Ololaelaps tasmanicus ( Womersley, 1956 )

Babaeian, Esmaeil, Ghobari, Hamed & Samani, Kyumars Mohammadi, 2019, Redescription of Ololaelaps tasmanicus (Womersley, 1956) and description of a new species of Ololaelaps Berlese (Acari: Laelapidae) from Iran, Zootaxa 4629 (3), pp. 351-364 : 352-356

Ololaelaps tasmanicus ( Womersley, 1956)

(Figures 1–15)

Pristolaelaps tasmanicus Womersley, 1956: 572 ; 1960: 35.

Ololaelaps paratasmanicus Ryke, 1962: 127 . New synonymy.

Material examined. Female holotype of Ololaelaps tasmanicus (lablled as: ARA 7314, S 11503 -HT), Pristolaelaps tasmanicus , on strawberry leaves from Tasmania at Burnley, Victoria, June 1952, deposited in the South Australian Museum, Adelaide. Two females, from Pokolbin New South Wales, deposited in the Australian National Insect Collection, Canberra.

Diagnosis. This species can be distinguished from congeners by the following character states—Dorsal shield elongate (ratio length/width 1.67), with 39 pairs of medium length setae, except short setae j1 and z1. Sternal shield longer than wide (ratio length/width 1.50 (1.45–1.35), posterior margin widely convex, more or less irregular medially, shield free of endopodals III–IV; poroid iv3 and seta St4 inserted on unsclerotised cuticle. Genitiventrianal shield reticulate, with six pairs of pre-anal setae (St5, Zv1, Zv2, Jv1, Jv2 and Jv3), setae St5 and Jv1 missing in the holotype. Ventral soft cuticle with nine pairs of acicular setae. Post-stigmatal section of peritrematal shield short, free from adjacent exopodal shields. Exopodals II–III and III–IV fused together, abutting the peritrematal shield and united with endopodal III–IV; exopodal shield around coxa IV well expanded posteriorly, ornate with window-like structures, and reaching to metapodal shields.

Redescription. Female. Dorsal idiosoma (Figure 1). Dorsal shield 614 (609–688) µm long and 366 (441–480) µm wide (along midline and at widest point), suboval, with distinct scale-like sculpture on entire surface, and a 39 pairs of medium length delicate setae, shield bent ventrally, 22 pairs (j1–j6, z1–z6, s1–s6, r2–r5) in podonotal area FIURES 1–7. Ololaelaps tasmanicus ( Womersley, 1956) , female. 1. Dorsal idiosoma; 2. Ventral idiosoma (holotype); 3. Genitiventrianal shield; 4. Spermatheca; 5. Epistome; 6. Hypostome (holotype); 7. Chelicerae. and 17 pairs (J1–J5, Z1–Z5, Px2–Px3, S1–S5) in opisthonotal area, unpaired median setae absent. Dorsal shield with 18 pairs of pore-like structures, of which 14 pairs appear nonsecretory (lyrifissures) and four pairs secretory (glands gd1, gd6, gd8, gd9).

Ventral idiosoma (Figures 2, 3, 12, 13). Tritosternum with columnar base 27 (32–35) µm and pilose laciniae 52 (59–64) µm, free presternal shields abutting anterior margin of sternal shield; sternal shield longer than wide, sharply convex posteriorly, 173 (151–156) µm long and 114 (104–115) µm wide, ratio length/width 1.50 (1.35–1.45), reticulate throughout except in postero-median part (Figure), bearing three pairs of subequal setae (St1: 37 (37–40), St2: 27 (40–42), St3: 44 (42–47) µm) and two pairs of lyrifissures (iv1, iv2); seta St4 35 (37–40) µm and lyrifissure iv3 inserted on soft cuticle (Figure 5). Genitiventrianal shield longer than wide, 364 (347–359) µm long and 238 (245–262) µm wide, ratio of length/width 1.52 (1.40–1.37), reticulate throughout; cells larger in anterior half; shield with six pairs of pre-anal setae, alveoli of setae St5 and Jv1 present (Figure 6). Metapodal shields 18 µm long. Paraanal setae 26 (25–27) µm and post-anal seta 12 (15–17) µm long. Peritremes reaching anteriorly to middle of coxa I, peritrematal shield free, poststigmatic part short and not reaching posterior margin of coxa IV. Exopodal shields III–IV fused to each other, well enlarged around coxa IV, with a thin window-like zone in this area, and united with endopodals. Sperm induction system as Figures 4, 15.

Gnathosoma (Figures 5–7, 14). Epistome subtriangular, mostly with smooth margin (Figure 5). Hypostomal (h1, h2, h3) and capitular setae simple and smooth; deutosternal groove narrow, with six rows of denticles and a smooth ridge anteriorly (3–3–4–3–2–1 from anterior to posterior, respectively). Internal malae pointed, finely fringed, extending beyond anterior border of corniculi; external malae long, with fine points. Labrum prominent, blade-like, projecting to palp-genu, with pilose surface. Corniculi horn-like, moderately long (Figure 6). Chelicerae with movable digit 69 (71) µm, bidentate, fixed digit 77 (79–82) µm, with three small median teeth, a larger subapical tooth and a proximal one, total length c. 161 (163–173) µm (Figure 7, 14), pilus dentilis setiform, with fringed hyaline arthrodial process at its base. Palps 173 (188–193) µm long, with normal setation (sensu Evans, 1963); palptarsal claw three-tined, basal tine shorter.

Legs ( Figures 8–11 ). Length legs I–IV: 500 (550–559) µm, 384 (416–421) µm, 332 (376–381) µm, 470 (530– 540) µm. Setation of legs I–IV as follows: coxae 2, 2, 2, 1; trochanters 6, 5, 5, 5; femora 13 (2 3/1 2/3 2), 11 (2 3/1 2/2 1), 6 (1 2/1 1/0 1), 6 (1 2/1 1/0 1); genua 12 (2 3/2 2/1 2), 11 (2 3/1 2/1 2), 9 (2 2/1 2/1 1), 9 (2 2/1 3/0 1); tibiae 12 (2 3/2 2/1 2), 10 (2 2/1 2/1 2), 8 (2 1/1 2/1 1), 10 (2 1/1 3/1 2). Setae on legs segments needle-like. Tarsi II–IV each with 18 setae (3 7/5 3).

Comment on the synonymy. Ololaelaps paratasmanicus was described by Ryke (1962), so we here amend its original description. A comparison of the types of O. tasmanicus ( Womersley, 1956) with original description of O. paratasmanicus demonstrated the identity of these species; therefore, the latter name is a junior synonym of the first one. We could not examine the types of O. paratasmanicus , but differences mentioned for this species by Ryke (1962) lie within the limits of the species variability, which makes it also possible to consider O. paratasmanicus as a junior synonym of O. tasmanicus .

Figures

FIGURES 8–11. Ololaelaps tasmanicus (Womersley, 1956), female. 8. Leg I; 9. Leg II; 10. Leg III; 11. Leg IV.