Labidostoma (Labidostoma) intermedia, Bertrand & Bagheri & Akbari & Yazdanian & Irani-Nejad & Mohajer & Saboori, 2012

Bertrand, M., Bagheri, M., Akbari, A., Yazdanian, M., Irani-Nejad, K. H., Mohajer, S. S. & Saboori, A., 2012, A New Iranian Species Of The Subgenus Labidostoma (Prostigmata: Labidostomatidae), With New Biogeographic Data On The Integrum Species Group, Acarologia 52 (3), pp. 233-245 : 237-240

Labidostoma (Labidostoma) intermedia n. sp.

Types: Holotype ♀, MNHN-Ac1152, Iran, Golestan Province, Gorgan (36°50’N, 54°30’E), Berlese extraction of soil, 1.03.2011. Allotype ♂, MNHN-Ac1153, Iran, Golestan Province, Gorgan (36°50’N, 54°30’E), Berlese extraction of soil. A reference collection is kept at the Zoology Museum of Tehran University (three females) .

Female — Dorsal shield 570 – 670 µm long, 260 – 302 wide. Male similar.

Dorsal shield — ( Figures 1A, 1C, 1D and 1E ) Body elongated, covered by a reticular pattern even in the central zone. As in many species the polygons become less regular and less distinct and increasingly granulate dorsally as well as in the posterior part. Two pairs of long trichobothria; bop longest. Aspidosomal setae: ge> ga = gr <gm, all simple. Usual paired dorsal and lateral setae, all simple, posterior setae (dd, de, and le) longest. Dorsal pores visible around bop and grouped in area posteriad to setae gm and latero-posterior to db. Anterior eye present, 23 µm in diameter, in subterminal position. One pair of large lateral pustules (diameter 34 µm) each close to the small lateral eyes. Lateral lyriform organ present, extending over three to five cuticular cells. The pustule cuts the lateral line of pores that are connected by a sclerotized " ridge " (figures 3A and 3B). The posterior part of this ridge (arOEte of Grandjean, op. cit.) follows the margin on the dorsal shield backward and continues from the right pustule to the symmetric pustule. From the oculopustular zone, the anterior branches are inclined toward the axis of the body and are long enough to reach the aspidosomal setae ge. In some individuals the anterior ridge ends below the lateral ocular lenses, the posterior branch ends at the level of the pustule and sometimes tends to curve below this organ (figure 3B).

Ventral shield — (figure 1B) Entirely covered by ornamentation. Epimeral setae short ((18-24)-(14)- (9)-(12)). Usual coxal pore on epimera I. Fourteen pores on cuticle behind the fourth epimeral plate and a transverse line of eight setae (the number of pores differs between integrum and caucasicum with 10 and 12 pores respectively). Anogenital ring surrounding anal and genital shields in the female, distinct genital and anal rings in the male (figures 2C and 2D).

Infracapitulum — The labrum (dorsal lip) is shorter than the lateral lips, which are rather large, each with a minute seta. Setae ma and mb, plus two additional setae near insertion of the palp. Palps with usual chaetotaxy, dorsal solenidion. The presence of additional setae was noted on Grandjean’s drawings for integrum ; Feider and Vasiliu recorded two setae in Romanian specimens of L. integrum , whereas they have drawn three setae in caucasicum. Such additional setae are absent on Kazakhstani specimens of integrum (fig. 5B).

Chelicerae — (figures 3C and 3D) The chelicerae differ essentially from those of the other species of the group by the shape of the paraxial tooth, which is less developed and not smooth. It differs clearly from the French (figure 6A), Algerian (figures 6B and 6C), Romanian (figure 6E) and Kazakhstani (figure 5A) specimens of L. integrum and from L. caucasicum (figure 6D) by the teeth and denticles of the mobile digit. Note that the chelicerae of French specimens of L. integrum show an inferior tooth very similar to the drawings of Feider and Vasiliu (1970), but differ from the integrum ’s chelicerae drawn by Grandjean ( Figures 6 A-6D). It may be supposed that Grandjean chose North African specimens because they were of a bigger size than French ones ( Grandjean, 1942b).

Legs — Among the species-group, the first pair of legs is remarkable for its lengthened tibia, genu and mesofemur. L. intermedia n. sp. exhibits a relatively short genu, subequal in length to the mesofemur, the tibia being the longest article (ratio genual/tibia = 0.7 vs. 0.8 in L. integrum ) ( Table 2 ). Simple setae on leg I. Tarsi of PII, PIII and PIV with subterminal ventral setae plumose (= " scobales " sensu Feider and Vasiliu), other setae simple. Tarsus I with usual solenidia ω1 and ω2, and spine-like famulus, tarsal eupathidia present.

Figures

FIGURE 1: Labidostoma (Labidostoma) intermedia n. sp., female: A – dorsal shield; B – epimera (p: epimeral and post epimeral pores; C-D – dorsal trichobotria; E – detail of dorso-lateral line of pores.

FIGURE 6: Compared cheliceral morphology in the integrum-species group: A – Labidostoma integrum (Aude, France, Bertrand coll.); B-C – Labidostoma integrum from Grandjean 1942 Modified (possible Algerian specimen); D-E – Labidostoma integrum (Romania) and Labidostoma caucasicum (Romania) (from Feider and Vasiliu, 1970, redrawn).