Molothrognathus tauricus, Khaustov, 2021

Khaustov, Alexander, 2021, Two new species of Caligonellidae (Acari: Raphignathoidea) from Crimea, Acarologia 61 (4), pp. 910-927 : 917-923

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.24349/DZRV-GIdY
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7159978
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03FB6F1D-570D-FFAF-FE39-7FBEFA2AF89F
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Molothrognathus tauricus
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Molothrognathus tauricus n. sp.

Zoobank: 1A3D7D07-6A22-4AB1-BD09-E44266190FC1

( Figures 9–15 View Figure 9 View Figure 10 View Figure 11 View Figure 12 View Figure 13 View Figure 14 View Figure 15 )

Diagnosis — Female. Dorsal shield present in space between setae vi, ve and c1 ; setae sce distinctly longer than other dorsal setae; setae c2 much shorter than sce and subequal with ve ; setae ag3 absent.

Description

Female ( Figs 9-11 View Figure 9 View Figure 10 View Figure 11 ) — Length of idiosoma 320, width 185.

Idiosomal dorsum ( Fig. 9A View Figure 9 ) ‒ Ovate. Dorsal idiosomal stria thin, usually double; dorsal shield present, smooth, weakly sclerotized, ovate, and located in space between setae vi, ve, and c1. Two pairs of ocelli located posterolaterad setae sci, posterior ocellus poorly visible. Cupuli ia, im and ip large, almost round; ia located just posteriad ocelli, im anterolaterad d and ip laterad f. All dorsal idiosomal setae smooth and pointed; sce distinctly longer than other dorsal setae; setae ve, sci and c2 subequal, c1 slightly shorter than c2. Anal valves located dorsal; two pairs of pseudanal setae. Lengths of dorsal setae: vi 22, ve 18, sci 21, sce 44, c1 14, c2 20, d

16, e 20, f 19, h1 27, h2 26, ps1 7, ps2 10.

Idiosomal venter ( Fig. 9B View Figure 9 ) ‒ Ventral idiosoma without plate between coxae, striated. Coxal fields I-II and III-IV smooth. All ventral setae smooth and pointed. Two pairs of aggenital and one pair of genital setae; cupuli ih located posterolaterad ag2. Lengths of ventral setae: 1a 30, 1b 25, 1c 26, 2c 23, 3a 37, 3b 23, 4a 27, 4c 21, ag1 25, ag2 17, g 15.

Gnathosoma ( Fig. 10 View Figure 10 ) ‒ Stylophore almost triangular ( Fig. 10A View Figure 10 ), split distally, longitudinally striated, its length 82, width 46; peritremes tubular, typical for the genus; cheliceral stylets long, about three times longer than cheliceral levers. Palpal supracoxal setae ep () located in deep depression with terminal pore; palpal chaetotaxy as in Caligonella quinqueocellata ; tibial claw well developed, slightly hooked; all palpal setae smooth, eupathidia acmϛ, ul’ϛ, ul”ϛ, sulϛ blunt-tipped, other palpal setae pointed. Subcapitulum with few sparsely distributed puncta ( Fig. 10B View Figure 10 ); all subcapitular setae smooth and pointed; lengths of subcapitular setae: m 35, or1

8, or2 9, length of palptarsal solenidion ω 5.

Legs ( Fig. 11 View Figure 11 ) ‒ Lengths of legs: I 205, II 150, III 170, IV 200. Setation of legs as in Caligonella quinqueocellata . Leg I ( Fig. 11A View Figure 11 ) longer than other legs. Supracoxal seta of leg I (el) located in deep depression with terminal pore; seta k of genu located in shallow depression; all leg setae smooth; setae (tc) and (p) eupathid-like, blunt-tipped, other leg setae pointed; solenidion ω 10 digitiform, solenidia φ 3 and φp 7 baculiform. Leg II ( Fig. 11B View Figure 11 ). All leg setae smooth; seta p”ϛ eupathid-like, blunt-tipped; other leg setae pointed; solenidion ω 4 digitiform. Leg III ( Fig. 11C View Figure 11 ). All leg setae smooth and pointed. Leg IV ( Fig. 11D View Figure 11 ). All leg setae smooth and pointed.

Protonymph ( Figs 12 View Figure 12 , 14C View Figure 14 ) — Length of idiosoma 250‒275, width 155‒160.

Idiosomal dorsum ( Fig. 12A View Figure 12 ) ‒ completely striated, without distinct dorsal shield, with oval area with very thin stria anteriad c1. Dorsal setae and cupuli as in female. Anal opening terminal. Lengths of dorsal setae: vi 18, ve 17, sci 17, sce 46, c1 15, c2 19, d 17, e 18, f 20, h1

33, h2 35, ps1 8, ps2 8.

Idiosomal venter ( Fig. 12B View Figure 12 ) ‒ Ventral idiosoma completely striated. Coxal field I‒III as in female; coxal fields IV without setae; one pair of aggenital setae. All ventral setae smooth and pointed; cupuli ih located anteriad h2. Lengths of ventral setae: 1a 24, 1b 22, 1c 22, 2c 17, 3a

34, 3b 17, ag 18.

Gnathosoma ‒ as in female. Length of stylophore 69, width 40, lengths of setae: m 24, or1

7, or2 7, length of palptarsal solenidion ω 4.

Legs ( Fig. 14C View Figure 14 ) ‒ Lengths of legs: I 175, II 130, III 150, IV 165. Setation of legs I‒III as in female. Leg I longer than other legs. Solenidion ω 8 digitiform, solenidia φ 3 and φp 6 baculiform. Leg II. Solenidion ω 4 digitiform. Leg IV ( Fig. 14C View Figure 14 ). Leg setation: Tr 0, Fe 1 (ev ′), Ge 1 (v ′), Ti 4 (d, l”, v ′, v”), Ta 8 (tc ′, tc”, a ′, a”, u ′, u”, pv ′, pv”). All leg setae smooth and pointed.

Larva ( Figs 13 View Figure 13 , 14A, B View Figure 14 , 15 View Figure 15 ) — Length of idiosoma 235, width 135.

Idiosomal dorsum ( Fig. 13A View Figure 13 ) ‒ completely striated, without dorsal shield. Dorsal setae c2 much longer than in female and protonymph. Anal opening terminal. Lengths of dorsal setae: vi 21, ve 17, sci 19, sce 78, c1 20, c2 57, d 17, e 25, f 38, h1 49, h2 35, ps1 7, ps2 8.

Idiosomal venter ( Fig. 13B View Figure 13 ) ‒ Ventral idiosoma similar with that of protonymph, except absence of setae 2c, 3b and ag1. Lengths of ventral setae: 1a 25, 1b 26, 3a 35.

Gnathosoma ( Fig. 14A, B View Figure 14 ) ‒ in general similar to that of female except following: subcapitulum without setae m ( Fig. 14A View Figure 14 ), palptarsus with setae acm and sul simple (not eupathidia) ( Fig. 14B View Figure 14 ). Length of stylophore 60, width 33, lengths of setae: or1 7, or2 8, length of palptarsal solenidion ω 3.

Legs ( Fig. 15 View Figure 15 ) ‒ Lengths of legs: I 165, II 125, III 145. Setation of legs as in larva of Caligonella quinqueocellata , except absence of seta p” on tarsus II. Leg I ( Fig. 15A View Figure 15 ) longer than other legs. All leg setae smooth; setae p () eupathid-like, blunt-tipped, other leg setae pointed; solenidion ω 7 digitiform, solenidia φ 3 and φp 6 baculiform. Leg II ( Fig. 15B View Figure 15 ). All leg setae smooth and pointed; solenidion ω 5 digitiform. Leg III ( Fig. 15C View Figure 15 ). All leg setae smooth and pointed.

Type material — Female holotype, slide ZISP T-Cal-02, Crimea, Aeabat Spit, 45°17 ′ 54.0 ″ N 35°28 ′ 19.0 ″ E, 14 June 2021, moss on sandy soil, coll. A.A. Khaustov. Paratypes: 1 larva, 2 protonymphs, same data.

Type deposition — The holotype and 2 protonymph paratypes of the new species are deposited in the acarological collection of the Zoological Institute of RAS, St. Petersburg, Russia ; other paratype is deposited in the mite collection of the Tyumen State University Museum of Zoology, Tyumen, Russia.

Etymology — The name of the new species refers to its distribution in Crimea.

Differential diagnosis — The female of the new species is most similar to Molothrognatus crucis Summers and Schlinger, 1955 , described from USA ( Summers and Schlinger 1955) and redescribed from Turkey ( Doğan 2003), and M. mikaeeli Bagheri and Ahamazad, 2012 , described from Iran (Ahanazad and Bagheri 2012), by the absence of setae ag3, and setae

c2 subequal with c1 and ve and distinctly shorter than sce. The new species differs from M. mikaeeli by the presence of dorsal idiosomal shield (absent M in. mikaeeli ). The new species differs from M. crucis in having dorsal idiosomal shield much shorter, its posterior margin not exceeding beyond bases of setae c1 and oval in shape (dorsal idiosomal shield very long, tongue-shaped, its posterior margin exceeding beyond bases of setae d in M. crucis ) and by distinctly shorter setae sce, which about twice longer than c2 (sce much longer, about three times longer than c 2 in M. crucis ). The female of the new species is also similar to M. shirazicus Khanjani, Bakhshi and Khanjani, 2016 , described from Iran ( Khanjani et al. 2016) and M. colei Swift, 1996 , described from Hawaii ( Swift 1996), by the similar shape of dorsal idiosomal shield. The new species differs from both species by the absence of setae ag3 (present in M. shirazicus and M. colei ). The new species differs from M. shirazicus in having setae c2 subequal with ve and sci (c2 distinctly longer than ve and sci in M. shirazicus ). The new species differs from M. colei in having setae c2 twice shorter than sce (c2 and sce subequal in M. colei ).