Olopachys compositus Koroleva, 1976

Mojahed, Samaneh, Hajizadeh, Jalil, Hosseini, Reza & Ahadiyat, Ali, 2017, Contribution to the Pachylaelapidae (Acari: Mesostigmata) fauna in some parts of Guilan province of Iran, Persian Journal of Acarology 6 (4), pp. 269-285 : 271-273

Olopachys compositus Koroleva, 1976 ( Fig. 2 )

Diagnosis

Female with dorsal shield 696–776 long, 496–512 wide (length/width ratio: 1.40–1.51). Dorsal shield setae J1 100–116, J2 104–120, J3 108–128, J4 120–136, J5 reduced 15–16 (J4 / J5 ratio: 8– 8.50). Sternal shield 200–240 long, 104–120 wide (length/width ratio: 1.92–2). Genitiventrianal shield 360–408 long, 330–368 wide (length/width ratio: 1.09–1.10). Two pairs of adjacent gland pores gdZ1 and gdS4 on posterolateral margins of dorsal shield. Soft lateral and opisthogastric integument bearing 13 pairs of smooth setae, containing seven and six pairs of opisthogastric and marginal setae, respectively. Tarsus II with two spur-like distal setae. Sperm access system with a long, well-developed tube with several bends.

Material examined – 2 females, Saravan forest , from soil under pine and oak trees, 11 July 2015 ; 1 female, Saravan forest , from soil under pine and oak trees, 14 June 2016 ; 4 females, forest areas of the Imamzadeh Hashem , from soil under poplar trees, 17 June 2016 .

Distribution and habitats in Iran – This species was found in soil, leaf-litter, plant debris, floor weeds and sheep manure from Golestan (e.g. Minudasht), Guilan (Region not mentioned), Mazandaran (Ecology Garden of Nowshahr, Namak Darreh of Ramsar, Konse Forest of Tonekabon) and Tehran (Rudbar-e Qasran of Shemiranat) provinces ( Kazemi and Ahangaran 2011; Ahadiyat and Cheraghali 2012; Kazemi et al. 2012; Nazari-Tajani et al. 2012; Zakeri et al. 2012; Kazemi and Rajaei 2013). It was also found in the nest of an ant, Tapinoma sp. (Formicidae) , in North Khorasan province ( Rezaie et al. 2016).

World distribution – Georgia ( Koroleva 1976, 1977b)

Figures

Figures 1–3. Sternal shields in females – 1. Olopachys caucasicus; 2. Olopachys compositus with tubes of the sperm access systems; 3. Pachylaelaps pectinifer with tubes of the sperm access systems. Scale bars = 50 μm.