsal setae short and spinose spatulate (except barbed f2); setae f1 long, subequal to f2; setae ps1–2 sparsely pectinate or barbed; setae ps3 acuminate, nude.

Description. Female. Gnathosoma ( Fig. 3 A–B). Subcapitulum simple, not expanded at apex, with 1 pair of ventral, slender and smooth setae (n) inserted behind palps; palps slender and long (twice length of base of gnathosoma); femoral and genual seta (d) spinose and subclavate, that of femur shorter; tibial setae l’ and lT smooth and simple, seta v sparsely barbed; tibial claw simple and short (half of length of palpal tarsus); tarsus elongate and narrowly attached to tibia, with basal solenidion ω and 6 setae: basal seta proximally sparsely barbed, 2 more distal setae smooth and simple, 2 apical setae smooth and simple and 1 apical seta sparsely barbed. Chelicerae long (anterior end extending beyond tip of palps) and with proximal part of cheliceral base globose and wide (fivefold the width of distal part); fixed digit membranous and spiniform and movable digit robust and curved. Peritreme long, almost reaching palpal tibia.

Idiosoma ( Fig. 3 C–D). Ovoid, clearly longer than wide; maximum width at level of setae c2; cuticle surrounding prodorsal shield, setal platelets, coxae and anogenital area striated; oligotrichous. Dorsum. Prodorsal shield shaped as an inverted pentagon with 2 pairs of short setae (vi and sci) that not extending to next row of setae ( Fig. 2 H); anterior sides of shield almost parallel. Dorsal setae short and spinose spatulate (except barbed f2); setae c3 present; anal area located on posterior tip, setae ps1 and ps2 sparsely pectinate or barbed and ps3 acuminate nude. Ve n te r. Setae: coxal formula 2–2–4–1, located on coxae I–IV except for 3a located on intercoxal area and 4a between posterior coxae IV; 1a, 1b, 2a, 3a, 3b and 4a smooth and slender, 2b and 3c barbed, 3d bipectinate and slightly thicker than the others. Setae ag1–3 slender and smooth, located between posterior coxae IV and beginning of genital region, setae ag2 the shortest; 1 of pair smooth genital setae (g1) located on lobes and longer than ag1–3.

Legs ( Fig. 4 ). Setal formulae (I–IV, microsetae (κ) and solenidia in brackets): trochanter 1–1–1–1, femur 5–4–3–2, genu 5(κ)–4–3–3, tibia 5–5–5–5, tarsus 14(2)–9(1)–9(1)–9; tarsi I–IV blunt distally, especially tarsus I. All dorsal and lateral setae on trochanter-tibiae I–IV subclavate to clavate and thicker than barbed ventral setae. Tarsi I–IV with setae p feather-like; tarsus I with 1 pair of setae tc smooth (eupathids) subequal in length, and long (clearly longer than pretarsus); setae tc II–IV barbed, shorter than tc I; tc’ II–IV longer than tc” II–IV. Tarsus I also with 1 pair of setae it (eupathids) at base of pretarsus; seta vs” on tarsi II–IV absent; solenidia of tarsus I long, ω 2 longer than ω 1 but shorter than companion seta ft. Solenidia on tarsi II–III shorter than solenidia on tarsus I, solenidion on tarsus III shortest. Pretarsi with paired claws bearing tenent hairs.

Measurements. HOLOTYPE female (followed in parentheses by range and mean of HOLOTYPE and 5 PARATYPE females). Idiosoma length (gnathosoma excluded) 717 (717–992, 815), idiosoma maximum width 448 (448–659, 548), prodorsal shield length 214 (214–247, 232), prodorsal shield width (at anterior margin) 152 (112–170, 140), width between setal pair vi on prodorsal shield (WVI) 68 (51–71, 66), width between setal pair ve on prodorsal shield (WVE) 174 (174–228, 200), width between setal pair sci on prodorsal shield (WSCI) 122 (122–137, 132); setal lengths: vi 54 (54–65, 58), ve 74 (74–84, 78), sci 60 (60–71, 64), sce (ocular setae): 70 (70–98, 87); leg lengths (excluding ambulacrum): leg I 749 (723–835, 769), leg II 509 (506–573, 529), leg III 550 (518–608, 559), leg IV 634 (627–717, 659); solenidion ω 1 of tarsus I length 69 (69–77, 74), solenidion ω 2 of tarsus I length 89 (89–197, 96), ft (companion seta of solenidion ω 2 of tarsus I) length 126 (126–146, 136), solenidion ω of tarsus II length 42 (42–49, 45), solenidion ω of tarsus III length 5 (5–7, 6); gnathosoma length 335 (335–352, 339), base of gnathosoma width 146 (146–162, 154), subcapitular setae n length 81 (81–99, 89), chelicerae length 294 (294–348, 313), chelicerae width (at base) 46 (46–52, 49), palp length 270 (270–307, 283), palp width 43 (39–52, 46), palp-claw length 20 (13–22, 19), and peritreme length (complete) 335 (335–388, 361).

Type. Female HOLOTYPE ( OSAL 013670) and 7 female PARATYPES ( OSAL 0013662–63; 67–69; 71 and CNAC 007050).

Type locality. Origin unknown, mites collected from captive iguanas in a pet store of USA.

Type host. Iguana iguana (Linnaeus) .

Type series. Female HOLOTYPE, 6 female PARATYPES ex Iguana iguana , USA, Ohio, Franklin Co., Dublin, pet store, 40° 05’ 57” N, - 83° 06’ 51” W, 4, 15 June 2004, coll. D. Wenzel ( OSAL 0013670 and OSAL 0013662–63; 67–69; 71 respectively). 1 PARATYPE female ex Ctenosaura pectinata , MEXICO, Oaxaca, Istmo de Tehuantepec, Reforma de Pineda, 90 m asl, 27–III–2002, coll. G. Köhler and F. Mendoza ( CNAC 007050).

The holotype and paratypes from USA are deposited in the Ohio State Acarology Laboratory ( OSAL 013662–63; 67–71). The paratype from Mexico is deposited in Colección Nacional de Ácaros ( CNAC 007050).

Etymology. This species is named in honor of Donna Wenzel who kindly collected the type series of this species.

Remarks. Very close to G. bakeri , sharing, among others, the shape of the dorsal setae and the relative length of solenidion ω 2 on tarsus I (slightly shorter than companion seta ft). Geckobiella donnae sp. nov. differs from G. bakeri in the shape of prodorsal shield, by having setae ps3 nude instead of sparsely barbed, and the branched instead of club-like, shape of seta d on femur I.

This species appears to be a specific ectoparasite of Iguanidae lizards (see Table 2 ).

Figures

FIGURE 2. Prodorsal shields of the species of Geckobiella. A, G. trombidiiformis; B, G. p e l a e z i; C, G. boneti; D, G. bakeri; E, G. pyriformis; F, G. javieri; G, G. diolii; H, G. donnae sp. nov. Scale bar 100 µm.

FIGURE 3. Geckobiella donnae sp. nov., female. A, gnathosoma dorsal view; B, gnathosoma ventral view; C, Idiosoma dorsum; D, Idiosoma venter. Scale bars 100 µm.

FIGURE 4. Geckobiella donnae sp. nov., female, legs I – IV (trochanters-tarsi). Scale bars 50 µm.