Ashieldophyes pennadamensis Mohanasundaram, 1984

Chakrabarti, Samiran, Pandit, Ramkrishna & Sur, Surajit, 2019, New genera, a new species, and a key to the genera of Ashieldophyinae (Acari, Eriophyoidea) from India, ZooKeys 843, pp. 39-49 : 41-42

Ashieldophyes pennadamensis Mohanasundaram, 1984 Fig. 1 AD1, CG1

Ashieldophyes pennadamensis Mohanasundaram, 1984, Oriental Insects, 18: 251-252.

Diagnosis.

Body vermiform; pedipalp genual seta d present; prodorsal shield small and oval; scapular tubercles absent but with very short setae sc; legs with all usual setae; solenidion ω blunt; opisthosoma with equal number of smooth dorsal and ventral semiannuli; setae 1b present.

Description.

Female (n = 20). Body vermiform, brown colour in life, dorso-ventrally flattened; 250 (175-250) and 40 (39-46) wide. Gnathosoma 15 (14-15) projecting obliquely down-curved, dorsal pedipalp genual setae d 1 (1-2); chelicerae 13 (13-15). Prodorsal shield small, oval-shaped, without lobe, 9 (9-10) and 23 (22-23) wide, lacking scapular tubercles but with very short scapular setae sc, placed on lateral margin and directed laterally. Leg I from base of trochanter 20 (20-21), femur 7 (7-8), femoral setae bv 7 (7-8), genu 3 (2-3), genual setae l″ 20 (21-23), tibia 5 (3-5), tibial setae l′ 15 (12-15), tarsus 5 (3-5), tarsal setae ft′ and ft″ both 12 (10-12), solenidion ω 4 (3-4), straight and blunt; empodium em simple, 4-rayed; setae u′ 2 (2-3). Leg II from base of trochanter 18 (18-20); femur 6 (5-6), femoral setae bv 5 (5-6), genu 2 (2-3), genual setae lʺ 23 (20-23), tibia 3 (3-4), tibial setae lʹ absent, tarsus 4 (3-4), solenidion ω 8 (7-8), straight and blunt; empodium em simple, 4-rayed; tarsal setae ftʹ 8 (8-10) and ftʺ 12 (10-12), setae uʹ 2 (2-3). Coxigenital area smooth; broadly joined, sternal line absent, coxa I widely separate, setae 1b 2 (2-3) and 5 (5-6) apart, setae 1a 8 (8-9) and 7 (7-8) apart, setae 2a 13 (13-15) and 18 (18-20) apart. Opisthosoma dorsally flat, smooth, with equal number of dorsal and ventral semiannuli, 21 (20-21); setae c2 10 (7-11) on ventral semiannulus 2 (2-3), setae d and e absent, setae f 14 (12-15) on ventral semiannulus 7 (6-7) from rear margin; setae h1 absent, setae h2 12 (12-14). Genital cover flap 10 (9-11) and 16 (17-18) wide, triangular and smooth; setae 3a 8 (6-8). Internal genitalia apodeme short, spermathecae rounded with short funnel-like spermathecal tubes.

Specimens examined.

India: Tamil Nadu: South Arcot District, near Pennadam Sugar Factory, 16.VIII.1981, 2 females from C. tomentosa , coll. M. Mohanasundaram, coll. no. 427 (TNAU); West Bengal: North 24-Parganas, Madral, 12.VIII.2005, many females and nymphs from C. tomentosa , coll. R Pandit, coll. nos. 1182-1184/19/2005.

Distribution.

India: Tamil Nadu & West Bengal.

Relation to the host plant.

The mites inhabit the under surface of leaves as vagrants without showing symptoms of damage to the host plant.

Remarks.

This species is so far known only from its type locality and here reported for the first time from West Bengal.