Lopharalichus beckeri, Mironov & Dabert & Ehrnsberger, 2005

Mironov, S. V., Dabert, J. & Ehrnsberger, R., 2005, Six new feather mite species (Acari: Astigmata) from the carolina parakeet Conuropsis carolinensis (Psittaciformes: Psittacidae), an extinct parrot of North America, Journal of Natural History 39 (24), pp. 2257-2278 : 2259-2262

Lopharalichus beckeri sp. n.

( Figures 1 , 2 )

Type material

Male holotype ( ZISP BR 149-1 ), two male and five female paratypes from Conuropsis carolinensis , immature, North America , before 1869, no other data. Holotype, paratypes: ZISP (registration number ZISP BR 149-1 ); other paratypes: AMU (registration number AMU 01729-1 ), UMB (registration number N10296 /02.6.30.1) .

Description

Male (holotype). Idiosoma length 343, greatest width 210 (idiosomal size in two paratypes 340–350×210–215). Prodorsal shield as trapezium, 78 long, 106 wide, with distinct transverse furrow at level of scapular setae, without ornamentation; scapular setae se, si minute, subequal, about 9–10 in length, setae se separated by 86, setae si by 29. Vertical setae vi extending beyond palpal apices. Setae c2 bifurcate, with unequal branches. Hysteronotal shield: anterior margin straight, length from anterior margin to bases of setae h3 250, surface with numerous pits in anterior three-quarters ( Figure 1A ). Lateral margin of hysterosoma with very small sparsely situated spines. Terminal cleft almost semicircular, 12 long, 27 wide at level of setae h3, its anterior margin membranous, lateral margins with dent at level of setae h2. Hysteronotal gland openings gl posterior to setae d2, cupules im between them, cupules ip invisible. Setae e2 spiculiform, with additional basal spine; setae f2 lanceolate; setae h2 and h3 large lanceolate, with long terminal filament; foliform setae ps1 shaped as parallelogram, greatest length 77, greatest width 22. Distances between hysteronotal setae and setal rows: c1–c1 55, d1–d1 72, e1– e1 53, e2–e2 164, h2–h2 102, h3–h3 83, c1–d1 66, d1–d 2 8, d1–e1 115, c2–d2 106, d2–e2 93, e2–h3 55, e1–h3 48.

Genital apparatus narrow, 27 long, 14 wide, genital apodemes as a pair of short and narrow sclerites lateral to genital arch ( Figure 1B ). Setae g anterior to 3b, setae 3a posterior to 3b and situated approximately at level of tips of epimerites IIIa. Distances between ventral setal rows: 3b–3a 15, g–3a 10, g–4a 66, 4a–ps3 82. Adanal apodemes with strong internal sclerotization at base. Cupules ih small, posterior to level of setae ps2. Adanal discs 14 in diameter, with five to six teeth on anterior half of corolla.

Tarsi I, II expanded ventrally; apicoventral apophyses of tibiae and genua I, II acute; blade-like ventral apophyses of femora I, II with three to five acute teeth. Tarsus IV 58 in length, setae d, e thin thorn-shaped, adjacent to each other ( Figure 1C ).

Female (paratype). Idiosomal length 395, width 232 (idiosomal size of other four paratypes 370–380×220–230). Setae vi 46 long, extending beyond palpal apices. Prodorsal shield as in male, 90×115, setae se and si similar in size, about 10 long, distances between scapular setae: se–se 90, si–si 31. Hysteronotal shield: anterior margin straight, length from anterior margin to bases of setae h3 290. Openings gl posterior to d2; cupules im between levels of gl and d2; cupules ih visible, anterior to setae e2; cupules ip visible. Setae f2, ps1 foliform, with indented margins ( Figure 2A ); setae e2 setiform, very short, 13 long. Distances between hysteronotal setae and setal rows: c2–d2 122, d2–e2 115, e2–h3 66, h2–h2 64, c1–c1 57, d1– d1 90, e1–e1 68, e2–e2 139, c1–d1 73, d1–e1 71, d1–d2, 14, e1–h3 119. Epigynium semicircular, 12×33 ( Figure 2B ). Copulatory extension terminal.

Differential diagnosis

Among the two species previously described ( Mégnin and Trouessart 1884; Gaud and Atyeo 1996), the new species is more similar to Lopharalichus cribriformis ( Mégnin and Trouessart, 1884) described from the green-rumped parrotlet Forpus passerinus Linnaeus, 1758 in Guyana by having simple spine-shaped ventral apophyses on genua I, II and by pronounced pit-like lacunae on hysteronotal shield. Males of L. beckeri sp. n. differ from L. cribriformis by having parallelogram-shaped setae ps1 with slightly rounded apex, and setae e2 subequal in length to setae f2; females are distinguished by having triangle-shaped setae f2. In males of L. cribriformis , the apices of setae ps1 are acute, setae e2 are twice as long as f2; in females, the setae f2 are large and foliform, almost circular, and with a vein.

Etymology

This species is named in honour of Dr Peter-René Becker, the head of the Natural History Department in the Übersee Museum (Bremen, Germany).

Remark on chaetotaxy

The assignation of chaetotaxy nomenclature for the ventral coxo-genital setae 3a, 4a and g in males given in the present paper ( Figures 1 , 2 ) differs from that applied for the genera of the Aralichus complex by Atyeo and Pérez (Atyeo 1988, 1989a, 1989b, 1989c; Atyeo and Pérez 1990). Comparison of the male ventral chaetome in various representatives of the Protolichus group genera and in other representatives of Pterolichidae (Mironov 2003; Mironov et al. 2003) gives clear evidence that the setae disposed slightly mesal to the inner tips of epimerites IIIa should be referred to the coxal setae 3a, but not 4a as Atyeo and Pérez suggested, while two median pairs situated anterior and posterior to the genital apparatus should be treated, respectively, as g and 4a.

Genoprotolichus Gaud and Atyeo, 1996

This genus, as the previous one, belongs to the Protolichus generic group and currently includes three described species ( Favette and Trouessart 1904; Gaud and Atyeo 1996). Mites of the genus Genoprotolichus are associated exclusively with New World parrots. Gaud and Atyeo (1996) reported a great number of undescribed species, which they had collected from 50 species of 14 parrot genera. According to these authors, the genus Genoprotolichus represents an archaic form of the Protolichus group and probably is very close to the common ancestor of the Protolichus group.

Figures

Figure 1. Lopharalichus beckeri sp. n., male. (A) Dorsal view; (B) ventral view; (C) tarsus IV. Setal designations of idiosoma after Griffiths et al. (1990) and those of legs after Atyeo and Gaud (1966).

Figure 2. Lopharalichus beckeri sp. n., female. (A) Dorsal view; (B) ventral view.