Phyllocoptes

Sadeghi, Xiao-Feng Xue Hussein & Honarmand, Arash, 2016, Three eriophyoid mite species (Acari: Eriophyoidea: Eriophyidae) from Iran, Zootaxa 4132 (3), pp. 403-412 : 408

Phyllocoptes sp. cf. balasi Farkas, 1962

( Figs 2 & 3 )

Description. FEMALE: (n=7). Body fusiform, 236 (236–265), 65 (65–68) wide; light yellow. Gnathosoma 20 (20–25), projecting obliquely downwards, pedipalp coxal seta (ep) 3 (2–3), dorsal pedipalp genual seta (d) 7 (5–7), cheliceral stylets 18 (18–20). Prodorsal shield 37 (35–37), 45 (45–48) wide, sub quadrangular, median line incomplete and present posterior 2/3, admedian and submedian lines complete; anterior shield lobe broad. Scapular tubercles ahead of rear shield margin, 15 (15–18) apart, scapular setae (sc) 11 (11–12), projecting centrally. Coxal plates with short lines and granules, anterolateral setae on coxisternum І (1b) 8 (8–11), 12 (11–12) apart, proximal setae on coxisternum І (1a) 23 (22–25), 10 (10–11) apart, proximal setae on coxisternum ІІ (2a) 41 (41–46), 26 (26–28) apart. Prosternal apodeme 8 (7–8). Legs with usual series of setae. Leg І 32 (32–35), femur 10 (10–11), basiventral femoral seta (bv) 11 (11–12); genu 5 (4–5), antaxial genual seta (l'') 23 (22–23); tibia 6 (5–6), paraxial tibial seta (l') 7 (5–7), located at 1/3 from dorsal base; tarsus 6 (6–7), seta ft' 12 (12–20), seta ft'' 20 (20–21), seta u' 4 (4–5); tarsal empodium (em) 8 (7–8), simple, 5-rayed, tarsal solenidion (ω) 5 (5–7), rod-like. Leg ІІ 27 (27–30), femur 8 (8–9), basiventral femoral seta (bv) 10 (10–11); genu 4 (4–5), antaxial genual seta (l'') 8 (8–10); tibia 5 (5–6); tarsus 7 (6–7), seta ft' 6 (6–8), seta ft'' 23 (23–24), seta u' 5 (5–6); tarsal empodium (em) 7 (6–7), simple, 5- rayed, tarsal solenidion (ω) 7 (7–8), rod-like. Opisthosoma dorsally with 79 (66–79) annuli, with elliptical microtubercles except posterior six annuli, ventrally with 75 (66–75) annuli, with round microtubercles except posterior seven annuli. Setae c2 15 (15–20) on ventral annulus 12 (12–13), 61 (60–61) apart; setae d 50 (41–50) on ventral annulus 26 (24–26), 36 (36–40) apart; setae e 37 (30–37) on ventral annulus 44 (44–45), 25 (25–26) apart, setae f 22 (22–25) on 6th ventral annulus from rear, 22 (22–25) apart. Setae h1 6 (5–6), h2 65 (60–65). Female genitalia 17 (15–17), 25 (20–25) wide, coverflap with two transverse lines at base and 8 longitudinal ridges, setae 3a 15 (15–20), 17 (17–18) apart.

MALE: Not seen.

Material examined. 3 females (slide number IR93-AH6), from Sanguisorba minor Scop. subsp. minor (Rosaceae) , Chahardeh (32°51'58''N, 59°13'16''E), Birjand, South Khorasan province, Iran, 15 April 2014, coll. A. Honarmand and H. Sadeghi, deposited in the Arthropod/Mite Collection of the Department of Entomology, NJAU, Jiangsu Province, China; 4 females on 4 slides (slide number IR93-AH6) from Sanguisorba minor Scop. subsp. minor (Rosaceae) , Chahardeh (32°51'58''N, 59°13'16''E), Birjand, South Khorasan province, Iran, 15 April 2014, coll. A. Honarmand and H. Sadeghi, deposited in the Department of Plant Protection, FUM, Iran.

Relation to host. This species is vagrant on both sides of the leaf surfaces. No damage to the host was observed.

Note. Most eriophyoid mites have been reported as having high host specificity ( Skoracka et al., 2010). Up to now, only one Phyllocoptes species, P. balasi Farkas, 1962 , was reported infesting Sanguisorba minor Scop. (Rosaceae) in Hungary. During field surveys of S. minor in Iran, we found one Phyllocoptes species which is mostly similar to P. balasi , except the prodorsal shield has a median and two admedian lines (absent in P. balasi ), the dorsal annuli have elliptical microtubercles (smooth in P. balasi ), the dorsal opisthosoma has more annuli (66–79 dorsal annuli) than that in P. balasi (54 dorsal annuli), and the coxal plates have short lines and granules (smooth in P. balasi ). Some eriophyoid mites have two forms, the protogyne and deutogyne ( Baker et al., 1996). We hypothesize that Farkas (1962) described the deutogyne of P. balasi , while we collected and described the protogyne of P. balasi in Iran. To test this, more field collections and methods, e.g. DNA barcoding ( Guo et al., 2015a), are needed to confirm the status of our specimens of P. balasi .

Figures

FIGURE 2. Phyllocoptes sp. cf. balasi Farkas, 1962: A D. Dorsal view of anterior part; CG. Coxae and female genitalia; em. Empodium; L 1. Leg І; IG. Internal genitalia; LO. Lateral microtubercles.

FIGURE 3. Phyllocoptes sp. cf. balasi Farkas, 1962: A. Dorsal view of female; B. Ventral view of female; C. Prodorsal shield; D. Coxae of female; E. Dorsal view of posterior part; F. Ventral view of posterior part; G. Dorsal microtubercles; H. Ventral microtubercles.