Geckobiella Hirst

Paredes-León, Ricardo, Klompen, Hans & Pérez, Tila M., 2012, Systematic revision of the genera Geckobiella Hirst, 1917 and Hirstiella Berlese, 1920 (Acari: Prostigmata: Pterygosomatidae) with description of a new genus for American species parasites on geckos formerly placed in Hirstiella, Zootaxa 3510, pp. 1-40 : 6-7

Geckobiella Hirst

Geckobiella Hirst, 1917: 138 ; Hirst 1926: 199; Radford 1943: 71; 1950: 377; Baker and Wharton 1952: 208; Lawrence 1953: 15.

Geckobiella (Hirstiella) Berlese, 1920: 194 .

Hirstiella (in part): Hirst 1926: 197; Vitzthum 1942: 806; Radford 1943: 71; 1950: 377; Baker and Wharton 1952: 208; Cunliffe 1952: 162; Jack 1961: 305; Cruz, 1984: 2. New synonymy.

Cyclurobia Cruz, 1984: 5 , syn. Bochkov 2008: 338.

Type species. Geckobia texana Banks, 1904 , by monotypy.

Diagnosis. Female. Palpal tarsus elongate, narrowly attached to tibia; seta v of palpal tibia nude (never ending in thick brush-like structure). Dorsal body setae c3 present; coxal group I–II separate from coxal group III–IV (distance between groups longer than length of coxal group I–II); genital setae (g1) simple, spiniform and slender (sometimes sparsely barbed) and located on the tip of lobes. Tarsi I–IV stout ending blunt; seta tc’ longer than tc” on tarsi II-IV. Addition of setae ps1–3 delayed to deutonymph.

Description. Female. Gnathosoma. Palps slender and long (2–3 times as long as the base of gnathosoma); palpal femur with dorsal seta short (never reaching tip of palp), slightly thick, spiniform or subclavate; palpal genua with dorsal seta short, thin, spiniform or subclavate; seta v of palpal tibia nude (never ending in a thick brush-like structure); palpal tarsus slender and narrow. Idiosoma. Oligotrichy present (except for Geckobiella texana and G. harrisi showing hypertrichy). Dorsal setae short, less than 100 µm (except for G. boneti , G. trombidiiformis and G. p e l a e z i), spinose spatulate (club-like) or peripectinate (in some species setae f2 and h1 dimorphic); setal pair h1 short, half as long as h2 (subequal in length in G. harrisi ); setal pair f2 always barbed; dorsal setae c3 present; prodorsal shield absent or present, when present with 1 (vi or sci) or 2 pairs of setae (vi and sci) ( Fig. 2 ); genital setae located on lobes. Legs. Femora I–IV of similar size as genua I–IV; leg setae shorter than length of each podomer (segment); tarsi I–IV blunt distally; seta ft of tarsus I acuminate, nude; solenidia ω 1 and ω 2 of tarsus I present (ω 1 absent in G. harrisi ); setae a” of tarsi II–IV barbed; setae tc of tarsus I long (longer than pretarsus); seta v of genua II absent (present in G. texana ); seta vs” of tarsi II–IV absent (present in G. texana ); setae 4c of coxae IV absent; setae tc of tarsi II–IV barbed, tc’ longer than tc”; coxal group I–II separate from III–IV (distance longer than length of coxal group I–II), coxal group I–II located on anterior part and III–IV on posterior part of idiosoma, at least coxae IV posterior to midline of the idiosoma body; setae 1b of coxae I and 2b of coxae II slender and acuminate, nude; 3c of coxae III acuminate nude or barbed, and 3d barbed or bipectinate; femora II and IV without seta v’ (present in G. trombidiiformis and G. p e l a e z i).

Male. Legs. Seta v’ on genua IV large hollow ensiform and seta v” on tibia IV solid and spine-like (except in G. diolii and G. s t a m i i); solenidia ω 1 and ω 2 of tarsus I present. Setal development. Addition of setae ps1–3 delayed to deutonymph.

Hosts. All instars parasitic on the families of iguanian lizards Iguanidae , Phrynosomatidae or Tropiduridae ( Table 2 ).

Included species. Geckobiella texana (Banks) , G. trombidiiformis Berlese, G. p e l a e z i (Cunliffe), G. boneti (Cunliffe) , G. bakeri (Cunliffe) , G. harrisi Davidson, G. stamii (Jack) , G. pyriformis (Newell et Ryckman) , G. javieri (Cruz) , G. diolii ( Baker) and G. donnae sp. nov. Paredes-León, Klompen and Pérez ( Table 2 ).

Figures

FIGURE 2. Prodorsal shields of the species of Geckobiella. A, G. trombidiiformis; B, G. p e l a e z i; C, G. boneti; D, G. bakeri; E, G. pyriformis; F, G. javieri; G, G. diolii; H, G. donnae sp. nov. Scale bar 100 µm.