Chelaseius caudatus Karg

Lofego, Antonio Carlos, Barbosa, Marina Ferraz De Camargo, Demite, Peterson Rodrigo & Moraes, Gilberto José De, 2024, Phytoseiidae (Acari: Mesostigmata) of the subfamily Amblyseiinae from Brazil, Zootaxa 5439 (1), pp. 1-306 : 70

Chelaseius caudatus Karg ( Figure 49)

Chelaseius caudatus Karg, 1983: 310 .

Chelaseius caudatus .— Moraes et al., 1986: 34, 2004b: 57: Chant & McMurtry, 2004a: 214; 2007: 83.

Chelaseius (Chelaseius) caudatus .— Denmark & Kolodochka, 1990: 230.

According to Denmark & Kolodochka (1990), dorsal shield of female smooth, 450 long, 320 wide. Setal lengths: j1 40, j3 65, j4 5, j5 5, j6 5, J2 5, J5 6, z2 8, z4 9, z5 9, Z1 10, Z4 188, Z5 329, s4 85, S2 14, S4 9, S5 8, r3 12 and R1 8. Peritreme extending to level of j1. Spermathecal calyx cup-shaped, 6 long; atrium inconspicuous. Fixed cheliceral digit with one relatively small tooth next to pilus dentilis, followed distally by three large teeth; movable digit toothless. Macrosetae on legs I–IV, length not provided .

Distribution in Brazil. São Paulo ( Karg, 1983).

Distribution elsewhere: Not reported.

Remarks. Species described from Brazil and known only from the type specimens. Additional specimens were not examined. Examining the illustrations of this species provided in the original description and the redescription of Denmark & Kolodochka (1990), there seems to be a mistake in the stated length of s4; relating it to the width of the dorsal shield, it seems that the correct measurement should be about 130 µm. Given the low number of specimens of Chelaseius collected in Brazil so far, the intraspecific morphological variation of the species here reported is not adequately known. Further collections may confirm the validity of C. caudatus , or its possible synonymy with Chelaseius lativentris Karg , as discussed in remarks of the latter species.