Ledermuelleriopsis Willmann

Dönel, Güldem & Doğan, Salih, 2011, The stigmaeid mites (Acari: Stigmaeidae) of Kelkit Valley (Turkey), Zootaxa 2942, pp. 1-56 : 29

Genus: Ledermuelleriopsis Willmann

Type species: Ledermuelleriopsis triscutata Willmann, 1951 .

Body oval or elongate oval. Prodorsum covered with a large shield, bearing four pairs of setae (vi, ve, sci and sce); eyes present, post-ocular bodies absent. Dorsal hysterosomal area covered with either completely or incompletely divided two shields (metapodosomal and opisthosomal shields), each bearing three pairs of setae, metapodosomal shield with setae c 1, d 1, d 2, opisthosomal shield with setae e 1, e 2, f 1. Suranal shield entire with two pairs of setae (h 1 and h 2). Humeral shields large, ventrolateral, with c 2. Coxisternal shields I–II and III–IV divided or fused along midline. Ventral opisthosoma with one to three pairs of aggenital setae. Anogenital covers with three pairs of pseudanal setae, genital setae absent. Palp with a tridentate terminal eupathidium. Chelicerae separated. Counts of setae and solenidia from palp trochanter to palp tarsus: 0, 3, 2, 2 + 1 claw + 1 accessory claw, 4 + 1ω + 1 subterminal spine-like eupathidium + 3 eupathidia (basally fused) ( Khanjani & Ueckermann 2002; Fan et al. 2003; Doġan & Ayyıldız 2003a; Fan & Zhang 2005).

Worldwide 26 species of this genus are known ( Doġan & Ayyıldız, 2003a; Fan et al., 2003). Nine species have been reported from Turkey to date ( Koç & Ayyıldız, 1997; Doġan & Ayyıldız, 2003a; Doġan, 2004b, 2007). Ledermuelleriopsis indiscretus sp. nov. is added here to this genus from Turkey as new. L. bisetalis Doġan , L. ayyildizi Doġan and L. toleratus Kuznetsov are recorded from new localities.

Remarks. There is only one character to distinguish Ledermuelleriopsis from Eustigmaeus : the number of shields on the dorsal hysterosomal area. In Eustigmaeus , the dorsal hysterosomal area is covered with a large shield, bearing 5 or 6 pairs of setae. In Ledermuelleriopsis , this area is covered with two shields that are either completely or incompletely divided, each bearing 3 pairs of setae. Sometimes researchers can have difficulty judging this character from a few slides, because some Eustigmaeus can also have a line. Some nymphal specimens of Eustigmaeus have a transversal line on the hysterosomal shield. These nymphs are very similar to Ledermuelleriopsis . On the other hand, it is not easy to separate the members of Ledermuelleriopsis from those of Eustigmaeus when the slides are in bad condition, because some Eustigmaeus can also have a line or fold when they are incorrectly mounted. In conclusion, further evidence is requried, especially from ontogeny.