Persianthrombium farajii Sedghi, Saboori and Hakimitabar

Sedghi, Ali, Saboori, Alireza, Akrami, Mohammad Ali & Hakimitabar, Masoud, 2010, A new genus and species of larval mites (Acari: Prostigmata: Microtrombidiidae) from Iran, Zootaxa 2504, pp. 61-68 : 62-66

Persianthrombium farajii Sedghi, Saboori and Hakimitabar sp. nov. ( Figs. 1–6 )

Diagnosis. Larvae with the following features: fD = 4(+2)-4(+2)-6-6-4= 24 (+4); fnTi = 6-5-5; fnTa = 15-14- 13; fSol = I (0-4-4-1), II (0-1-2-1), III (0-1-0-0); fκ = I (1-1), II (1-0), III (0-0); fζ = 2-1-0; fε = 1-1-0; fPp = 0- 0-0- NNN2-6Nωζ; IP= 767–798.

Description. Holotype larva: Orange when alive. Idiosoma slightly engorged, 491 long, 317 wide. Idiosoma dorsally with a scutum, two scutella, a pair of ocular sclerites and 24 dorsal setae. Scutum rectangular in shape, lateral part of posterior margin slightly concave and median part slightly convex ( Fig. 1 ); AM setae with fine barbs; PL setae with fine barbs, posterolateral to sensillary setae (S); AL setae with fine barbs, between AM and PL setae; S long, slender and smooth. Scutum and scutella with punctation. Scutella I & II wider than long, with concave anterior margin in median part and straight posterior margin. Scutella each with two barbed setae (c 1 & d 1). Setae on scutellum I (c 1) longer than setae on scutellum II (d 1).

A pair of bean shaped eye plates posterolateral to scutum. Eye plate punctate, 37 long and 18 wide. Anterior eye 17 in diameter, posterior eye 12 in diameter ( Fig. 1 ).

Idiosoma narrowed and truncated posteriorly. All dorsal setae barbed, blunted and on punctate platelets ( Fig. 1 ).

Ventral opisthosoma with 13 (12 in two paratypes and 16 in one paratype) barbed setae posterior to coxae III and an anus. All ventral setae with barbs fine, pointed and on sparsely punctate platelets ( Fig. 2 ). NDV= 24 (+4) + 13= 37 (+4) in holotype, in paratypes NDV= 34–38.

Podosoma with a pair of intercoxal setae (3a), with fine barbs, 17 long. Coxae I–II contiguous, coxal field I 59 long, with two nude setae; proximal seta 1a, 23 long; distal seta 1b, 20 long. Coxal field II 52 long, with two nude setae; proximal seta 2a, 21 long; distal seta 2b, 15 long. Coxal field III 59 long, with one nude seta 3b, 20 long. Two setae between coxae III with fine barbs, 17 long. Urstigma oval and attached to coxae I.

Gnathosoma 73 long and 67 wide. Palpal trochanter, femur and genu without seta. Palpal tibia with three nude setae, one of them long and two short, palpal tibial claw bifid, with diverged and blunt terminations ( Fig. 3 ). Palptarsus with 6 nude setae (2 long, others short), a solenidion and an eupathidium. fPp: 0-0-0- NNN2- 6Nωζ. Chelicerae robust, Cheliceral body 43 long and 18 wide; cheliceral blade sickle-shaped with a subterminal tooth, 18 long ( Fig. 3 ). Subcapitulum with nude adoral setae (or), 8 long and nude subcapitular setae (bs), 10 long.

Dorsal and ventral surfaces of all legs punctate. Leg segmentation formula: 6-6-6. Tarsi I and II with two falciform lateral claws and a long and slender empodium; tarsus III with outer claw thick, long and falciform; inner claw reduced, empodium long and thin. Tarsal claw 3-3-3 (dissimilar). There is an enlarged sword-like seta on distal end of tarsus III and a bifid seta on distal end of tarsus III.

Leg setal formula: Leg I: Ta- 1ω, 1ε, 2ζ, 15n; Ti- 4φ, 1κ, 6n; Ge- 4σ, 1κ, 4n; Fe- 6n; Tr- 1n; Cx- 2n ( Fig. 4 ). Leg II: Ta-1ω, 1ε, 1ζ, 14n; Ti- 2 φ, 5n; Ge- 1σ, 1κ, 2n; Fe- 5n; Tr-1n; Cx- 2n ( Fig. 5 ). Leg III: Ta- 13n; Ti- 5n; Ge- 1σ, 2n; Fe- 4n; Tr- 1n; Cx- 1n ( Fig. 6 ).

Measurements are given in Table 1 .

Etymology. The generic name is derived from Persia (country of origin, Iran) and “thrombium” (Greek, the root name of the Trombidioidea). Neutral in gender.

The species is named in honour of Dr. Farid Faraji (Amsterdam, The Netherlands) for his great contribution to the systematic of mites especially mites of Iran.

Type material. The holotype (ARS-20090502-1a) and paratypes (ARS-20090502-1b, 1c, 1d), ectoparasitic on Locusta sp. ( Orthoptera : Acrididae ) (on mesonotum and metanotum (near the base of wings) of three grasshoppers), were collected by A. Sedghi, 18. 0 4. 2008 in Moorchegui village, Jahrom city, Fars Province, Iran; 28˚ 48.736΄ N, 53˚ 14.190΄ E, 1912 m a.s.l. The holotype and paratypes are deposited in the Acarological Collection, Jalal Afashar Zoological Museum, College of Agriculture, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Persianthrombium farajii Sedghi, Saboori and Hakimitabar gen. et sp. nov. (larva), dorsal view of idiosoma.

FIGURE 2. Persianthrombium farajii Sedghi, Saboori and Hakimitabar gen. et sp. nov. (larva), ventral view of idiosoma.

FIGURE 3. Persianthrombium farajii Sedghi, Saboori and Hakimitabar gen. et sp. nov. (larva), ventral view (left) and dorsal view (right) of gnathosoma.

FIGURES 4 – 6. Persianthrombium farajii Sedghi, Saboori and Hakimitabar gen. et sp. nov. (larva), 4, Leg I, Femurtarsus; 5, Leg II, Femur-tarsus; 6, Leg III, Femur-tarsus.

Tables

TABLE 1. Metric data of Persianthrombium farajii Sedghi, Saboori and Hakimitabar gen. et sp. nov. larvae (1 a, holotype; 1 b- 1 d, paratypes).

Character	1a	1b	1c	1d	Character	1a	1b	1c	1d
IL	491	693	599	495	2b	15	15	14	15
IW	317	486	401	470	3a	17	19	17	17
AW	78	85	80	79	3b	20	24	26	31
PW	67	76	68	69	Ta I (L)	71	60	79	72
AA	52	57	49	–	Ta I (H)	20	22	18	20
SB	55	60	61	56	Ti I	38	38	37	37
ASB	59	61	–	–	Ge I	29	28	26	31
PSB	31	34	–	–	Fe I	52	54	42	59
SD	90	95	–	–	Tr I	38	35	36	35
W	87	96	88	95	Cx I	59	57	57	57
AP	40	40	–	–	Leg I	287	272	277	291
MA	38	43	–	–	Ta II (L)	60	54	53	62
AL	22	22	22	25	Ta II (H)	19	23	20	22
PL	25	25	25	25	Ti II	29	31	30	30
AM	25	33	30	-	Ge II	22	23	22	23
S	62	67	57	59	Fe II	50	50	47	47
SL	31	–	–	–	Tr II	36	36	37	37
SS	38	43	41	40	Cx II	52	56	53	56
LSS	62	76	70	69	Leg II	249	250	242	255
HS	33	–	25	32	Ta III (L)	49	44	49	49
DS	24–28	23–31	27–33	27–30	Ta III (H)	19	22	22	22
h 1	35	37	35	34	Ti III	28	31	30	33
h 2 or	61 8	60 6	~58 7	~59 –	Ge III Fe III	22 59	22 59	25 43	28 43
bs	10	10	12	12	Tr III	45	50	40	41
1a	23	20	20	20	Cx III	59	66	61	56
1b	20	25	20	20	Leg III	262	272	248	250
2a	21	25	25	23	IP	798	794	767	796