Bertrandiella tenuipes (Hirst)

Paredes-León, Ricardo, Klompen, Hans & Pérez, Tila M., 2012, Systematic revision of the genera Geckobiella Hirst, 1917 and Hirstiella Berlese, 1920 (Acari: Prostigmata: Pterygosomatidae) with description of a new genus for American species parasites on geckos formerly placed in Hirstiella, Zootaxa 3510, pp. 1-40 : 18-19

Bertrandiella tenuipes (Hirst) new combination

Pimeliaphilus tenuipes Hirst, 1917: 142 ; Hirst 1926: 197; Radford 1943: 71.

Pimeliaphiloides tenuipes Vitzthum, 1942: 613 .

Hirstiella tenuipes Cunliffe, 1952: 169 .

Diagnosis. Adults. Unknown.

Deutonymph. Dorsal propodosomal shield triangular with anterior margin almost straight (slightly concave in middle) and posterior end bluntly pointed; with 3 pairs of long peripectinate setae, 2 anterior (vi and ve) that form transverse row along anterior margin and third inserted posteriorly (sci) ( Hirst 1917, 1926). With long seta sce adjacent to each eye reaching to base of dorsal setae e2 and with seta v on trochanter I feather-like ( Jack 1961).

Type. Deutonymph HOLOTYPE (BM(NH)).

Type locality. Honda, Magdalene River, Colombia.

Type host. Gonatodes albogularis (Duméril & Bibrón) .

Material examined. Deutonymph HOLOTYPE ex Gonatodes albogularis , COLOMBIA, Magdalene River, Honda (BM(NH)).

Remarks. We checked the only known specimen of this species and found that it is a deutonymph. Jack and Girot (1965) mention that Hirstiella tenuipes closely resembles the deutonymph of H. insignis , differing by its leg setation in the possession of two rather than one seta on femur IV. They concluded that, in the absence of data on the variability in chaetotaxy in these species, it is possible that H. tenuipes may (1) be a deutonymph and (2) be synonymous with H. insignis . We are confirming their first assumption but we are not agreeing with the latter conclusion and keep both as valid species based on the following evidence: in H. tenuipes (1) prodorsal shield shaped as an inverted equilateral triangle, almost as long as wide and with the end bluntly pointed, (2) setae vi on the prodorsal shield is located proximal to ve, (3) setae sci as long as vi, (4) palpal seta v of tibia with nude stalk ending in a thick brush-like structure, (5) subcapitulum simple, not expanded at apex and (6) cheliceral fixed digit membranous and spiniform, and movable digit robust and curved; while in H. insignis (1) prodorsal shield shaped as an inverted pentagon with the posterior sides sharply converging and with a very acute end, (2) setae vi on prodorsal shield located anterior to ve, (3) setae sci longer than vi (twice or more), (4) palpal tibia seta v simple and smooth, (5) subcapitulum apex (hypostome) with a rostral flange (the structure stiff, hyaline shelf just proximal to the striated velum) and (6) the cheliceral digits (movable and fixed) are long and spine-like.

According with these and additional characters (noted above in the Pimeliaphilus section), all used in our phylogenetic analysis, H. tenuipes and H. insignis are two valid and unrelated taxa ( Fig. 1 ), the former included in Bertrandiella gen. nov. and the latter transferred back to Pimeliaphilus .

This species appears to be a specific ectoparasite of Sphaerodactylidae (see Table 3 ).

Figures

FIGURE 1. The most parsimonious tree (length: 400 steps, CI = 0.57, RI = 0.79) with Bremer support / jackknife values (only if greater than 50 %).