Pseudolaelaps Berlese, 1916

Mašán, Peter, 2017, Two new species of the genus Pseudolaelaps Berlese, 1916 (Acari: Mesostigmata: Pseudolaelapidae) from Europe, with an updated key to known species, Journal of Natural History 51 (21 - 22), pp. 1183-1195 : 1184

Genus Pseudolaelaps Berlese, 1916

Pseudolaelaps Berlese, 1916: 30 . Replacement name for Hoplolaelaps Berlese, 1910: 259 (not Hoplolaelaps Berlese, 1903: 14 ). Type species Laelaps (Hoplolaelaps) doderoi Berlese, 1910 , by original designation.

Pseudolaelaps . – Evans and Till, 1966: 266; Bregetova, 1977: 553; Karg, 1993: 132; Mašán, 2014: 284 .

Remarks

The genus Pseudolaelaps , with Laelaps (Hoplolaelaps) doderoi Berlese, 1910 as its type species, was proposed and briefly described by Berlese (1916), as a new replacement name for the homonymous subgenus Hoplolaelaps Berlese, 1910 (the senior homonym is Hoplolaelaps Berlese 1903 ; now a synonym of the laelapid genus Pseudoparasitus Oudemans 1902 ). A more detailed diagnosis of the genus was more recently elaborated by other authors ( Evans and Till 1966; Bregetova 1977; Mašán 2014).

Diagnosis

Female. Dorsal shield entire, completely covering dorsal idiosoma, with narrow lateral and posterior margin expanded ventrally, hypotrichous and bearing 24 or 25 pairs of setae; podonotal part with 15 or 16 pairs of setae (normally with j1‒j6, z3‒z6, s3, s4, s6, r3 and r6; rarely j2 absent, r4 and r5 present), opisthonotal part with nine or ten pairs of setae (normally with J1, J3‒J5, Z1, Z3, S2, S4 and S5; rarely J2 present); dorsal shield setae lanceolate or needle-shaped, smooth. Presternal shields present, separate or fused medially, well sclerotized and contiguous with anterior margin of sternal shield. Sternal shield subrectangular, with three pairs of setae and two pairs of pore-like structures, fused with endopodal platelets I – II and II – III and exopodal platelets I – II, II – III and sometimes also III – IV. One pair of metasternal platelets present, each with a metasternal seta and pore-like structure. Endopodal platelets III – IV relatively well developed, larger than metasternal platelets, subtriangular, abutting posterolateral margins of sternal shield and outer margins of metasternal platelets, with narrowed posterior end fused to expanded parapodal portion of peritrematal shields. Exopodal platelets III – IV free or fused to exopodals II – III. Genitiventral shield large, expanded laterally and posteriorly, close to anterior margin of anal shield, and bearing genital setae, one to three pairs of opisthogastric setae (JV1, sometimes ZV2, rarely JV2) and three pairs of subcircular sigilla between the genital setae. Anal shield subtriangular, shorter than wide, bearing three circumanal setae and relatively large oval anus; cribrum small. Peritrematal shields well developed, with expanded poststigmatic and parapodal portion; peritremes well developed, with anterior ends reaching anterior margin of idiosomal vertex close to vertical setae. Metapodal platelets small, narrow, usually elongate. Opisthogastric soft integument hypotrichous, with three to five pairs of opisthogastric setae (JV3, ZV3, R1, usually JV2, sometimes ZV2). Setation of legs I – IV: femora 2 – 5/4 – 2 (13), 2 – 5/3 – 1 (11), 1 – 3/1 – 1 (6), 1 – 3/1 – 1 (6); genua 2 – 6/2 – 2 (12) or 2 – 6/3 – 2 (13), 2 – 5/1 – 2 (10) or 2 – 5/2 – 2 (11), 2 – 4/1 – 1 (8) or 2 – 4/2 – 1 (9), 2 – 5/1 – 1 (9); tibiae 2 – 6/2 – 2 (12) or 2 – 6/3 – 2 (13), 2 – 4/2 – 2 (10), 2 – 3/2 – 1 (8), 2 – 4/2 – 2 (10).