Amblyseius pseudaequipilus Wainstein & Abbasova, 1974

Faraji, Farid, Rahmani, Hasan & Zare, Mohsen, 2021, Re-description of Amblyseius pseudaequipilus Wainstein & Abbasova (Acari: Mesostigmata: Phytoseiidae) based on material collected from Iran, Persian Journal of Acarology 10 (3), pp. 347-350 : 347-349

Amblyseius pseudaequipilus Wainstein & Abbasova, 1974

Neoseiulus pseudaequipilus — Moraes et al. (1986).

Amblyseius pseudoaequipilus [sic] — Chant and McMurtry (2004); Chant and McMurtry (2007).

Female ( Figs. 1–6 ) – One specimen measured.

Idiosomal setal pattern: 10A:9B/JV–3:ZV.

How to cite: Faraji, F., Rahmani, H. & Zare, M. (2021) Re-description of Amblyseius pseudaequipilus Wainstein &

Abbasova (Acari: Mesostigmata : Phytoseiidae ) based on material collected from Iran. Persian Journal of Acarology, 10(3): 347–350.

Dorsal idiosoma ( Fig. 1 ) – Dorsal shield reticulated but faintly at podonotal area between j 3 – s 4 –J 2 setae, 398 long and 253 wide at j 6 level, with 19 pairs of dorsal setae (r 3 and R 1 included); dorsal shield setae smooth, except for Z5, slightly serrated; lengths: j1 21, j3 33, j4, j6, J5 & S4 9, j5 & z 5 7, J 2 11, z 2 26, z 4 26, Z 1 14, Z 4 53, Z 5 59, s 4 44, S 2 15, S5 11; setae r 3 18 and R 1 14 on lateral integument; dorsal shield with 7 pairs of solenostomes (gd 1, gd 2, gd 4, gd 5, gd 6, gd 8, gd 9) and 12 pairs of small poroids .

Peritreme – Extending to the level of setae j 1 ( Figs. 1, 4 ).

Ventral idiosoma ( Fig. 2 ) – Sternal shield wider than long, posterior margin slightly concave, smooth at the central area with a few lateral striae, 58 long, 84 wide at level of setae ST 2, three pairs of setae and two pairs of pores (iv1 and iv2), ST1 and ST2 33, ST3 32; distances between ST1–ST3 64, ST 1 –ST 1 53 and ST 2 –ST 2 70; metasternal setae ST 4 31 and a pair of pores (iv 3) on small platelets; genital shield smooth width at widest point 103, ST 5 33; two pairs of metapodal shields, primary 31 long and accessory 13 long; ventrianal shield pentagonal and reticulated ( Fig. 2 ), length 130, width at level of setae ZV 2, 111, and width at level of paranal setae 85; with three pairs of preanal setae (JV1 and JV2 26, ZV2 25); four pairs of setae surrounding ventrianal shield on integument (JV4 15 JV 5 47, ZV 1 25, ZV 3 16), five pairs of pores and one pair of small platelets surrounding ventrianal shield. Ventrianal shield with a pair of small round pores (gv 3) posteromesad to JV 2, distance between these pores 58.

Spermatheca – Calyx bell-shaped 16 long, 7 in diameter at the middle part of the calyx; atrium V-shaped positioned half at base of the calyx ( Fig. 3 ).

Chelicera – Fixed digit 28 long with 3 teeth and a pilus dentilis, the one close to pilus dentilis slightly larger; movable digit 30 long with one tooth ( Fig. 6 ).

Legs – Leg IV ( Fig. 5 ) with three pointed macrosetae, SgeIV 40, StiIV 27, StIV 54; other legs with no noticeable macrosetae; length of legs from the base of coxae to the tip of claws: leg I 437, leg II 315, leg III 325, leg IV 425; chaetotactic formulae of genua and tibiae I–II–III–IV with 10 (2- 2/1, 2/1-2) – 8 (2-2/1, 2/0-1) – 7 (1-2/1, 2/0-1) – 7 (1-2/0, 2/1-1) and 10 (2-2/1, 2/1-2) – 7 (1-1/1, 2/1-1) – 7 (1-1/1, 2/1-1) – 6 (1-1/0, 2/1-1) setae respectively.

Distribution Azerbaijan and Iran (this study).

Specimen examined

One female, 14 August 2011, decayed wood, Zieya abad, Zanjan, Iran (36° 41' 08.7" N 48° 11' 52.5" E), collector: Mohsen Zare.

Remarks

This is the first record of A. pseudaequipilus from Iran. The characteristics of the specimen found in Iran fit well with most of those of the described species ( Wainstein and Abbasova, 1974). It is strange that setae z 4 are missing from the Figure 2-1 of the original description, whether those setae are detached and only the insertions are depicted or those are solenostome gd2. Setae z2 and z4 are subequal in our specimen while Wainstein and Abbasova (1974) mentioned z 2 longer than z 4. There is also a mistake in the original description mentioning 5 pairs of solenostomes on dorsal shield while we detected 7 pairs of solenostomes. The Iranian specimen does show more reticulations on dorsal shield than that mentioned in the original description.

Figures

Figures 1–6. Amblyseius pseudaequipilus Wainstein & Abbasova (Female) – 1. Idiosoma, dorsal view; 2. Idiosoma, ventral view; 3. Spermatheca; 4. Peritreme, peritremal plate and exopodal plate; 5. Leg IV; 6. Chelicera.