Onchodellus strigifer (Berlese, 1892)

Pachylaelaps strigifer Berlese, 1892: 4 .

Onchodellus strigifer .— Mašán, 2007: 110; Mašán & Halliday, 2014: 20.

Diagnosis. Female. Dorsal shield 460–555 long, 300–380 wide (length/width ratio: 1.43–1.61), with two pairs of slightly adjacent slit-shaped gland pores (gd8, gd9) on posterolateral margins of dorsal shield. Dorsal setae smooth. Setae J4 35–46, J5 10–15 (J4 / J5 ratio: 2.69–4.60). Sternal shield 158–179 long. Genitiventral shield 145–185 long, 163–219 wide (length/width ratio: 0.82–0.91). Anal shield 54–70 long, 95–125 wide (length/width ratio: 0.54–0.66). Anterior end of peritreme extending to the level between setae z1 and z2. Soft lateral and opisthogastric integument with 11 pairs of smooth setae.

Specimens examined. Alborz Province, Sharestanak: 1 female, 35° 58’ 09” N, 51° 21’ 06” E, altitude: 2,174 m a.s.l., ant’s nest, 22 June 2009, leg. Omid Joharchi ; Taleqan, Mehran Village: 2 females, 36° 12’ 22” N, 50° 56’ 00” E, altitude: 2,104 m a.s.l., ant’s nest, 16 September 2009, leg. Omid Joharchi. Qazvin Province, Abyek County, Ziaran Rural District, Khoznan Village: 1 female, 36° 07’ 18” N, 50° 32’ 59” E, altitude: 1,635 m a.s.l., humus, 27 July 2008, leg. Omid Joharchi. Yazd Province, Taft City, Deh-e Bala Village: 2 females, 31° 36’ 08” N, 54° 07’ 34” E, altitude: 2,482 m a.s.l., soil of walnut tree, 1 April 2013, leg. Zahra Dehghan.

Habitat preference in Iran. Soil, leaf-litter, humus, and ants’ nest.

Provincial distribution in Iran. Alborz, Guilan, Qazvin, Tehran, and Yazd (Ahadiyat & Cheraghali, 2012; Baroozeh & Ahadiyat, 2012; Mojahed et al., 2017; this paper).

World distribution. Asia (Iran) (Mojahed et al., 2017; this paper), Europe (Germany and Italy) (Karg, 1993; Schrader & Bayer, 2000; Mašán, 2007; Mašán & Halliday, 2014).

Notes. Onchodellus strigifer usually occurs in relatively highland areas at the altitudes 1,635 –2,482 m a.s.l., although Mojahed et al. (2017) found just one specimen at a low altitude (72 m a.s.l.). This species is rare in arable land, and occurs mainly in soil with high lime content (Karg, 1993).