Pseudoleptus kermanshahiensis, Khanjani, Masoumeh, Khanjani, Mohammad, Saboori, Alireza & Seeman, Owen D., 2012

Khanjani, Masoumeh, Khanjani, Mohammad, Saboori, Alireza & Seeman, Owen D., 2012, Three new false spider mites of the genus Pseudoleptus Bruyant (Acari: Tenuipalpidae) from Iran, Zootaxa 3297, pp. 41-56 : 52

Pseudoleptus kermanshahiensis sp. nov.

( Figs. 27–36 )

Diagnosis. Hysterosoma with 12 pairs of setae (f2 absent). Prodorsal projections extending just past coxa I. Seta h2 much longer than h1. Ventral idiosoma with sections of tessellate sculpturing. Ventral plate obsolete, tessellate; genital plate smooth. Anal setae arranged in a triangular pattern. Palp 4-segmented; femur fused to genu, bearing dorsal femoral seta; palp tibia with 2 setae; palp tarsus with 1 solenidion and 2 eupathidia; palp solenidion short, about 1/3 to 1/2 length of eupathidia; palp tarsal phaneres rayed. Trochanter III with 2 setae; genu III bare.

Description.

FEMALE (holotype). Color in life red. Idiosoma broadly oval. Measurements: length of body (excluding gnathosoma) 302; (including gnathosoma) 316; width 159; length of leg I 113; leg II 104; leg III 94, leg IV 91.

Dorsum ( Figs. 27, 29 ). Prodorsal projections acutely pointed prongs ( Fig. 29 ). Medial prodorsum with irregular, coarse striation; lateral prodorsum with oblique to transverse broad striae ( Fig. 27 ). Area surrounding sejugal suture with irregular transverse striae; anterior opisthosoma with tessellate sculpture; metapodosomal region with paired smooth area flanked by coarse striae; posterior opisthosoma mostly smooth, with few coarse oblique striae; pores absent. Prodorsal setae serrate. Opisthosoma with lateral setae slender and serrate, dorsocentral setae small and smooth or weakly barbed, posterolateral opisthosomal setae longer than anterolateral and dorsocentral setae; distance between setae v2-v2 2.5 times length of seta v2; lengths of dorsal setae: v2 17, sc1 26, sc2 27, c1 11, c 2 13, c 3 16, d1 7, d2 8, d3 11, e1 7, e2 7, e3 17, f3 30, h1 16, h2 33; distances between dorsal setae: v2-v2 40, v2-sc1 45, sc1-sc1 108, sc2-sc2 131, sc1-sc2 28, c1-c1 26, c1-c2 40, c2-c3 24, c3-c3 148, c1-d1 43, c2-d2 54, c3-d3 69, c2-c2 108, d1-d1 18, d1-d2 35, d2-d3 14, d2-d2 86, d3-d3 112, d1- e 1 37, e1- e 1 39, e1- e 2 31, e2- e 2 99, e2- e 3 24, e3- e 3 94, f3-f3 87, f3- h2 12, h1-h1 56, h1-h2 10, h2-h2 73, e1-h1 60.

Venter ( Fig. 28 ). Intercoxal area between coxae I-II with coarse, longitudinal striae and between III-IV with coarse broken longitudinal striae; area between setae la to 3a and posteriad of 4a with tessellated pattern. Length of setae la 63, 1 b 13, 1 c 12, 2 b 18, 2 c 23, 3 a 22, 3 b 20, 4 a 19, and 4b 18.

Ventral setae fine, setae 1a 5-6 times longer than aggenital setae (ag) 12. Ventral shield smooth and genital shield weakly expressed, with few transverse-tessellate striae ( Fig. 28 ); aggenital (ag) setae almost smooth and shorter than genital setae (g1-2); inner pair (g1) level with outer pair (g2); anal setae (ps1-3) shorter than genital setae, setae g1 23, g2 20, ps1 15, ps 2 24, ps3 13. Distances: ag-ag 34, g1-g1 31, g2-g2 41, g1-g2 5.

Gnathosoma ( Figs. 30–32 ). Rostrum normal and as indicated in Fig. 28 ; palp 4 segmented, with 1 solenidion and 2 eupathidia; palp tibia with 2 setae; palp femurogenu with 1 dorsal seta ( Fig. 31 ). Subcapitulum and chelicerae as in Figs. 30 and 32 , respectively.

Legs ( Figs. 33-36 ). Setal formulae of leg I-IV segments as follows (numbers of solenidia in parentheses): coxae 2 – 2 – 1 – 1; trochanters 1 – 1 – 2 – 1; femora 4 – 4 – 2 – 1; genua 3 – 3 – 0 – 0; tibiae 4 – 4 – 3 – 3; tarsi 9(1) – 9(1) – 5 – 5. Tarsal claws pad-like, with tenent hairs. Legs chaetotaxy shown in Figs.33-36 .

Male and immature stages. Unknown.

Material examined. Holotype female from Alopecurus myosuroides Hudson (Poaceae) under apple trees, Malus domestica (L.) ( Rosaceae ), IRAN: Kermanshah province, Sahneh (34° 27ʹ 49.59ʹ N 47°40ʹ48ʹ E, alitude 1316 m a. s. l.), 3 July, 2010, coll. M. Khanjani.

Type deposition. Holotype female–QMA.

Etymology. The new species is named after the city name, Kermanshah, Iran, where it was collected.

Remarks. Although this species is represented by only one specimen it is undoubtedly distinct from all other Pseudoleptus as it is the only species with the combination of 12 pairs of hysterosomal setae (seta f2 absent) and 4- segmented palps bearing a palp femoral seta. Furthermore, its combination of dorsal and ventral sculpturing, leg chaetotaxy and dorsal setal lengths is also unique. This species is closer to New World species of Pseudoleptus , as it lacks seta f2, has smooth metapodosomal and opisthosomal shields, genu III without seta l ΄, and an obsolete ventral shield. Also P. kermanshahiensis sp. nov resembles P. zelihae Pritchard and Baker, 1958 in having the same number of hysterosomal setae, paired smooth metapodosomal shields and a smooth opisthosomal shield. However it differs from the latter by: palp femur-genu with one seta versus without seta P. zelihae ; palp tarsus with two eupathidia and one simple seta versus one eupathidium and one simple seta in P. z e l i h a e; propodosoma medially with irregular, coarse striation versus regular longitudinal striae in P. z e l i h a e; and opisthosomal venter with regions of tessellate sculpturing instead of mostly transverse undulate striae in P. zelihae .

Figures

FIGURES 27 – 32. Pseudoleptus kermanshahiensis sp. nov. (female): 27. Dorsum; 28. Venter; 29. Prodorsal projections; 30. Subcapitulum; 31. Palp; 32. Chelicerae.

FIGURES 33 – 36. Pseudoleptus kermanshahiensis sp. nov. (female): 34. Leg I, dorsal; 34. Leg II, dorsal; 35. Leg III, lateral; 36. Leg IV, lateral. Tarsal chaetotaxy same as in figures 33 – 36.