Neoseiulus scapilatus Van der Merwe

El-Banhawy, E. M. & Knapp, M., 2011, Mites of the family Phytoseiidae Berlese from Kenya (Acari: Mesostigmata) 2945, Zootaxa 2945 (1), pp. 1-176 : 12

Neoseiulus scapilatus Van der Merwe

( Fig. 6 )

Amblyseius (Amblyseius) scapilatus Van der Merwe, 1965: 71 .

Amblyseius scapilatus .—Meyer & Rodriguez, 1966: 28.

Neoseiulus scapilatus . — Chant & McMurtry, 2003a: 37.

Neoseiulus scapilatus .— McMurtry & Moraes, 1991: 26.

Material examined. Kenya: 1 female, Masai Mara , Altitude 1400m, February 13, 2007 (El-Banhawy) .

Female: Dorsal shield smooth, 280 long, 140 wide, with five pairs of large pores. Measurements of dorsal setae: j1 16, j3 25, j4 12, j5 13, j6 12, J2 14, J5 5, z2 16, z4 23, z5 12, Z1 21, Z4 48, Z5 58, s4 32, S2 32, S4 24, S5 16, r3, R1 14, JV5 40. Setae Z 4 and Z5 serrated, remaining setae smooth. Peritrematal shield fused anteriorly with dorsal shield, reaching level of j3. Sternal shield concave posteriorly, distances between St I-St III 58 , St II-St II 58 , St IV on platelets. Genital shield 60 wide. Ventri-anal shield smooth, 92 long, 87 wide across level of ZV2 and 78 wide across level of anus, with a pair of crescentic pre-anal pores close to each other, and three pairs of pre-anal setae (JV1, JV2, ZV2). Two pairs of metapodal platelets, two pairs of sigillar sclerites, and four pairs of setae surrounding ventri-anal shield. Spermatheca calyx trumpet shaped, 17 long, 5 wide, with a stalk, 7 long, atrium, 7 long, 5 wide, forked at junction with broad major duct. Fixed digit of chelicera with four teeth, movable digit with two teeth. Macrosetae, Sge IV 32 , St IV 48 . Chaetotaxy : genu II 2 , 2 / 0, 2/0, 1, genu III 1 , 2 /1, 2/0, 1.

Remarks. The female holotype was collected at Potchefstroom, South Africa, 1965 ( Van der Merwe, 1965). The male was described by Ueckermann & Loots (1988). Additional localities are Benin, Burundi, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Reunion Island, Rwanda, Uganda and Zimbabwe ( Zannou et al., 2006). The collected female showed some variations from the original description. The pre-anal pores are large and crescentic, and the atrium is forked at junction with major duct, otherwise it is almost identical with the known specimens.

Figures

FIGURE 6. Neoseiulus scapilatus (Van der Merwe) (Female). A. Dorsal shield; B. Ventral shields; C. Chelicera; D. spermatheca; E. Leg IV.