Cenopalpus cumanicus Ueckermann and Ripka, 2015

Ueckermann, Edward A. & Ripka, Géza, 2015, Three new species and a new record of tenuipalpid mites (Acari: Tenuipalpidae) from Hungary, Journal of Natural History 50, pp. 989-1015 : 992-999

Cenopalpus cumanicus Ueckermann and Ripka sp. n.

( Figure 1A–N )

Diagnosis

Female. Dorsum mainly reticulated. Dorsal body setae short and serrate to smooth. Venter smooth with reticulations between ventral shield and setae 4a. Ventral, genital and anal shields reticulate. These shields are flanked by three prominent lines and reticulations. Dorsal setae on genua I and II and femora I and II broadly lanceolate and serrate. Spermatheca a very long, slender tube terminating in a pumpkin-shaped knob. Deutonymph with dorsal setae broadly lanceolate and serrate, except for setae d1, e1, f2, h1 and h2, which are very short and serrate to smooth.

Female (n = 5). ( Figure 1A–J )

Dimensions. Length of body (v2–h1) 267(256–269); width (sc2–sc2) 154(137–144), length of gnathosoma 56(55–63); Legs: I 136(125–130); II 123 (115–120); III 116 (109–112); IV 129 (117–122); setae: v2 17(16–17); sc1 15(17–20); sc2 16(16–19); c1 13(14–18); c2 18(16–18); c3 11(10–15); d1 8(7–13); d3 9(9–13); e1 6 (6–7); e3 9 (9–12); f2 6(6–8); f3 9(9–11); h1 7(6–7); h2 5(4–5) .

Dorsum ( Figure 1A–D ). Body broadly oval with dorsum mainly reticulated ( Figure 1A ). Prodorsum and opisthosoma striate laterally. The dorsal body setae short and serrate to smooth ( Figure 1B–D ). Rostral shield deeply emarginated with two small submedian lobes in addition to two median lobes and two lateral lobes. Two pairs of eyes between setae sc1 and sc2.

Venter ( Figure 1E, F ). Venter smooth except for reticulations between ventral shield and setae 4a. Setae 3a much shorter than the very long 4a ( Figure 1E ). Ventral, genital

and anal shields reticulate. Ventral and genital shields flanked laterally by three prominent lines and reticulations. One pair of aggenital, two pairs of genital and two pairs of anal setae, all serrate. Outer pair of genital setae slightly anterior to inner pair. Spermatheca a very long tube terminating in a pumpkin-shaped knob ( Figure 1F ).

Gnathosoma ( Figure 1G ). Rostrum reaching to or almost to base of genu I. Palp foursegmented, tarsus with a eupathidium and two setae, tibia with two, femur-genu with one serrated seta and trochanter without setae.

Legs ( Figure 1H–J ). Counts of setae and solenidia (included in counts) on podomeres of legs I – IV: coxae 2-2-1-1, trochanters 1-1-2-1, femora 4-4-2-1, genua 3-3-1-0, tibiae 5-5-3-3, tarsi 9(ω)-9(ω)-5-5. Leg chaetotaxy as follows: trochanters I, II, IV v', III v', l'; femora I-II d, v', bv“, l'; femur III d, ev'; femur IV ev'; genua I–II l', d, l“; III l“ IV nude; tibiae I–II d, l', l“, v', v“; III–IV d, v', v“; tarsi I–II u', u“, p', p“, tc', tc“, ft', ft“, ω; III–IV u', u“, tc', tc“, ft'.

Dorsal setae on genua I–II and femora I–II strongly serrate with those on the femora broadly lanceolate, but shorter on femur II. Solenidion on tarsi I and II long and slender. Dorsal setae on tarsi I–IV with ft' very long. Tarsal claws uncinate. Tarsi I and II with Iω 17 and IIω 13.

Deutonymph (n = 3) ( Figure 1K–N )

Dimensions. Length of body including gnathosoma 300–357; width 168–194, length of gnathosoma 44–51; Legs: I 93–101; II 81–90 ; III 74–82 ; IV 73–82 . Setae: v2 30–31; sc1 30–37; sc2 28–36; c1 29–38; c2 26–39; c3 31–37; d1 5; d3 37–43; e1 3; e3 40 –54; f2 3–4; f3 64–66; h1 2–3; h2 2–5.

Dorsum ( Figure 1K ). Covered with a few striae, all setae long and broadly lanceolate, except for d1, e1, f2, h1 and h2, which are very short and serrate to smooth ( Figure 1K ). Venter completely covered with striae with one pair of setae 1a, 3a and 4a, one pair of aggenital, one pair of genital and two pairs of anal setae, all slightly serrate.

Gnathosoma. Similar to that of female.

Legs ( Figure 1L–N ). The chaetotaxy only differs from that of the female in that trochanter IV is without setae. Dorsal setae on femora I and II broadly lanceolate and serrate ( Figure 1L–N ). Tarsi I and II with Iω 12 and IIω 10.

Relationship to host plant

Females from the grey poplar were collected on the underside of the leaves, among the hairs near the midrib, while the larvae and nymphs inhabited the pubescence on the shoots and petioles. This flat mite was found together with phytoseiid, cheyletid, tydeid and tarsonemid mites, and Phylloxerina populi (del Guercio) ( Hemiptera : Phylloxeridae ) (Ripka 2011; Ripka and Szabó 2011). The adults collected on white poplar were taken from the cauliflower-like woody bud galls and twig deformations caused by an eriophyid mite, Aceria populi (Nalepa) . These specimens were found together with phytoseiid, acarid and tarsonemid mites, and Phylloxerina populi (del Guercio) ( Hemiptera : Phylloxeridae ) ( Ripka and Szabó 2011; Ripka et al. 2013b).

Localities

Budapest III, Óbuda , 124 m elevation; 47°32 ʹ 11.1 ʹʹ N, 19°02 ʹ 43.1 ʹʹ E and Kecskemét (Bács-Kiskun county), Central Hungary, 121 m elevation; 46°54 ʹ 26.8 ʹʹ N, 19°41 ʹ 52.3 ʹʹ E .

Type material

Holotype female, three paratype females and two paratype deutonymphs, collected from Grey poplar, Populus × canescens (Aiton) Sm. and white poplar, Populus alba L. (Fam. Salicaceae ), slide # 1274, coll. G. Ripka, 6 August 2011 ; 13 paratype females and one paratype deutonymph, slide # 1237a, coll. Dr. J. Mikulás, 22 July 2010, deposited in the Department of Plant Protection Development and Coordination, Directorate of Plant Protection, Soil Conservation and Agri-environment, National Food Chain Safety Office, Budapest, Hungary. Three paratype females and one paratype deutonymph slide # 1237b deposited in the Arachnida Collection of the Agricultural Research Council, Plant Protection Research, Pretoria. South Africa

Etymology

The species is named for Kuns, Latin Cumanus . Kuns (L. Cumanus) was a confederation of tribes in the middle age who came from Asia and settled in the Carpathian basin during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries . They lived among others in the Great Hungarian Plane, around Kecskemét, which is the county seat of Bács-Kiskun county . The gender is masculine.

Remarks

This species was compared with all the species listed in Mesa et al. (2009) (60 species) and four recently described species ( Khanjani et al. 2012), except for Cenopalpus tamarixi (Nassar and Kandeel) because the original description could not be found. This species belongs to the spinosus -group ( Baker et al. 1975; Hatzinikolis et al. 1999). Female characters as well as spermathecae and dorsal setal patterns of nymphs (where available) were compared. This species comes very close to Cenopalpus limbatus Akbar and Chaudhri (1985) , in having seta-like dorsal setae, dorsum reticulated and in the leg chaetotaxy. However, it differs from the latter in that the dorsum is not evenly reticulated, rostrum not reaching anterior margin of femur I, venter with a transverse band of reticulations posterior to setae 4a, but in C. limbatus it is interrupted medially and ventral and genital shields are reticulated instead of striated as in C. limbatus . According to the description of C. limbatus , setae 4a is also much shorter extending to 3a whereas it extends almost to coxae II in the new species. Unfortunately, the deutonymph for C. limbatus is unknown which, if available, would have confirmed the identity of the new species.

Figures

Figure 1. Cenopalpus cumanicus sp. nov. (A) Dorsal view – female. (B) Dorsal seta sc2 – female. (C) Dorsal seta c1 – female. (D) Dorsal seta e1 – female. (E) Ventral view – female. (F) Spermatheca. (G) Gnathosoma – female. (H) Left leg I – female. (I) Right leg III – female. (J) Right leg IV – female. (K) Dorsal view – deutonymph. (L) Right leg I – deutonymph. (M) Right leg III – deutonymph. (N) Right leg IV – deutonymph.