Pseudopygmephorellus szekessyi ( Mahunka, 1970 )

Sobhi, Mohammad, Hajiqanbar, Hamidreza & Mortazavi, Azim, 2017, New species and records of heterostigmatic mites (Acari: Prostigmata: Heterostigmata) phoretic on scarabaeid dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) from northwestern Iran, Zootaxa 4276 (3), pp. 427-434 : 432-433

Pseudopygmephorellus szekessyi ( Mahunka, 1970)

This species was described from Hungary from litter in the nest of Microtus Schrank ( Rodentia : Cricetidae ) ( Mahunka 1970). Kaluz (1992) reported it from Norway as phoretic on Geotrupes vernalis (Linnaeus) ( Coleoptera : Geotrupidae ). This species has a wider distribution and until now, it has been found several times from the Palaearctic (including Iran) and Nearctic regions in association with geotrupid and trogid beetles ( Mahunka 1970; Kaluz 1992; Mašan 1993; Khaustov 2008; Philips 2009; Katlav et al. 2015b).

Material examined. One female, Iran, Northwestern Iran , Ardabil province, forest park, vicinity of Meshginshahr , 38.23°N, 47.41°E, phoretic on Aphodius vittatus Say ( Coleoptera : Scarabaeidae ) collected in dung pads of cow, 14 May 2016, coll. M. Sobhi.

Remarks. This species was transferred by Khaustov (2008b) from the genus Pygmephorellus to the genus Pseudopygmephorellus . The genus Pseudopygmephorellus includes six species among which only two species are associated with scarabaeid beetles as follows: P. mazandaranicus Katlav & Hajiqanbar, 2015 phoretic on three different scarabaeid dung beetles, Onthophagus sp., Aphodius depressus (Kugelann) and A. varians Duftschmid ( Katlav et al. 2015b) ; and P. szekessyi phoretic on Aphodius vittatus (current study). The association between the mite P. szekessyi and beetles A. vittatus is new.