Platyseius

Kazemi, Shahrooz, Payandeh, Majid & Saberi, Sepideh, 2016, A new species of Platyseius Berlese (Acari: Mesostigmata: Blattisociidae) from Iran, and a key to the world species of the genus, Zootaxa 4139 (4), pp. 566-574 : 572-573

Key to females of worldwide described species of Platyseius

1. Posterior region of dorsal shield with 3–4 pairs setae in J -series (J1 and usually J2 absent); Z5 slender; metapodal platelets free; ventrianal shield usually with three, rarely two or four pairs of opisthogastric setae in addition to circumanal setae).... 2

- Posterior region of dorsal shield with two pairs of setae in J -series (J1-J3 absent); Z5 thicker than adjacent setae; free metapo- dal platelets absent; ventrianal shield with 5–7 pairs of opisthogastric setae in addition to circumanal setae.............. 8

2. Posterior region of dorsal shied with four pairs of setae in J -series, J2 present.................. P. berlesei ( Krantz, 1962)

- Posterior region of dorsal shied with three pairs of setae in J -series, J2 absent..................................... 3

3. Posterior region of dorsal shied with distinct protuberance between setae J4, its posterior margin strongly sclerotised...... 4

- Posterior region of dorsum with at most a slight elevation between setae J3, without sclerotised posterior margin......... 6

4. Vertical setae j1 reduced to alveolar vestiges; femur IV with proximal ventral seta small, spine-like...................................................................................................... P. italicus (Berlese, 1905)

- Vertical setae j1 well developed, spine-like; femur IV with proximal ventral seta slender............................ 5

5. Vertical setae j1 <1/2 length of z1; sternal setae st1–2 long, longer than successive distances between their bases; setae JV4 very long, three times longer than JV2 ................................................... P. estrellae Lindquist, 2003

- Vertical setae j1 slightly longer than z1; sternal setae st1–2 short, shorter than successive distances between their bases; setae JV4 almost 1.2 longer than JV2 .................................................. P. spinivertex Lindquist, 2003

6. Peritremes without poststigmatic extension; some of dorsal shield setae very long, longer than half width of dorsal shield; ver- tical setae well developed.................................................... P. horridus ( Evans & Hyatt, 1960)

- Peritremes with well developed poststigmatic extension, reaching to posterior edge of peritrematal shields; dorsal shield with- out considerably elongate setae; vertical setae absent........................................................ 7

7. Peritremes coarsely crenated, with 8–12, usually 11, deep indentations along their dorsal margin, femur IV with proximal ven- tral seta slender, nearly half as long as interval from its base to ventrodistal sclerotised edge of this segment................................................................................................ P. cooki Lindquist, 2003

- Peritremes without a series of deep indentations along their margins; femur IV with proximal ventral seta spine-like, less than one-fifth as long as interval from its base to ventrodistal sclerotised edge of this segment.......... P. major (Halbert, 1923)

8. Dorsal shield setae j6 shorter than Z5 ..................................................................... 9

- Dorsal shield setae j6 conspicuously longer than Z5........................................................ 11

9. Vertical setae j1 =1/2 z1; dorsal shield setae j4–6 subequal; ventrianal shield bearing six pairs of ventral setae plus circumanals................................................................................. P. flagellates Karg, 1994

- Vertical setae j1 almost as long as z1 or slightly longer; dorsal shield setae j4 or j6 conspicuously longer than other two pairs of setae; ventrianal shield bearing five pairs of ventral setae plus circumanal setae................................... 10

10. Setae j3 almost as long as j4; j6 shorter than J4......................................... P. tendens (Schrank, 1803)

- Setae j3 more than 4.5 times longer than j4; j6 longer than J4 ................................... P. persicus sp. nov.

11. Dorsal shield setae j5 longer than j6; submarginal setae of dorsal shield very long, mostly as long as width of dorsal shield...

............................................................................... P. parvoechinus Karg, 2006 - Dorsal shield setae j5 shorter than j6; submarginal setae of dorsal shield shorter, at most as long as almost half width of dorsal shield............................................................................................. 12

12. Dorsal shield setae j4 longer than j6 ..................................................................... 13

- Dorsal shield setae j6 longer than j4.................................................................... 16

13. Length of setae j4 shorter than distances between j4–6 bases................................................. 14

- Length of setae j4 longer than distances between j4–6 bases................................................... 15

14. Ventrianal shield bearing six pairs of opisthogastric setae plus circumanals; para-anal setae shorter than postanal seta; length ratio of z5 / j5 =0.43............................................................. P. indicus Bhattacharyya, 1968

- Ventrianal shield bearing five pairs of opisthogastric setae plus circumanals; para-anal setae longer than postanal seta; length ratio of z5 / j5 =0.8................................................................ P. mollicomus Berlese, 1916

15. Length of setae j5 longer than distances between j5–6 bases........................... P. spinosus Evans & Hyatt, 1960

- Length of setae j5 shorter than distances between j5–6 bases............................ P. triangralis Ishikawa, 1969

16. Ventrianal shield with 4–5 pairs of opisthogastric setae, plus circumanals........................................ 17

- Ventrianal shield with 6–7 pairs of opisthogastric setae plus circumanals........................................ 18

17. Ventrianal shield with five pairs of opisthogastric setae plus circumanals, including two pairs of spine-like posterior setae; length ratio of j2 / j1 ≈10–11; length ratio of Z4 / Z5 ≈1..................... P. cupensis Halliday, Walter & Lindquist, 1998

- Ventrianal shield with five pairs of opisthogastric setae plus circumanals, including one pair of slender setae; length ratio of j2 / j1 ≈3; length ratio of Z4 / Z5 ≈3....................................................... P. congoensis Krantz, 1962

18. Ventrianal shield with six pairs of opisthogastric setae plus circumanals; length ratio of j5 / j6 ≈1; length ratio of J4 / Z5 ≈0.5............................................................................ P. jamaicensis Evans & Hyatt, 1960

- Ventrianal shield with seven pairs of opisthogastric setae plus circumanals; length ratio of j5 / j6 ≈0.75; length ratio of J4 / Z5 ≈1.................................................................................... P. medusa Karg, 1977