Transeius piracicabae

Lofego, Antonio Carlos, Barbosa, Marina Ferraz De Camargo, Demite, Peterson Rodrigo & Moraes, Gilberto José De, 2024, Phytoseiidae (Acari: Mesostigmata) of the subfamily Amblyseiinae from Brazil, Zootaxa 5439 (1), pp. 1-306 : 81

Transeius piracicabae ( Denmark & Muma), new combination ( Figure 58)

Typhlodromips piracicabae Denmark & Muma, 1973: 253.

Typhlodromips piracicabae . — Moraes et al., 1986: 145, 2004b: 47.

Graminaseius piracicabae . — Chant & McMurtry 2004a: 219, 2007: 85.

Typhlodromips paulus Denmark & Muma, 1973: 252; Moraes et al., 1986: 144, 2004b: 220 (synonymy according to Chant & McMurtry, 2007: 85).

Graminaseius paulus . — Chant & McMurtry, 2007: 85.

Transeius gervasioi Rocha et al., 2013: 290. New synonymy.

Specimens measured. The holotypes of T. piracicabae , T. paulus and T. gervasioi , whose measurements are given in this order in the following paragraph.

Dorsal shield of female smooth, 374, 322, 350 long and 252, 238, 238 wide. Setal lengths: j1 20, not measured, 22; j3 19, 17, 17; j4 broken, 11, 10; j5 broken, 11, 10; j6 10, 11, 8; J2 broken, 13, 11; J5 7, 8, 8; z2 14, 14, 15; z4 10, 11, 13; z5 9, 7, 12; Z1 12, 11, 14; Z4 68, 56, 72; Z5 66, 56, 68; s4 51, 39, 48; S2 26, 21, 18; S4 12, 10, 12; S5 10, 8, 9; r3 24, 15, 21 and R1 14, 11, 15. Peritreme extending to level of j1. Distances between st1–st3 56, 56, 63; st2–st2 68, 58, 72; st5–st5 70, 65, 75. Ventrianal shield with anterior margin distinctly concave, 112, 99, 105 long; 96, 90, 110 wide at level of Zv2 and 82, 77, 80 at anus level. Spermathecal calyx saccular, 13, 11, 12 long; atrium conspicuous and elongate, 4, 7, 6 long. Fixed cheliceral digit 30, not measured, 28 long, with 2–3 subterminal teeth; movable digit 36, not measured, 30 long, with two teeth. Distinct macrosetae only on leg IV, slightly blunt-tipped; SgeIV 51, 45, 52; StiIV 31, 21, 37 and StIV 44, 41, 54 .

Distribution in Brazil. São Paulo ( Denmark & Muma, 1973) and Rio Grande do Sul ( Rocha et al., 2013).

Distribution elsewhere. Not reported.

Remarks. Species described from Brazil and only known from the type specimens, examined and measured in this work. The measurement of each structure of the type specimens of T. paulus and of T. piracicabae are respectively close to the lowest and the highest limits of the range of measurements given in the original description of T. gervasioi . The characteristics of the fixed cheliceral digit of the type specimens of T. gervasioi are slightly different from what was reported in its original description, as the base of the pilus dentilis was mistaken by two neighboring most proximal teeth shown in the original description.

The placement of this species in Transeius is provisional. In fact, two of the three nominal species involved were described in Typhlodromips , namely T. paulus and T. piracicabae . The latter of these was transferred to Graminaseius by Chant & McMurtry (2004a). It was considered a senior synonym of G. paulus by Chant & McMurtry (2007), in accordance with the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (24.2.1, 23.2.2), and of T. gervasioi in this publication. An examination of the holotypes of the three nominal species led to the conclusion that this taxon should be placed in Transeius (in which the third nominal species involved, T. gervasioi , was described), for the inconspicuous incision of the distinctly elongate spermathecal atrium and the reduced ratio of setae s4: S2 (about 2:1), despite the T-shaped spermatodactyl of T. gervasioi . According to Chant & McMurtry (2004a), spermatodactyl of this shape is typical of Graminaseius , not of Transeius , based on the species known by that time.