Pogonolaelaps, Nemati, Alireza & Gwiazdowicz, Dariusz J., 2016

Nemati, Alireza & Gwiazdowicz, Dariusz J., 2016, A new genus and species of Laelapidae from Iran with notes on Gymnolaelaps Berlese and Laelaspisella Marais & Loots (Acari, Mesostigmata), ZooKeys 549, pp. 23-49 : 24-27

Taxon classification Animalia Mesostigmata Laelapidae

Genus Pogonolaelaps gen. n.

Type species.

Laelaps canestrinii Berlese, 1903, by original designation.

Genus diagnosis.

Female with a three-tined palp tarsal claw; the dorsal seta of the chelicerae present, epistome smooth, corniculi horn-like, internal malae free medially and densely fringed with very elongate hairs, in addition possess two detachments of densely and very elongate hairs at basal part of each internal mala; st4 absent; genital shield large, abutting anal shield, with st5 on shield and three pairs of setae adjacent to the lateral edges; scimitar-shaped dorsal setae with small knob at their base, dorsal shield with holotrichous status on podonotal and hypertrichous on opisthonotal part, plus 0-3 unpaired setae between J series and 7-9 pairs of long tick setae on latero-posterior part of opisthonotal region; genu and tibia I with normal chaetotaxy (2 3/2 3/1 2), and genu IV with ten setae including two ventral setae (av and pv). Male with separate anal shield and strong spine-like seta on femur II.

Description.

Idiosomal dorsum. Dorsal shield oval shaped, well sclerotized, nearly wraps around and overlaps onto the ventral idiosoma, podonotal part with holotrichous and opisthonotal with hypertrichous condition, shield with 51-55 pairs of setae, 28-32 pairs on opisthonotal region, plus 0-3 Jx setae between J series (usually with 3), rx seta present on podonotal part, setae increasing in length from anterior to posterior and from dorso-central to dorso-lateral part, latero-posterior part of opisthonotal region with 7-9 pairs of long, thick, barbed setae (Figs 11, 15), dorsal setae with a small basal knob (Fig. 17). Dorsal shield generally with six pairs of large slit-like lyrifissures (Figs 11, 15).

Idiosomal venter. Tritosternum with columnar base and paired free pilose laciniae; pre-sternal plates weakly sclerotized and ornamented with transverse lines (Figs 1, 2, 12, 16a). Sternal shield widest between coxae II and III, anterior margin sinuate, convex medially, posterior margin deeply concave (Figs 1, 2, 16a). With three slit-like iv1-3, all located on the surface of sternal shield (Fig. 16a); st4 absent (Figs 2, 16a). Endopodal plates II/III fused to lateral margins of sternal shield, endopodal plates III/IV elongate, curved. Large crescent-shape podal plates surrounding coxae IV, fused with contiguous exopodal plates and extended to the anterior level of coxae II (Figs 1, 16a).

Genital shield broad, abutting anal shield, with one pair of setae (st5) on shield and three pairs of setae adjacent to lateral edges (Figs 1, 3, 16a); circular paragenital pores (iv5) located on soft integument between coxa IV and pair of minute narrow platelets (Figs 1, 16a). Anal shield subtriangular. Opisthogastric surface with: one pair of elongate metapodal plates, two pairs of minute platelets, 10-11 pairs of long setae, r6, Jv1-5 and Zv1-5 usually present. Peritreme extending from coxa IV to anterior level of coxa I (Fig. 16a), peritrematal shield wide, with two pairs of post-stigmatal pores, one pair of small pores anterior to stigmata and two pairs of pores (ip, gp) at level of coxae II/III (Fig. 16a at left side).

Gnathosoma. Deutosternal groove with six rows of denticles, corniculi horn-like, internal malae free medially and densely fringed, in addition possess two detachments of densely and very elongate hairs at basal part of each internal mala; labrum elongate, densely pubescent (Figs 7, 13, 18). Epistome sub-triangular with smooth antero-lateral margins (Figs 8, 19). Chelicerae chelate-dentate with prominent dorsal seta, lyrifissure, arthrodial processes and moderately robust setaceous pilus dentilis, movable digit with two teeth (Figs 9, 20). Digit-like male spermatodactyl simple and free distally (Figs 14, 28). Palp chaetotaxy normal (sensu Evans and Till 1965), numbers of setae on palp trochanter-tarsus: 2, 5, 6, 14 and 15 with aciculate and smooth setae, except al1-2 of palp genu aciculate and slightly thickened; palp-tarsal apotele three-tined, basal tine smaller (Figs 21-22).

Legs. Tarsi I–IV with claws and ambulacra (Figs 1, 10, 23-26). Leg chaetotaxy as follows: leg I: (Fig. 23) coxa 0 0/1 0/1 0, trochanter 1 1/2 0/1 1, femur 2 3/2 2/2 2, genu 2 3/2 3/1 2, tibia 2 3/2 3/1 2. Leg II: (Fig. 24) coxa 0 0/1 0/1 0, trochanter 1 0/1 0/2 1, femur 2 3/1 2/2 1, genu 2 3/1 2/1 2, tibia 2 2/1 2/1 2, tarsus 3,3/2,3/2,3 + mv, md.Leg III: (Fig. 25) coxa 0 0/1 0/1 0, trochanter 1 0/1 0/2 1, femur 1 2/0 1/1 1, genu 2 2/1 2/ 1 1, tibia 2 1/1 2/1 1, tarsus 3 3/2 3/2 3 + mv, md.Leg IV: (Fig. 26) coxa 0 0/1 0/0 0, trochanter 1 0/1 0/2 1, femur 0 2/1 1/1 1, genu 2 2/1 3/1 1 (Figs 6, 10, 26), tibia 2 1/1 3/1 2, tarsus 3 3/2 3/2 3 + mv, md.

Etymology.

The name of the new genus is derived from the Greek word pogon (beard), and refers to the unusually long internal malae (gender masculine).

Note on subfamily placement of new genus.

Evans and Till (1966) proposed six subfamilies for laelapid mites. We consider our new genus as a member of Laelapinae subfamily (sensu Evans and Till 1966) based on the presence of attributes of the subfamily: presternal area in the female reticulated or with pre-endopodal shields, deutosternum with five to seven (usually six) transverse rows of denticles, chelicerae in the female chelate-dentate or rarely chelate-edentate, pilus dentilis present, in the male chelate-dentate with spermadactyl free anteriorly or partially fused with the movable digit, hypertrichy of dorsal shield when present usually restricted to the region of the J series of setae, male with holoventral shield or with discrete sternito-genito-ventral and anal shields.

This subfamily contains seven genera: Ololaelaps , Androlaelaps , Ondatralaelaps , Laelaps , Hyperlaelaps , Pseudoparasitus and Hypoaspis sensu lato with nine subgenera for the latter like: Hypoaspis (Hypoaspis) , Hypoaspis (Alloparasitus) , Hypoaspis (Stratiolaelaps) , Hypoaspis (Cosmolaelaps) , Hypoaspis (Penumolaelaps) , Hypoaspis (Gymnolaelaps) , Hypoaspis (Holostaspis) , Hypoaspis (Laelaspis) and Hypoaspis (Gaeolaelaps) , which are considered as full generic status presently ( Trägårdh 1952, Hunter 1966, Lindquist et al. 2009, Rosario 1981, Beaulieu 2009, Joharchi et al. 2011).

Remarks.

Members of Pogonolaelaps gen. n. in general appearance may be similar to those genera of Laelapinae sensu Evans & Till (1966), which possess a broad epigynal shield such as Laelaspis , Gymnolaelaps , Pseudoparasitus , and due to the absence of st4 and presence of hypertrichy on dorsal shield to Laelaspisella (was considered in this subfamily by Marais and Loots 1969) and for its special shape of dorsal setae with small knob at their base to Cosmolaelaps genera.

Pogonolaelaps may be similar to Laelaspis but it can be distinguished readily by the following characters. In Laelaspis palptarsal claw is two-tined (three tined in Pogonolaelaps ); genital shield in Laelaspis with characteristic ornamentation including two distinct Λ-shaped lines; with two pairs of setae on extreme edges of shield in addition to st5 (in Pogonolaelaps without this special ornamentation and with only one pair of setae on the shield margin); Laelaspis usually lacks pre-sternal shield (present in Pogonolaelaps , but not markedly sclerotized). Laelaspis genu IV with nine setae including one ventral seta ( Pogonolaelaps with ten setae including two ventral setae: av and pv); male of Laelaspis with holoventral shield ( Pogonolaelaps with separate sub-triangular anal shield); dorsal shield in Laelaspis lacks hypertrichy ( Pogonolaelaps with hypertrichy on opisthonotal part); Laelaspis members with st4 and pore-like iv3 on integument posterior to sternal shield ( Pogonolaelaps lacks st4 and iv3 located on posterolateral extension of sternal shield near st3).

Pseudoparasitus and Gymnolaelaps members have st4 and pore-like iv3 on integument posterior to sternal shield, conspicuous denticulate epistome, genu IV with one ventral seta (av), and holotrichous dorsal shield with acicular setae; known males have holoventral shield and lack large spine or spur-like setae on femur II. Pseudoparasitus has large genital shield with 4-5 pairs of setae including two pairs on the shield surface; however, all of those in Gymnolaelaps are located on the lateral margin of shield. Pogonolaelaps lacks st4 and iv3 located on posterolateral extension of sternal shield near st3, with smooth sub-triangular epistome, large genital shield with only one pair of setae (st5) on the lateral margin, genu IV with two ventral seta (av and pv), dorsal shield possesses setae with small knob at their base, opisthonotal part with hypertrichous condition, males have separate anal shield and have large spine-like seta (pv) on femur II.

Laelaspisella ( Laelaspisella macrodorsalis and Laelaspisella epigynialis ) ( Marais and Loots 1969) has dorsal shield hypertrichous for both the podonotal and opisthonotal parts, and with very small acicular setae, setae Jv5 and Zv5 are spatulate and pilose, chelicera lacks dorsal seta, the setation of genu I is deficient in one postero-dorsal seta (2 3/2 2/1 2), while Pogonolaelaps has dorsal setae with small knob at their base, hypertrichous condition only of opisthonotal region, setae Jv5 and Zv5 acicular, chelicerae possess dorsal setae; the setation of genu I is typical with three pd setae (2 3/2 3/1 2). Differences among Pogonolaelaps gen. n. and other related genera such as Laelaspis , Gymnolaelaps , Pseudoparasitus , Laelaspisella and Cosmolaelaps are mentioned in Table 1.