Brontispalaelaps leveri Womersley, 1956

da Silva, Renan V., Narita, João Paulo Z., Vichitbandha, Patchanee, Chandrapatya, Angsumarn, Konvipasruang, Ploychompoo, Kongchuensin, Manita & de Moraes, Gilberto J., 2013, Prospection for predatory mites to control coconut pest mites in Thailand, with taxonomic descriptions of collected Mesostigmata (Acari), Journal of Natural History (J. Nat. Hist.) 48 (11 - 12), pp. 699-719 : 710-714

Brontispalaelaps leveri Womersley

Brontispalaelaps leveri Womersley, 1956: 533 .

Adult female (five specimens measured) ( Figure 3 )

Gnathosoma ( Figure 3A–C ). Fixed cheliceral digit 30 (27–31) long, with eight teeth; movable cheliceral digit 26 (23–29) long, with two teeth near the apex, in addition to apical tooth. Anterior margin of epistome denticulate, with two aciculate projections. Palp-apotele three-tined. Deutosternum narrow, with seven transverse rows of denticles, anterior six rows with two to eight denticles, and the posterior row with 17 denticles. Corniculi two-tined, sub-parallel to each other. Lengths of hypostomal setae: h1 19 (18–20), h2 22 (20–23), h3 24 (22–25), sc 19.

Dorsum of idiosoma ( Figure 3D–F ). Holodorsal shield 485 (470–512) long and 280 (270–290) wide at level of s6, reticulate; reticula formed by simple lines. Podonotal region of dorsal shield with 17 pairs of setae (j1–j6, z2–z5, s1, s3, s4, s6, r3–r5), three pairs of lyrifissures and three pairs of pores. Opisthonotal region of dorsal shield with 12 pairs of setae (J2, J4, Z1–Z5, S1–S5), five pairs of lyrifissures and one pair of pores. Lengths of dorsal setae: j1 9, j2 16 (15–17), j3 18 (17–19), j4 19 (16–22), j5 18 (17–19), j6 19, J2 18 (17–19), J4 22 (20–23), z2 19 (17–20), z3 18 (16–23), z4 21 (19– 22), z5 17 (15–18), Z1 20, Z2 19 (17–20), Z3 21 (20–22), Z4 23 (20–25), Z5 48 (45– 50), s1 18 (16–20), s3 20, s4 21 (20–22), s6 22 (20–25), S1 20 (18–22), S2 20, S3 21, S4 21 (20–22), S5 23 (20–25), r3 18 (17–20), r4 20 (18–23), r5 18 (16–20). Setae J 4 and Z4 stout and fringed distally; Z5 stout and barbed distally; other dorsal shield setae setiform and smooth.

Venter of idiosoma ( Figure 3G ). Base of tritosternum 16 (15–18) long and 10 wide; laciniae fused along about 50% of their total length (45 long). Sternal shield 127 long at midline and 129 (125–130) wide at widest level, with scanty lateral reticulation, centrally smooth, with a triangular posterior projection, bearing st1–st3 and two pairs of lyrifissures, seta st4 and iv3 inserted on an elongate and relatively wide plate that might represent the fused metasternal and endopodal plates. Genital shield 75 wide at widest level, reticulate, truncate posteriorly, bearing genital seta (st5); paragenital lyrifissure on unsclerotized cuticle, posterolaterad of st5. With a pair of centrally punctuate, rounded metapodal plates. Ventrianal shield subrectangular, with transverse striae connected by few diagonal lines, 156 (140–160) long at midline and 171 (160–175) wide at widest level, with three pairs of opisthogastric setae (Jv1, Zv1 and Zv2) in addition to circumanal setae. Unsclerotized cuticle of opisthogaster with one pair of setae (Jv5) and two pairs of lyrifissures. Lengths of ventral setae: st1 15 (13– 17), st2 16 (14–17), st3 17 (15–19), st4 13 (10–15), st5 15 (12–18), Jv1 11, Jv5 14 (12– 15), Zv1 11 (10–12), Zv2 10. All ventral setae setiform and smooth.

Peritreme and peritrematic shield ( Figure 3D–G ). Peritrematic shield fused to dorsal shield at an undetermined level, and to exopodal shield immediately behind stigma; peritreme reaching level of j1.

Spermatheca ( Figure 3H ). Induction pore apparently at postero-proximal region of coxa III; tubulus (70 long) apparently leading to the sacculus.

Legs. Pretarsi of legs I–IV consisting of elongate stalk, a pair of claws and pulvillus with three rounded lobes. Lengths of legs: I, 320, II, 285 (280–290), III, 278 (275–280), IV, 335 (325–345). Chaetotaxy of legs I–IV: coxa 2, 2, 2, 1; trochanter 6 (1-0/1, 1/2-1), 5 (1-0/ 1, 0/2-1), 5 (1-1/1, 0/2-0), 5 (1-1/1, 0/2-0); femur 10 (2-2/2, 1/2-1), 9 (1-2/1, 2/2-1), 6 (1-2/1, 1/0-1), 6 (1-2/1, 1/0-1); genu 11 (2-3/1, 2/1-2), 9 (2-3/0, 2/0-2), 7 (2-2/0, 2/0-1), 9 (2-2/1, 3/ 0-1); tibia 11 (2-3/1, 2/1-2), 10 (2-2/1, 2/1-2), 8 (1-2/1, 2/1-1), 10 (2-1/1, 3/1-2); tarsi not counted, 18, 18, 18. Dorsal setae of femora barbed; posterolaterad seta and one of the posterodorsal seta of genua lightly barbed; other leg setae aciculate and smooth.

Adult male (three specimens measured) ( Figure 4 )

Gnathosoma ( Figure 4A ). Fixed cheliceral digit 30 long, with eight teeth in addition to apical tooth; movable cheliceral digit 23 long, with a tooth near the apex, in addition spermatodactyl 35 long, slightly and homogeneously curved along its extension. Epistome, apotele, deutosternum and corniculi similar to adult female. Lengths of hypostomal and palp-coxal setae: h1 19, h2 21, h3 20 (19–21), sc 18 (17–20).

Dorsum of idiosoma. Holodorsal shield 470 (460–480) long and 288 (283–290) wide at level of s6, ornamented as in adult female. Podonotal region of dorsal shield with 17 pairs of setae (j1–j6, z2–z5, s1, s3, s4, s6, r3–r5), three pairs of lyrifissures and three pairs of pores. Opisthonotal region of dorsal shield with 12 pairs of setae (J2, J4, Z1– Z5, S1–S5), five pairs of lyrifissures and a pair of pores. Lengths of dorsal setae: j1 9, j2 17 (16–18), j3 19 (18–20), j4 18, j5 19 (18–20), j6 20, J2 20, J4 21, z2 17 (16–18), z3 16, z4 21, z5 16 (15–17), Z1 21, Z2 21, Z3 21, Z4 19 (18–20), Z5 46 (45–47), s1 17 (16–18), s3 22, s4 22, s6 21, S1 20, S2 21, S3 21, S4 21, S5 23, r3 19 (17–20), r4 20, r5 16. Seta Z 5 stout and fringed distally; other dorsal shield setae setiform and smooth.

Venter of idiosoma ( Figure 4B ). Base of tritosternum 14 long and 10 wide; laciniae fused along about 50% of their total length (45). Sternogenital shield 242 (235–250) long and 118 (110–120) wide at level between st2 and st3, reticulate anteriorly and scantly reticulate posteriorly, smooth centrally, bearing st1–st5 and three pairs of lyrifissures; seta st4 inserted on a lateral strip along coxa III, connected anteriorly to the main body of the sternogenital shield. Paragenital lyrifissure on unsclerotized cuticle posterolaterad of st5. With a pair of round, smooth metapodal plates. Ventrianal shield subcircular, with transverse striae connected by few diagonal lines, 137 (135–143) long at midline and 185 (180–187) wide at widest level, bearing Jv1, Zv1 and Zv2. Unsclerotized cuticle around ventrianal shield with a pair of setae (Jv5). Lengths of ventral setae: st1 11 (10–13), st2 16 (15–17), st3 16, st4 14 (13–15), st5 15 (14–16), Jv1 10, Jv5 12, Zv1 11, Zv2 11. Shape of ventral setae similar to female.

Peritreme and peritrematic shield. Similar to adult female.

Legs. Pretarsi, chaetotaxy and type of setae as in adult female.

Remarks

In the original description, Womersley (1956) reported all four pairs of opisthogastric setae of this species to be on the ventrianal shield. Similarly to what was found in this study, Halliday (1997) observed that the female holotype of B. leveri has four pairs of opisthogastric setae, three pairs of which on the ventrianal shield. Halliday (1997) indicated that this species can be distinguished from B. marianneae by having the sternal shield with a triangular posterior process (slightly convex in B. marianneae ), dorsal shield much less ornate and dorsal shield setae short, except for Z5. Other characteristics that can be used to separate these species are the denticulate anterior margin of the epistome, which also has two aciculate projections in B. leveri (smooth and with a single and acute anterior projection in B. marianneae ) and ventrianal shield with transverse striae connected by few diagonal lines in B. leveri (distinctly reticulate in B. marianneae ).

Figures

Figure 3. Brontispalaelaps leveri Womersley female. (A) Chelicera. (B) Epistome. (C) Venter of gnathosoma. (D) Dorsum of idiosoma. (E) Detail of seta J4. (F) Detail of seta Z5. (G) Venter of idiosoma. (H) Spermatheca.

Figure 4. Brontispalaelaps leveri Womersley male. (A) Chelicera and spermatodactyl. (B) Venter of idiosoma.