Cosmolaelaps busolii, Moreira, Grazielle Furtado, Klompen, Hans & Moraes, Gilberto José De, 2014

Moreira, Grazielle Furtado, Klompen, Hans & Moraes, Gilberto José De, 2014, Redefinition of Cosmolaelaps Berlese (Acari: Laelapidae) and description of five new species from Brazil, Zootaxa 3764 (3), pp. 317-346 : 331-333

Cosmolaelaps busolii n. sp.

Material examined: holotype female and one paratype female collected on 19 April 2000 by A.R. Oliveira from soil under Syagrus romanzoffiana (Cham) (Arecaceae) at Rodovia 226 (Parquera-Açu-Cananéia), km 16, Cananéia, São Paulo state, Brazil; one paratype male collected on 12 October 2000 by A.R. Oliveira from litter under Astrocaryum aculeatissimum (Schott) (Arecaceae) at Estação Experimental do IAC, Pariqueraçu, São Paulo state, Brazil; holotype and paratypes deposited at ESALQ-USP.

Diagnosis: female dorsal shield with 39 pairs of setae and two unpaired setae, all scimitar-shaped, except j1, setiform. Unsclerotised lateroventral cuticle with eight pairs of setae. Anterior lobes of sternal shield not distinguishable, sternal shield lightly sclerotised, with indistinct anterior margin. Genital shield bearing only st5. Two pairs of metapodal plates. Ten pairs of setiform opisthogastric setae (Jv1–Jv5; Zv1–Zv5). Epistome convex, denticulate. Fixed cheliceral digit with five teeth in addition to apical tooth.

Female ( Figure 4 A–F)

Dorsal idiosoma ( Fig. 4 A): dorsal shield 413 (399–427) long and 263 (255–271) wide (at level of r6), reticulate, with most reticules transversely elongate, with 39 pairs of setae, including two pairs of extra setae, and two unpaired setae [j1–j6, z1–z6, s1–s6, r2–r5 on podonotal region of dorsal shield and J1–J5, Z1–Z5, S1–S5, px2 (posterolaterad of J2) and px3 (posterolad of J3) and two unpaired Jx setae (in transverse line with J2 and in transverse line with px3) on opisthonotal region of dorsal shield]. Setae scimitar-shaped (with basal protuberance facing axis of the idiosoma), except j1, setiform. Length of setae shown in Table 1 . Dorsal shield with 17 and six pairs of distinguishable lyrifissures and pores respectively. Unsclerotised lateroventral cuticle with eight pairs of setae (r6, R1, R2, R4–R6, two UR setae).

Peritreme ( Fig. 4 F): peritrematic shield only fused to dorsal shield, near z1, with a pair of lyrifissures and a pore behind stigma; with a pore and a lyrifissure dorsad of peritreme between coxae II and III. Peritreme extending anteriorly to level between s1 and z1.

Ventral idiosoma ( Fig. 4 B): anterior lobes of sternal shield not distinguishable; sternal shield lightly sclerotised, smooth, with indistinct anterior margin; posterior margin only distinguishable near st3; about as long as wide, with three pairs of setae (st1–st3) and two pairs of lyrifissures (iv1, iv2); distance between st1 and the posterior margin of sternal shield 80 (79–81), st1–st1 58 (58–59), st2–st2 70 (69–71), st3–st3 87 (87–87). Length of setae shown in Table 2 . Seta st4 on unsclerotised cuticle, posterolaterad of iv3 which is also on cuticle. Genital shield not fused with anal shield, flask-shaped, reticulate [length 190 (190–190), width 84 (82–87)], with one pair of setae (st5); distance st5–st5 98 (89–107). Genital lyrifissure (iv5) on unsclerotised cuticle, posterolatered of st 5. Rod-shaped plate fused with genital shield by anterior end and with acute posterior end free. Two pairs of metapodal plates, the anterior smaller. Anterior section of endopodal shield distinctly more sclerotised than sternal shield, fused with it, with anterior end distinctly prolonged between coxae I and II; section behind sternal shield fragmented into a boomerang-shaped fragment between coxae III and IV and a smaller rod-shaped posterior fragment surrounding part of postero-mesad region of coxa IV. Exopodal shield indistinct. Anal shield subtriangular (wider section anterior), with scanty striae [65 (63–66) long and 63 (61–65) wide], with a pair of marginal pores about in transverse line with anterior margin of anal opening. With 10 pair of setiform opisthogastric setae: Jv1–Jv5, Zv1–Zv5; with a minute plate anterolaterad of Zv1.

Gnathosoma: epistome convex, denticulate ( Fig. 4 D). Deutosternum with a smooth, transverse distal line followed by six transverse lines of denticles; number of teeth decreasing from distal (26) to proximal row (8); with a pair of smooth, transverse and curved lines external to deutosternum, between second and third most proximal lines of denticles ( Fig. 4 C). Corniculi parallel to each other, 27 (25–28) long and 7 (6–7) wide basally, almost reaching middle of palp femur. Internal malae adjacent to each other, smooth, laterad by a pair of structures subdivided distally into about five coarse tines. Lengths of setae on venter of gnathosoma shown in Table 2 . Hypostomal seta h2 laterad and slightly anteriad of h3. Palp length 115 (113–118), apotele 2-tined; inner palp trochanter seta about 1.6 times as long as outer seta. Cheliceral digits of similar lengths ( Fig. 4 E); movable cheliceral digit 36 (36–37) with two teeth in addition to distal tooth; fixed digit 41 (40–42) with five teeth in addition to apical tooth and minute setiform pilus dentilis. Stout dorsal cheliceral seta and dorsal lyrifissure distinguishable; antiaxial lyrifissure indistinguishable. Cheliceral arthrodial process as a coronet-like fringe.

Legs: lengths, not including ambulacra—I, 412 (411–413); II, 320 (318–321); III, 310 (308–312); IV, 436 (425–448); chaetotaxy: I—coxa 0-0/2, 0/0-0, trochanter 1-0/1, 1/2-1, femur 2-2/1, 3/3-2, genu 2-3/2, 3/1-2, tibia 2- 3/2, 3/1-2; II—coxa 0-0/1, 0/1-0, trochanter 1-0/1, 1/1-1, femur 2-3/1, 2/2-1, genu 2-3/1, 2/1-2, tibia 2-2/1, 2/1-2; III—coxa 0-0/1, 0/1-0, trochanter 1-1/1, 0/1-1, femur 1-2/1, 1/0-1, genu 2-2/1, 2/1-1, tibia 2-1/1, 2/1-1; IV- coxa 0- 0/1, 0/0-0, trochanter 2-1/1, 0/1-0, femur 1-2/1, 1/0-1, genu 2-2/1, 3/0-1, tibia 2-1/1, 3/1-2; tarsi II–IV: 18 setae each. Pre-tarsi with short claws, pulvillus distally rounded. Setae uniform in shape, no macrosetae.

Male ( Figure 4 G–H)

Dorsal idiosoma: dorsal shield [318 long and 196 wide (at level of r6)], similar in reticulation and setation to female. Dorsal setal length about 65% of that in female ( Table 3 ). Unsclerotised lateral cuticle with seven pairs of setae (r6, R1, R2, R4-R6, one UR).

Peritreme: as in female.

Ventral idiosoma ( Fig. 4 H): holoventral shield [259 long and 150 of wide (behind coxae IV)], with ten pairs of setae (st1–st5, Jv1–Jv3, Zv1 and Zv2) in addition to circumanal setae, a single pair of barely distinguishable lyrifissures (iv2) and a pair of marginal pores about in transverse line with posterior margin of anal opening. Holoventral setae about 60% as long as in female ( Table 4 ). Unsclerotised cuticle posterolaterad of ventrianal region with five pairs of setae (Jv4, Jv5, Zv3–Zv5) and no distinguishable lyrifissures.

Gnathosoma: epistome, deutosternum and corniculi similar to female. Cheliceral digits of similar lengths ( Fig. 4 G); movable digit 29 with two teeth in addition to distal tooth; fixed digit 33, with one tooth distal to minute setiform pilus dentilis; spermatodactyl 37, curved upward, apparently widely fused basally with movable digit. Dorsal cheliceral seta and lyrifissure distinguishable; antiaxial lyrifissure indistinct.

Legs: as in female.

Etymology. the name busolii is a homage to Antonio Carlos Busoli, for his contribution to Brazilian entomology.

Remarks. Cosmolaelaps busolii is closely related to C. panniculus (Karg) and C. paulista (Freire & Moraes) , both described from Brazil. They have dorsal shield setae scimitar-shaped, Z5 shorter than other dorsal shield setae, epistome convex, bearing denticles of similar lengths. Cosmolaelaps panniculus differs from C. busolii by having only 35 pairs of dorsal shield setae, and the sternal shield normally sclerotised, reticulate. Cosmolaelaps paulista differs by having setae of the podonotal region of the dorsal shield usually distinctly longer than the distance to the subsequent setae in the same series, especially j5, j6 and z2; sternal shield normally sclerotised, reticulate; genital shield smooth near its posterior end, and the exopodal shield behind the sternal shield consisting of a single fragment extending from the region between coxae III–IV to the region behind coxa IV.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Cosmolaelaps busolii. Female. A. Dorsal idiosoma; B. Ventral idiosoma; C. Ventral gnathosoma; D. Epistome; E. Chelicera; F. Peritreme. Male. G. Chelicera; H. Ventral idiosoma.