Neoseiulus arabicus, Mirza & Kamran & Alatawi, 2024

Mirza, Jawwad Hassan, Kamran, Muhammad & Alatawi, Fahad Jaber, 2024, New species and new records of the family Phytoseiidae Berlese (Acari: Mesostigmata) from Saudi Arabia, Zootaxa 5496 (4), pp. 567-578 : 568-571

Neoseiulus arabicus sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:B8A266EF-F868-4A75-97AB-2D16F8D6540E

( Figures 1–10 )

Diagnosis: Peritremes extending to the level between setae j3 and z2, fixed cheliceral digit with five teeth, movable digit with one tooth, pre-anal pores crescent-shaped, seta Z4 smooth.

Description of female

(n = 11)

Dorsum ( Figures 1–2 ). Dorsal shield elongate with distinct shoulders at level of seta r3 and a slight waist at level of R1, posterior and anterior margins subequal in width, strongly sclerotised and entirely reticulated, with 17 pairs of smooth setae except Z5 and S5 slightly serrated, J5 minutely serrated only at the base. Setae r3 and R1 on the integument, six pairs of solenostomes visible (gd1, gd2, gd5, gd6, gd8 and gd9), gd4 and other poroids not visible. Dorsal shield 375 (368–380) long, 154 (151–159) wide at level of s4, 156 (152–160) wide at level of S2. Peritreme extending to level of setae j3. Length of dorsal setae: j1 15 (13–16), j3 15 (13–16), j4 11 (10–11), j5 11 (10–11), j6 10 (9–11), J2 14 (13–15), J5 11 (10–12), z2 13 (11–15), z4 12 (11–13), z5 10 (11–12), Z1 12 (11–13), Z4 20 (17–21), Z5 68 (65–71), s4 20 (18–21), S2 16 (15–18) S4 21 (20–23), S5 23 (20–22), r3 17 (15–19), R1 15 (13–16).

Venter ( Figures 3–6 ). Sternal shield sclerotised, strongly reticulated, 98 (94–105) long and 65 (62–69) wide, bearing three pairs of setae and two pairs of poroids (iv1–iv2). Distance st1–st1 50 (47–53), st2–st2 57 (53–59), st3– st3 63 (60–67), st4–st4 63 (60–68), st5–st5 63 (60–65), st1–st2 51 (48–53), st1–st3 35 (32–38), st2–st3 23 (21–25), seta st4 and poroid (iv3) on metasternal platelets ( Figure 3 ). Genital shield laterally with elongate cells, 84 (81–88) wide, with setae st5 ( Figures 3, 5 ). Ventrianal shield quadrate, weakly reticulated anteriorly and strongly posteriorly, 127 (120–132) long, 94 (90–99) wide at level of ZV2, 84 (80–90) wide at level of anus, with three pairs of pre-anal setae (JV1, JV2, and ZV2), and one pair of small crescentic pores (gv3) posteromesad to setae ZV2, distance between pre-anal pores 27 (25–30); one pair of para-anal (Pa) and a post-anal seta (Pst). Four pairs of setae (JV4, JV5, ZV1 and ZV3), and five pairs of poroids on integument surrounding ventrianal shield. Seta JV5 smooth, much longer than other ventral setae, 37 (33–23) long, two metapodal platelets present on soft cuticle surrounding the ventrianal shield ( Figures 3, 6 ).

Chelicera ( Figure 7 ). Fixed digit 24–25 long with five teeth and pilus dentilis, movable digit 26–27 long with one tooth, a brush-like arthrodial process at the base of movable digit and an antiaxial pore present.

Spermatheca ( Figures 9–10 ). Spermatheca cup-shaped, 10 (10–11) wide, atrium small adjacent to the calyx, minor duct not visible.

Legs. Genu II–IV and tibia II–III each with seven setae, only one macroseta with pointed tip present on basitarsus IV, StIV 43 (40–45) long ( Figure 8 ). Other legs without macrosetae.

Etymology: The specific name arabicus refers to the location (Arabia) where the type specimens were collected.

Type material: Holotype female and two paratype females, wild grasses ( Poaceae ), 19°49.35 N, 41°46.53 E, Balgershi, Baha, 28 October 2019, coll. M Kamran and HMS Mushtaq ; one paratype female, Cynodon dactylon (L.) ( Poaceae ), 21°29.81 N, 40°00.47 E, AlRashidyah , Makkah, 11 April 2018, coll. HMS Mushtaq ; two paratype females, Acacia sp. ( Fabaceae ), 18°14.43 N, 42°34.30 E,Abha, 30 October 2019, coll. M Kamran and HMS Mushtaq ; one paratype female, Pulicaria sp. ( Asteraceae ), 18°14.44 N, 42°33.82 E, Abha , 30 October 2019, coll. M Kamran and HMS Mushtaq ; one paratype female, wild grasses ( Poaceae ), 18°27.35 N, 42°26.46 E, Abha , 31 October 2019, coll. M Kamran and HMS Mushtaq ; one paratype female, unidentified host plant, 17°38.22 N, 42°54.11 E, Algaher, Jizan, 28 February 2024, coll. N. Elgoni , two paratype females, grasses ( Poaceae ), Hada Mountain, Asir, Makkah, 18° 659 N, 42°156 E, 3 March 2024, Coll . EM Khan .

Remarks

Neosieulus arabicus is morphologically close to a group of five species following the identification key to species of the paspalivorus species group ( Döker et al., 2021) i.e. Neoseiulus bheraensis Chaudhri, Akbar & Rasool, 1979 , N. lula ( Pritchard & Baker, 1962) , N. paspalivorus ( De Leon, 1957) , N. shambati ( El-Badry, 1968) and N. taiwanicus ( Ehara, 1970) , by having one tooth on the movable digit of chelicerae, only leg IV with only one macrosetae and posterior and anterior margins of dorsal shield subequal in width. In the new species, the seta Z5 is almost 1.5 times longer than macroseta STIV. This character state brings the new species closer to N. lula (seta Z5 and macroseta STIV subequal (1.2 times) in length), following the key to species of paspalivorus species group by Döker et al., (2021) at couplet 10. While, in the other four species, as mentioned above, the seta Z5 is at least two times or more than two times longer than STIV. The new species differs from N. lula by the number of teeth on the fixed digit (five vs. eight in N. lula ), length of peritremes (reaching the level of j3 vs. reaching to setae j 1 in N. lula ), the shape of pre-anal pores (crescent vs. rounded in N. lula ), and setae Z4 (smooth vs. serrate in N. lula ).

The new species also differs from N. bheraensis , N. paspalivorus , N. shambati and N. taiwanicus mainly by the seta Z5 1.5 times longer than macroseta STIV vs at least two or more than two times longer in other four species (STIV is longest (40–45) in the new species compared to 31, 15–20, 24 and 20 long in other species, respectively) ( Döker et al., 2021). Additionally, N. arabicus has a reticulated sternal shield (smooth in N. bheraensis and N. shambati ), pre-anal pores gv3 crescent shaped (rounded distinct in N. paspalivorus and N. taiwanicus ), five teeth on fixed digit (six teeth in N. paspalivorus and three teeth in N. shambati ) and peritremes reaching to the level of seta j3 (reaching to seta j 1 in N. paspalivorus and reaching between setae j1–j 3 in N. bheraensis , N. shambati and N. taiwanicus ).

Figures

FIGURES 1–2. Neoseiulus arabicus sp. nov. Holotype female, dorsal shield.

FIGURES 3–6. Neoseiulus arabicus sp. nov. Holotype female: 3. Ventral shields; 4. Sternal shield; 5. Genital shield; 6. Ventrianal shield.

FIGURES 7–10. Neoseiulus arabicus sp. nov. Holotype female: 7. Chelicera. 8. Genu, tibia, and basitarsus of leg IV; 9, 10. Spermatheca.