Tetra aparinea, Kamali & Doryanizadeh & Akrami, 2018

Kamali, Hashem, Doryanizadeh, Nazanin & Akrami, Mohammad Ali, 2018, Two new eriophyoid mites from Iran in the subfamilies Phyllocoptinae and Eriophyinae (Acari: Trombidiformes: Eriophyidae), Zootaxa 4425 (3), pp. 589-595 : 590-592

Tetra aparinea n. sp.

( Fig. 1 )

Generic diagnosis. The genus Tetra was established by Keifer (1944) based on the type species Phyllocoptruta concava Keifer, 1939 and is characterized by: a fusiform and often flattened body shape; gnathosoma projecting obliquely downwards; prodorsal shield with frontal lobe and scapular tubercles on or near the rear shield margin with prominent scapular setae, usually divergent and directed posteriorly; opisthosoma with a wide mid-dorsal longitudinal furrow and two lateral ridges; all coxal setae present; legs with usual series of setae.

Description. FEMALE (n=11) Body spindle shaped, yellowish, 173 (166‒175), 62 (59‒65) thick, 66 (62‒67) wide. Gnathosoma 23 (2‒126), projecting obliquely downwards, chelicerae 13 (12‒19), setae d 6 (5‒6), unbranched. Prodorsal shield included the frontal lobe 37 (34‒41), 56 (55‒57) wide, sub-triangular with anterior lobe, 9 (8‒10), 14 (13‒15) wide, over cheliceral base; median line absent, admedian lines on posterior third, two sub-medians complete. Scapular tubercles on rear shield margin with transverse basal axes, 29 (27‒29) apart, setae sc 17 (15‒18), projecting posteriorly. Legs with all usual setae present. Leg I 24 (24‒25); femur 9 (8‒9), genu 4 (4‒ 5), tibia 5 (5‒6), tarsus 6 (5‒6), setae u ′ 4 (4‒5), tarsal solenidion ω 8 (7‒8) distally tapered, empodium em simple 8 (7‒8), 4 -rayed; setae bv 7 (6‒7); setae l″ 22 (20‒23); setae l ′ 7 (7‒8); setae ft ′ 24 (19‒25), ft″ 15 (13‒20). Leg II 23 (23‒24), femur 8 (7‒8), genu 4 (4‒5), tibia 5 (5‒6); tarsus 6 (5‒7), setae (u ′) 5 (4‒5), tarsal solenidion ω 7 (7‒8) distally tapered, empodium em simple 8 (8‒9), 4 -rayed; setae bv 5 (5‒6), setae l″ 8 (8‒10), setae ft ′ 20 (15‒22), ft″ 15 (14‒17). Coxae smooth, setae 1b 8 (6‒8), tubercles 6 (5‒6) apart; setae 1a 18 (16‒18), tubercles 10 (9‒12) apart; setae 2a 28 (25‒29) tubercles 22 (20‒23) apart; prosternal apodeme 7 (8‒9). Opisthosoma with 38 (36‒39) broad, smooth dorsal annuli; 65 (61‒66) narrow, microtuberculate ventral annuli; 4 incomplete coxigenital annuli; microtubercles placed on front margin of annuli; setae c2 12 (10‒12) on ventral semi-annulus 9 (7‒9); setae d 17 (15‒17) on ventral semi-annulus 19 (17‒19), tubercles d 25 (24‒25) apart; setae e 7 (5‒7), on ventral semi-annulus 44 (41‒44), tubercles 19 (17‒19) apart; setae f 12 (11‒12), on ventral semi-annulus 5 (5) from rear; setae h2 42 (40‒ 47), setae h1 7 (6‒7). Genitalia Genital coverflap 17 (15‒17), 24 (23‒24) wide; with 10 (8‒10) longitudinal striae; 3‒4 transversal rows of granules at base of coverflap; setae 3a 15 (12‒16), 15 (14‒16) apart.

MALE (n=2). Similar in shape and prodorsal shield arrangement to female, 160‒162. Prodorsal shield 48‒50 wide, setae sc 15‒16, 26‒28 apart; Opisthosoma with 31‒34 dorsal annuli and 54‒58 ventral annuli; male genitalia 20‒22 wide.

NYMPH. Not seen.

Type host plant. Galium aparine L. ( Rubiaceae ).

Relation to the host plant. The mites produce flower galls and cause distortion of the inflorescence.

Type locality. Bajgah , Shiraz, Iran, (29°43'42"N, 52°35'21"E), 1801 m above sea level, coll. N. Doryanizadeh, 20 July 2011.

Type material. Holotype: single female on a microscope slide (Sh-Ap-Te-d.1) housed at the Acarology Laboratory, Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Shiraz, Iran. Paratypes: 10 females and 2 males mounted on separate microscope slides prepared from same material as holotype and housed in the same collection.

Etymology. The specific epithet, aparinea , is the genitive case of the host plant species name whereby “a” was added as a suffix.

Remarks. This is the first record of the genus Tetra on plants in the family Rubiaceae .

Differential diagnosis. Tetra aparinea sp. n. is similar to Tetra eldoradensis ( Keifer, 1966) , which was collected from Ceanothus palmeri Trelease ( Rhamnaceae ) and Tetra martini ( Manson, 1984) , from Solanum aviculare G.Forst. (Solanaceae) , in having: 4‒rayed empodia; prodorsal shield with frontal lobe, which lacks projecting anterior spines; and dorsal opisthosoma not flat. Tetra aparinea can be differentiated from T. eldoradensis by the pattern of the dorsal shield which is absent in the new Iranian species but present on the rear margin half in Keifer’s species. Also, the lengths of the scapular setae differ (17 in the Iranian species compared with 8 in Keifer’s species). The new species differs from T. martini by the ornamentation of the female genital coverflap which is smooth in the new Iranian species compared with having 10 to 12 longitudinal striations in Manson’s species.

As mentioned earlier, in addition to Tetra aparinea n. sp., Cecidophyes galii and C. rouhollahi are also known to cause flower deformation in Galium spp. as studied by Craemer et al. (1999).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Schematic drawings of Tetra aparinea n. sp.: 1. Dorsal view; 2. Female coxae and external genitalia; 3. Leg I; 4. Leg II; 5. Lateral view of annuli; 6. Internal view of female genitalia; 7. Empodium; 8. External view of male genitalia. Scale bar: 10 µm for 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 µm for 7.