Pogonolaelaps beaulieui, Nemati, Alireza & Gwiazdowicz, Dariusz J., 2016

Nemati, Alireza & Gwiazdowicz, Dariusz J., 2016, A new genus and species of Laelapidae from Iran with notes on Gymnolaelaps Berlese and Laelaspisella Marais & Loots (Acari, Mesostigmata), ZooKeys 549, pp. 23-49 : 31-38

Taxon classification Animalia Mesostigmata Laelapidae

Pogonolaelaps beaulieui gen. n., sp. n. Figures 15-17, 18-22, 23-26, 27-29

Specimens examined.

Holotype, female, Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari province, Shahrekord (32°19'39"N, 50°51'35"E, H: 2206 m), soil, 2009; coll. A. Nemati; Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari province, Saamaan, Cham-Khalifeh (32°30'35"N, 50°52'12"E, H: 1875 m), Walnut rooting wood, 13 June 2012, three females, coll. A. Nemati; Saamaan (32°30'36"N, 50°53'13"E, H: 1873 m), rooting wood, three females and two males, 27 May 2012, coll. A. Nemati; Shahrekord, Shahrekord University, nest materials of unknown ant, one female and one male, 31 August 2007, coll. A. Nemati; Shahrekord, Shahrekord University, nest materials of unknown ant, two females, August 2006, coll. H. Maleki.

Diagnosis.

iv3 slit-like located posterior to st3 on postero-lateral corners of sternal shield, with large crescent-shaped podal shield posterior to coxa IV; dorsal shield with 23 pairs of setae on podonotal (rx seta present on podonotal part), and 28 pairs on opisthonotal part, plus 1-3 unpaired setae between J series; 7-9 pairs of thickened, elongated, and barbed opisthonotal setae; genu I with normal chaetotaxy (2 3/2 3/1 2), and genu IV with ten setae including two ventral setae (av and pv).

Description of the female

(n = 7). Figures 15-26.

Dorsal idiosoma (Fig. 15). Dorsal shield length 728-780, width 517-560, oval shaped, wraps around and flaps onto the ventral idiosoma; reticulation more distinct on opisthonotal part, with 51 pairs of setae, 23 pairs on podonotal, 28 pairs on opisthonotal region, plus 1-3 Jx setae between J series (usually with three); setae increasing in length from anterior to posterior and from dorso-central to dorso-lateral part, dorso-central setae length on podonotal (23-42) and dorso-lateral setae (50-80), lateral opisthonotal setae tend to reach well past base of next posterior setae, lateral opisthonotal part with 7-9 pairs of long, thick, barbed setae (98-130), length of central opisthonotal setae 31-52, lateral opisthonotal setae 62-75. Dorsal setae scimitar-shaped with a small basal knob (Fig. 17). Dorsal shield with 19 pairs of pore-like structures, nine pairs on podonotal and ten pairs on opisthonotal (six pairs of those are large and slit-like) (Fig. 15).

Ventral idiosoma (Fig. 16a, b). Tritosternum with columnar base (19-26) and paired pilose laciniae (85-93); pre-sternal plates weakly sclerotized and ornamented with transverse lines. Sternal shield with reticulate anterior and lateral margins, smooth posteriorly, 86-94 long, narrowest between coxae II (146-156), widest between coxae II and III (213-221), anterior margin sinuate, convex medially, posterior margin deeply concave. Sternal setae smooth, st1 (75-83), st2 (62-70) and st3 (62-78), iv1 slit-like, located slightly anterior to st1; iv2 slit-like, between st2 and st3, iv3 slit-like located posterior to st3, on postero-lateral corners of sternal shield; st4 absent. Endopodal plates II/III fused to lateral margins of sternal shield, endopodal plates III/IV elongate, curved. Genital shield broad, 377-395 long (including hyaline flap at the base of posterior margin of sternal shield), 208-226 wide at level of st5 and widest (260-273) near setae Zv1, abutting anal shield, well ornamented, with one pair of setae (st5 = 73-75) on shield and three pairs of setae adjacent to lateral edges; circular paragenital pores (iv5) located on soft integument between coxa IV and pair of minute narrow platelets. Anal shield subtriangular, 125-133 long, 151-156 wide, reticulated, post-anal seta (65-75) slightly longer than para-anal setae (52-60). Cribrum in a strip form of teeth, extending antero-laterally to level of post-anal seta. Opisthogastric surface with: one pair of elongate metapodal plates, two pairs of minute platelets (Fig. 16a), 12 pairs of long setae (Figs 16a,b) (Jv1 91-93, Jv2 83-88, Jv3 78-86, Jv4-5 98-104, Zv1 96-99, Zv2-3 88, Zv4-5 98-104), and four pairs of pore-like structures, plus one pair of adanal gland pores gv3 on lateral margin of anal shield (Figs 16a, b). Endopodal, podal and exopodal plates are as in genus. Peritreme extending from coxa IV to anterior level of coxa I, peritrematal shield wide, with two pairs of post-stigmatal pores, one pair of small pores anterior to stigmata and two pairs of pores (ip, gp) at level of coxae II/III.

Gnathosoma. Hypostome with three pairs of smooth simple setae: h1, h3 (70-75), h2 (23-26). Palpcoxal setae 36-39. Deutosternal groove with six rows of denticles, each bearing 7-9 small teeth except first row with three larger teeth; corniculi normal, horn-like, reaching beyond of mid-level of palp femur; internal malae free medially and densely fringed with elongate threads (Fig. 18). Epistome sub-triangular with smooth antero-lateral margins (Fig. 19). Chelicera with dorsal seta, lyrifissure and developed arthrodial processes (Fig. 20), movable digit (44) with two teeth, middle article (182-190), fixed digit with two moderately large teeth proximal to pilus dentilis, followed by four minute teeth and a small offset tooth subapically, setaceous pilus dentilis moderately robust. Palp chaetotaxy normal (sensu Evans and Till 1965) and as in genus, with simple setae except al on femur, and al2 of genu slightly thickened (Fig. 21), palp apotele three-tined (Figs 21, 22).

Legs. Tarsi I–IV with claws and ambulacra. Legs I (595-647) and IV (699-704), longer than legs II (455-486) and III (478-509) (excluding pre-tarsus). Leg chaetotaxy as follows: leg I: (Fig. 23) coxa 0 0/1 0/1 0, trochanter 1 1/2 0/1 1, femur 2 3/2 2/2 2, genu 2 3/2 3/1 2, tibia 2 3/2 3/1 2. Leg II: (Fig. 24) coxa 0 0/1 0/1 0, trochanter 1 0/1 0/2 1, femur 2 3/1 2/2 1, genu 2 3/1 2/1 2, tibia 2 2/1 2/1 2, tarsus 3,3/2,3/2,3 + mv, md.Leg III: (Fig. 25) coxa 0 0/1 0/1 0, trochanter 1 0/1 0/2 1, femur 1 2/0 1/1 1, genu 2 2/1 2/ 1 1, tibia 2 1/1 2/1 1, tarsus 3 3/2 3/2 3 + mv, md. Leg IV: (Fig. 26) coxa 0 0/1 0/0 0, trochanter 1 0/1 0/2 1, femur 0 2/1 1/1 1, genu 2 2/1 3/1 1, tibia 2 1/1 3/1 2, tarsus 3 3/2 3/2 3 + mv, md.

Insemination structures. Not seen, apparently unsclerotised.

Description of the male

(n = 3). Figures 27-29.

Dorsal idiosoma. Dorsal shield length 585-606 long, width 457-470, dorsal chaetotaxy as for female, except setae which are slightly shorter.

Ventral idiosoma (Fig. 27). With weakly sclerotised presternal shields; sterniti-genito-ventral shield, 413-420 long, 247-257 wide, reticulated throughout, bearing eight pairs of simple, pointed setae, st1-st5 (38-42), Zv1 and Jv1-2 (58-63); with separate reticulated anal shield, 99-105 long, 110-122 wide, post-anal seta (55-59) longer than para-anals (40-44); without metapodal plates, apparently fused to the lateral margin of sterniti-genito-ventral shield. Soft cuticle with eight pairs of pointed, mostly barbed setae.

Gnathosoma. As in female; chelicerae (Fig. 28) with middle segment (133-141), fixed digit (38-40) bearing two teeth. Pilus dentilis setiform. Movable digit (35-37) with one tooth; spermatodactyl (45) relatively straight.

Legs. Tarsi I-IV with claws and ambulacra. Leg I (510-525), leg II (390-401), leg III (438-445), leg IV (582-603), legs I and IV longer than legs II and III. Structure and chaetotaxy as in female, except for femur II, which bears a spine-like and thickened pv1 seta (Fig. 29).

Etymology.

This species is named in honor of Dr. Frederic Beaulieu (Canadian National Collection of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa, Canada).

Remarks.

Pogonolaelaps beaulieui gen. n., sp. n. is similar to Pogonolaelaps canestrinii comb. n. and can be readily distinguished from it by the presence of 28 pairs of setae on opisthonotal region plus 1-3 unpaired setae (32 pairs in Pogonolaelaps canestrinii plus 3 unpaired setae between J series); the dorsal setae of Pogonolaelaps beaulieui gen. n., sp. n. are much longer than those of Pogonolaelaps canestrinii comb. n. (see text), and the genital shield in Pogonolaelaps beaulieui gen. n., sp. n. [377-395 long, 208-226 wide at level of st5 and widest (260-273) near setae Zv1] is longer and wider than that of Pogonolaelaps canestrinii comb. n. [346-374 long, and 177-195 wide at level of st5 and widest (239-260 μm) near setae Zv1].