Longicheles lagrecai (Valle, 1963)

Özbek, Hasan Hüseyin, Bal, Durmuş Ali & Doğan, Salih, 2013, Two new species of the genus Longicheles Valle, 1953 from the Kelkit Valley, Turkey, with redescription Longicheles lagrecai (Valle, 1963) (Acari: Macrochelidae), Zootaxa 3709 (5), pp. 461-472 : 467-469

Longicheles lagrecai (Valle, 1963)

( Figures 18–27 , 34–36 )

Geholaspis (Longicheles) lagrecai Valle, 1963: 419 .

Diagnosis. Dorsal setae j5, j6, z1, z5, z6, J2 and J5 smooth, other setae pilose; bases of setae j1 separate from each other; bases of j5, j6 and z6 almost on the same transverse line, j5 displaced slightly posterior to j6; ventri-anal shield longer than wide; setae Jv1 shortest, other pre-anal setae long, Zv1 surpassing bases of Jv2; length of preanal setae: Jv1, 40–45; Jv2, 75–85; Jv3, 75–85; Zv1, 90–100, Zv2, 60–65.

Specimens examined. Four females and five deutonymphs, Turkey, Gümüşhane, Şiran, Sinan Village, 40° 07' 08'' N, 38° 54' 11'' E, alt. 1127 m, 29 May 2011, from litter under Astragalus sp.; one female, Turkey, Giresun, Çamoluk, 40° 08' 36'' N, 38° 34' 49'' E, alt. 1018 m, 29 May 2011, from litter under Pinus sp.; one female, Turkey, Tokat, Niksar, 40° 30' 32'' N, 36° 55' 01'' E, alt. 309 m, 0 9 April 2011, from moss.

Redescription. Female. Dorsum ( Fig. 18 ). Dorsal shield 810–920 long, 450–500 wide at the level of setae r4, oblong, ornamented posteriorly with web-like pattern, antero-laterally punctate; shield bearing 28 pairs of setae; setae j5, j6, z1, z5, z6, J2 and J5 smooth and needle-like, other setae pilose; bases of setae j1 separate from each other; j5, j6 and z6 almost on the same transverse line, setae j5 slightly displaced posteriorly; anterior ends of peritremes surpassing bases of setae z1; length of pre-anal setae: j1, 40–45; j5, 115–130; j6, 75–85; z1, 100–115; z6, 80–85; J2, 100–110; J5, 70–80.

Venter ( Fig. 19 ). Sternal shield 180–190 long, 150–180 wide at the level of coxae II; with three pairs of setae, st1 (70–80) smooth and needle-like, st2 (50–60) and st3 with small denticles; st2 longer than st3; centre of shield with sculptural ornamentation ( Fig. 35 ). Metasternal shields free, oval, each with a pore and a smooth seta. Genital shield 170–180 long, 210–240 wide, with punctate-reticulate ornamentation and a pair of smooth setae. Ventri-anal shield ( Fig. 36 ) 360–400 long, 340–370 wide, with punctate-reticulate lines of ornamentation, with five pairs of needle-like pre-anal setae, a pair of para-anal setae, a post-anal seta and two pairs of pores. Setae Jv1 shorter than other pre-anal setae, Zv1 surpassing bases of Jv2; length of pre-anal setae: Jv1, 40–45; Jv2, 75–85; Jv3, 75–85; Zv1, 90–100, Zv2, 60–65. Tritosternum as in Fig. 20 .

Gnathosoma. Four pairs of hypostomal setae present, all smooth and needle-like, h1 longest. Deutosternal groove with five rows of denticles. Corniculi slender and long, not reaching base of palp-genu ( Fig. 21 ). Palptarsus with 3-tined apotele. Epistome with smooth base, median process about 100 long, with lateral denticles, apically narrowed and bifurcate ( Fig. 22 ). Movable digit of chelicera about 150 long, with 5–6 small teeth and a large subterminal tooth. Fixed digit 110–115 long at level of dorsal seta, with six small teeth and one large subterminal tooth, dorsal seta smooth and blade-like. Arthrodial brush short ( Figs 23 , 34 ).

Legs. Chaetotaxy normal for the genus. Coxae I with two long setae with apical denticles, coxae II–III with a pair of pilose setae, coxae IV with a pilose setae. Tarsus II as in Fig. 24 .

Deutonymph. Dorsal shield 610–650 long, 360–380 wide at level of seta r4 ( Fig. 25 ); posteriorly punctatereticulate, with 28 pairs of setae, j5, j6, z1, z5, z6, J2 and J5 smooth and needle-like (in some specimens j5 with distal denticles), other setae pilose; setae j5 not displaced posteriorly; anterior ends of peritremes not reaching bases of z1. Sternal shield 270–300 long, 110–130 wide at level of coxae II; narrow, elongate, punctate-reticulate, with four pairs of setae; setae st2 pilose, other setae smooth, st1 longest. Anal shield 110–130 long, 100–120 wide, with a pair of para-anal setae and a smooth post-anal seta ( Fig. 26 ). Epistome as in adult ( Fig. 27 ).

Notes. Longicheles lagrecai has previously been reported only from Italy and Crete (Valle 1963, Valle & Mazzoleni 1967). It was rarely collected from the Kelkit Valley, in litter under Astragalus sp., Pinus sp. and moss at altitudes between 309–1127 m. Turkish specimens of L. lagrecai agree with those from Italy. It is very clearly distinguished from other species of Longicheles by the positions of setae j5, j6 and z6, which are almost on the same transverse line, or j5 slightly behind j6 (in other species of Longicheles j5 is distincly displaced posteriorly), and the chelicerae relatively shorter than in other species of (moveable digit about 150). Longicheles lagrecai is easily distinguished from most other species by these characters, but it is similar to L. ayyildizi . The differences between these two species were mentioned in notes for L. ayyildizi .

Figures

FIGURES 18 – 24. Longicheles lagrecai, female. 18. dorsal shield; 19. ventral shields; 20. tritosternum; 21. gnathosoma; 22. epistome; 23. chelicera; 24. tarsus II. Scale bar = 200 µm for 18 and 19, 100 µm for 20 – 24.

FIGURES 25 – 27. Longicheles lagrecai, deutonymph. 25. dorsal shield; 26. ventral shields;. 27. epistome. Scale bar = 200 µm for 25 and 26, 100 µm for 27.

FIGURES 28 – 36. Longicheles spp., females. 28. L. ozkani, chelicera; 29. L. ozkani, sternal shield; 30. L. ozkani, ventri-anal shield; 31. L. ayyildizi, chelicera; 32. L. ayyildizi, sternal shield; 33. L. ayyildizi, ventri-anal shield; 34. L. lagreci, chelicera; 35. L. lagreci sternal shield; 36. L. lagreci ventri-anal shield.