Dechela phoebe, Wang, Qiong, Han, Xiao, Xue, Xiao-Feng & Hong, Xiao-Yue, 2014

Wang, Qiong, Han, Xiao, Xue, Xiao-Feng & Hong, Xiao-Yue, 2014, Three new species of eriophyoid mites (Acari, Eriophyoidea) associated with Lauraceae in China, ZooKeys 406, pp. 81-100 : 87-90

Dechela phoebe sp. n. Figs 8-10

Description.

FEMALE: (n=13). Body vermiform, 187 (183-192), 60 (55-60) wide, 62 (57-62) thick; light yellow. Gnathosoma 15 (15-18), projecting obliquely down wards, pedipalp coxal setae (ep) 3 (2-3), dorsal pedipalp genual setae (d) 4 (4-5), cheliceral stylets 12 (12-14). Prodorsal shield 27 (26-30), 51 (45-51) wide, covered with short lines; anterior shield lobe absent. Scapular tubercles and scapular setae absent. Coxigenital region with 2 (2-3) indistinct semiannuli between coxae and genitalia. Coxal plates with minute lines, anterolateral setae on coxisternum I (1b) absent, proximal setae on coxisternum I (1a) 12 (12-15), 13 (11-13) apart, proximal setae on coxisternum II (2a) 19 (18-21), 28 (27-29) apart. Prosternal apodeme absent. Leg I 21 (20-22), femur 6 (6-7), with some dash lines on ventral part, basiventral femoral setae (bv) 9 (9-11); genu 4 (3-4), antaxial genual setae ( l’’) 24 (22-24); tibia 3 (2-3), paraxial tibial setae ( l’) absent; tarsus 5 (5-6), paraxia, fastigial, tarsal setae ( ft’) 13 (13-15), antaxial, fastigial, tarsal setae ( ft’’) 17 (16-18), paraxial, unguinal, tarsal setae ( u’) 5 (5-7); tarsal empodium (em) 7 (7-8), simple, 7-rayed outside, 5-rayed inside, tarsal solenidion (ω) 5 (5-6), rod-like, located below empodia. Leg II 18 (18-19), femur 6 (5-6), with some dash lines on ventral part, basiventral femoral setae (bv) 10 (10-11); genu 4 (3-4), antaxial genual setae ( l’’) absent; tibia 2 (2-3); tarsus 6 (5-6), paraxia, fastigial, tarsal setae ( ft’) 7 (7-8), antaxial, fastigial, tarsal setae ( ft’’) 18 (18-23), paraxial, unguinal, tarsal setae ( u’) 5 (4-5); tarsal empodium (em) 6 (6-7), simple, 7-rayed outside, 5-rayed inside, tarsal solenidion (ω) 15 (15-16), rod-like. Opisthosoma dorsally with 55 (55-57) annuli, with elliptical microtubercles, ventrally with 56 (56-58) annuli, with elliptical microtubercles. Setae c2 10 (10-11) on ventral annulus 8 (7-9), 48 (48-50) apart; setae d 53 (50-55) on ventral annulus 16 (16-18), 38 (38-40) apart; setae e 50 (50-52) on ventral annulus 32 (31-32), 26 (26-27) apart, setae f 15 (15-16) on 6th ventral annulus from rear, 12 (11-12) apart. Setae h1 absent, h2 21 (20-23). Female genitalia 12 (12-14), 19 (18-19) wide, coverflap with transverse dashes, setae 3a 30 (27-30), 16 (15-16) apart.

MALE: (n=2, dorsal view). Body vermiform, 175-192, 48-54 wide; light yellow. Gnathosoma 20-21, projecting obliquely downwards, pedipalp coxal setae (ep) 2-3, dorsal pedipalp genual setae (d) 4-5, cheliceral stylets 10-13. Prodorsal shield 25-27, 40-50 wide, covered with short lines; anterior shield lobe absent. Scapular tubercles and scapular setae absent. Coxigenital region with 2-3 indistinct semiannuli between coxae and genitalia. Coxal plates with minute lines, anterolateral setae on coxisternum I (1b) absent, proximal setae on coxisternum I (1a) 12-13, 9-10 apart, proximal setae on coxisternum II (2a) 17-20, 24-25 apart. Prosternal apodeme absent. Leg I 17-20, femur 6-7, with some dash lines on ventral part, basiventral femoral setae (bv) 8-9; genu 3-4, antaxial genual setae ( l’’) 20-21; tibia 3-4, paraxial tibial setae ( l’) absent; tarsus 4-5, paraxia, fastigial, tarsal setae ( ft’) 10-11, antaxial, fastigial, tarsal setae ( ft’’) 14-16, paraxial, unguinal, tarsal setae ( u’) 5-6; tarsal empodium (em) 6-7, simple, 7-rayed outside, 5-rayed inside, tarsal solenidion (ω) 5-6, rod-like, located below empodia. Leg II 17-20, femur 5-6, with some dash lines on ventral part, basiventral femoral setae (bv) 8-9; genu 2-3, antaxial genual setae ( l’’) absent; tibia 2-3; tarsus 5-6, paraxia, fastigial, tarsal setae ( ft’) 6-7, antaxial, fastigial, tarsal setae ( ft’’) 18-19, paraxial, unguinal, tarsal setae ( u’) 4-5; tarsal empodium (em) 5-6, simple, 7-rayed outside, 5-rayed inside, tarsal solenidion (ω) 13-15, rod-like. Opisthosoma dorsally with 54-56 annuli, with elliptical microtubercles, ventrally with 56-57 annuli, with elliptical microtubercles. Setae c2 15-16 on ventral annulus 8-9, 40-41 apart; setae d 43-45 on ventral annulus 16-17, 30-34 apart; setae e 43-44 on ventral annulus 30-32, 23-24 apart, setae f 15-16 on 6th ventral annulus from rear, 10-11 apart. Setae h1 absent, h2 26-27. Male genitalia 18-19 wide, setae 3a 26-30, 15-16 apart.

Material examined.

13 females and 2 males on 15 microscope slides (slide number NJAUAcariEriHN128B.1-128B.15), from Phoebe hunanensis Hand.-Mazz. ( Lauraceae ), Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, Zhangjiajie City, Hunan Province, P.R. China, 29°20'41"N, 110°27'33"E, elevation 420m, 10 July 2013, coll. Qiong Wang, Xiao Han and Jingfeng Guo, deposited as a slide mounted specimen in the Arthropod/Mite Collection of the Department of Entomology, NJAU, Jiangsu Province, China.

Relation to host.

Vagrant on lower part of the leaf surface. No damage to the host plant was observed.

Etymology.

The specific designation Phoebe is derived from the generic name of the host plant; feminine in gender.

Differential diagnosis.

This new species is very similar to Dechela epelis Keifer, 1965, but some quantitative characters can be used to separate them (Table 1).