Pavania khiavensis Sobhi & Hajiqanbar, 2017

Sobhi, Mohammad, Hajiqanbar, Hamidreza & Mortazavi, Azim, 2017, New species and records of heterostigmatic mites (Acari: Prostigmata: Heterostigmata) phoretic on scarabaeid dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) from northwestern Iran, Zootaxa 4276 (3), pp. 427-434 : 428-431

Pavania khiavensis Sobhi & Hajiqanbar sp. nov.

( Figs. 1 , 2 )

Description. FEMALE (n=5 measured). Length of idiosoma 122 (112–121), width 83 (69–83). Gnathosoma ( Figs. 1 A, B): length of gnathosoma 27 (27–32), width 23 (23–29). Gnathosomal capsule rounded, subquadrangular in dorsal aspect, slightly longer than wide; cheliceral setae ch 1 15 (15–19) and ch 2 8 (9–13) distinctly barbed, ch 1 blunt-ended. Dorsomedian apodeme well developed. Cheliceral stylets 9 (11–11) long, curved and hooked. Subcapitulum with subcapitular setae su 7 (6–10) smooth, located on posterior half. Pharynx invisible. Palpi conspicuous, exceeding apex of gnathosomal capsule, femorogenu with smooth and pointed setae dGe 5 (5–7) and dFe 4 (4–5), tibiotarsus with two solenidia, outer one longer than inner; minute palpcoxal setae pp inserted near to articulation of each palp with gnathosomal capsule.

Idiosomal dorsum ( Fig. 1 A): Ovoid in shape. All dorsal shields ornamented with sparse and fairly deep dimples. Posterior margins of dorsal shields without projections, only slightly undulate. Dorsal idiosomal setae barbed and distinctly blunt-ended except setae v 2 which is needle like, sc 2 which is attenuated and h 2 indistinctly barbed in distal half. Prodorsal shield subrectangular, its anterior margin almost curve and posterior margin straight, with setae v 1 15 (16‒16), v 2 5 (5‒7), sc 2 37 (37‒42), trichobothria (sc 1) present, broken in holotype and paratypes, setae v 1 shorter than distance between their bases, v 2 short and located posterolaterally to v 1. Median shield of tergite C with setae c 1 19 (18‒19) and each lateral shield with seta c 2 22 (22‒23), c 1 approximately 0.8 times longer than c 2. Tergite D with setae d 19 (19‒20) and cupuli ia situated posterior to seta d, seta d and c 1 subequal. Tergite EF with setae e 15 (14‒16), f 19 (18‒19) and 1 pair of cupuli im placed closer to setae e on its inner posterolateral side (not visible in holotype), setae f longer than e. Tergite H with setae h 1 13 (12‒13) and h 2 51 (49‒55), seta h 2 almost 4 times longer than h 1. Distances between dorsal idiosomal setae: v 1– v 1 21 (21‒24), v 2– v 2 28 (28‒33), v 1– v 2 5 (5‒6), sc 2– sc 2 29 (28‒32), c 1– c 1 20 (21‒23), d–d 38 (37‒41), e–e 39 (35‒41), f–f 27 (26‒30), e–f 10 (9‒11), h 1– h 1 11 (9‒10), h 2– h 2 20 (18‒23), h 1– h 2 7 (3‒7).

Idiosomal venter ( Fig. 1 B). Ventral apodemes well developed; apodemes 1 joined with prosternal apodeme; apodemes 2 not reaching to prosternal apodeme; both apodemes 3 and 4 not joined to reduced poststernal apodeme. Coxal field I with setae 1 a 6 (6‒8), 1 b 6 (6‒8), 1 c 6 (6‒8), smooth and needle-like, all these three setae subequal in length. Dorsolateral margins of coxal fields I with spine-like process. Coxal field II with setae 2 a 11 (10‒13), 2 b 6 (5‒7), 2 c 9 (8‒10), setae 2 a almost two times longer than 2 b, setae 2 a smooth and 2 c distinctly barbed. Coxal field III with subequal setae 3 a 8 (8‒10), 3 b 8 (8‒10), 3 c 9 (7‒11), setae 3 c indistinctly barbed. Coxal field IV with setae 4 a 8 (8‒9), 4 b 9 (9‒9), 4 c 8 (7‒8), setae 4 b longer than 4 a and 4 c, smooth and needle-like. Genital plate with setae g 1 3 (4‒4), g 2 3 (3‒4) short, subequal and needle-like. Aggenital plates with weakly barbed seta ag 8 (6‒7) and one small porous area each; pseudanal plate with setae ps 6 (7‒8) indistinctly barbed and blunt-ended.

Legs ( Fig. 2 ): Leg I ( Fig. 2 A). Thicker than other legs. setal formula: 4‒2‒6(2)‒11(2). Tarsus with 4 slightly blunt-ended eupathidial setae p’, p”, ft’ and ft”, rest of setae on leg I seta-like and pointed; seta tc’ subequal with tc” and more than two times longer than pl’; solenidion ω1 7 (7‒7) prominent and finger shaped; solenidion ω2 2 (2‒3) somewhat clavate. Tibia with eupathidion k stiff and blunt-ended; solenidion ϕ1 6 (6‒7) finger shaped and longer than ϕ2 3 (3-4) somewhat clavate. Seta d indistinctly barbed and two times as long as femoral seta l”, seta l” distinctly barbed. Trochanter with two spine-like processes. Leg II ( Fig. 2 B). Setal formula: 2‒1‒4(1)‒6(1). Most setae of leg smooth, attenuated and pointed except setae d and v” Ti, l’ Ge and d and v” Fe which are indistinctly barbed; seta pl” shortest on tarsus, solenidion ω 4 (4–4) finger shape; solenidion ϕ 3 (3–3) similar to w; seta l’ on genu blunt-ended and longer than setae d and v” on femur, femoral seta v” blunt ended. Trochanter with two short spine-like processes near each other. Leg III ( Fig. 2 C). Setal formula: 1‒1‒4‒5. Most setae of leg weakly barbed, and pointed except setae v’ Ge and d Fe which are blunt-ended; on the tarsus seta tc’ longer than its segment length; seta d of femur shorter than seta v’ of the genu. Leg IV ( Fig. 2 D). Setal formula: 1‒1‒4‒5. Setae of leg weakly barbed pointed, except seta d Fe which is blunt-ended; on tarsus seta pl” subequal with seta pv’ and longer than its segment length; on tibia, seta l’ longer than d; seta v’ of genu longer than seta d on the femur.

MALE unknown.

Type material. Female holotype (slide MS 14052016 -pk1) and 12 paratypes, IRAN, Ardabil Province, forest park in vicinity of Meshgin-shahr , 38.23°N, 47.41°E, under the metanotum of Euoniticellus fulvus (Goeze) ( Coleoptera : Scarabaeidae ) collected in dung pads of cow, 14 May 2016, coll. M. Sobhi. Other material. About 40 specimens, same data as holotype, stored in ethanol.

Etymology. The specific epithet refers to the ancient name of Meshgins-hahr in Ardabil province, northwestern Iran.

Differential diagnosis. The new species is similar to three species of the fusiformis species group: P. tadjikistanika Sevastianov, 1980 ; P. kamalii Hajiqanbar and Khaustov, 2010 ; and P. fusiformis Lombardini, 1949 , by sharing the presence of trichobothria and setae h 2 four to five times longer than h 1. This new species differs from P. tadjikistanika by the following characters: setae f less than 1.5 times longer than e; and setae e and h 1 subequal and setae on coxal fields II not subequal (setae e and f subequal, setae e longer than h 1 and setae on coxal fields II subequal in P. tadjikistanika ). The new species differs from P. kamalii by having setae c 1 shorter than c 2, and setae d and f subequal and slightly longer than e (setae c 1 longer than c 2, setae f 1.5 times longer than d and more than two times longer than e in P. kamalii ). It also differs from P. fusiformis by having barbed dorsal idiosomal setae except v 2 and sc 2, and setae f slightly longer than e (all dorsal idiosomal setae weakly barbed and setae f more than two times longer than e).

Remarks. The scarabaeid genus Euoniticellus Janssens, 1953 belongs to the tribe Oniticellini ( Scarabaeidae : Scarabaeinae ) and is one of the dung beetles that buries dung at the ends of tunnels created beneath a dropping, where it is used as adult and larval food ( Philips, 2016).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Pavania khiavensis Sobhi & Hajiqanbar sp. nov., Female: A ― idiosomal dorsum, B—idiosomal venter.

FIGURE 2. Pavania khiavensis Sobhi & Hajiqanbar sp. nov., Female: A—leg I in dorsal view, B—leg II in dorsal view, Cleg III in dorsal view, D—leg IV in dorsal view.