Neotrombicula palestinensis ( Radford, 1957 )

Stekolnikov, Alexandr & Daniel, Milan, 2012, 3216, Zootaxa 3216, pp. 1-104 : 53

? Neotrombicula palestinensis ( Radford, 1957)

Trombicula palestinensis Radford, 1957: 141 , figs. 11–16.

Neotrombicula (Neotrombicula) palestinensis, Kepka 1966: 47 , fig. 1a; Kolebinova 1992: 88, fig. 44.

Diagnosis. SIF = 7BS-N-3-3111.1000; fPp = B/B/NNB; fCx = 1.1.1; fSt = 2.2; fSc: PL> AM> AL; Ip = 732; fD = 4H-8-10-10-8-6-4-2; DS = 52; VS = 42; NDV = 94. Measurements according to the original description: AW 70, PW 93, SB 33, ASB 33, PSB 20, AP 30, AM 43, AL 40, PL 56, H 56.

Type material deposition. Holotype and paratypes of Trombicula palestinensis were deposited in the private collection of C.D. Radford; their present depository is unknown. Type locality is the same as for T. acomys, Mishmar Ha’Emeq in Israel (32° 36' 43" N, 35° 08' 41" E).

Hosts. Acomys cahirinus (Geoffroy), Apodemus flavicollis (Melchior) , A. mystacinus (Danford and Alston) , A. sylvaticus (L.).

Distribution. Israel, Bulgaria,? Turkey. Previous record in Turkey: Kavaklidere ( Kepka 1966).

Remarks. Original description of this species is very incomplete. Neotrombicula palestinensis belongs to the vulgaris -species group, and all the characters given in the description lie within the range for N. vulgaris . However, N. palestinensis was described from the same host and locality as Trombicula acomys , considered here as a synonym of N. vulgaris ; therefore, it is obviously a different species. Redescription made by Kolebinova (1992) includes strong differences from the original description—nude ventral palpal tibial seta (fPp = B/B/NNN vs. B/B/ NNB) and SD 56–64 vs. 51–53. Obviously, this is rather corresponds to a new species than to N. palestinensis . Data given by Kepka (1966) also have some differences—13 dorsal idiosomal setae in 1 st row vs. 8, PW 78–84 vs. 93, AP 20–24 vs. 30, AM 32 vs. 43, AL 30–32 vs. 40, and PL 30–40 vs. 56. Thus, at present there is no enough evidence for the occurrence of N. palestinensis in Turkey. Material collected in Kavaklidere may rather represent a geographic form of N. vulgaris or a new species.