Scamaphis equestris (Berlese)

Mašán, Peter & Halliday, Bruce, 2010, Review of the European genera of Eviphididae (Acari: Mesostigmata) and the species occurring in Slovakia 2585, Zootaxa 2585, pp. 1-122 : 76-77

Scamaphis equestris (Berlese)

( Figs 87, 103, 137, 138, 145, 146)

Copriphis (Pelethiphis) equestris Berlese, 1911: 186 ; Castagnoli & Pegazzano, 1985: 130.

Pelethiphis equestris .— Hyatt, 1959: 22; Mašán, 1994b: 203.

Alliphis equestris .— Shoemake, 1970: 99; Johnston & Wrensch, 1981: 108.

Scamaphis equestris .— Mašán, 1994a: 4; Ma, 1997: 41; Makarova, 1998: 115.

Scamaphis exanimis Karg, 1976: 3 ; 1993: 96; Evans & Till, 1979: 191. (Synonymy by Mašán 1994a)

Hypoaspis evansi Arutunian, 1993: 115 . New synonymy.

Amendments to diagnosis (female). Dorsal idiosoma. Dorsal shield 365–410 µm long, 205–220 µm wide at the widest point, 150–170 µm wide at the median constriction. Longest dorsal setae 25–30 µm long, shortest 7–10 µm long.

Ventral idiosoma. Sternal shield 95–105 µm long, 70–80 µm wide, epigynal shield 40–48 µm wide, anal shield 60–67 µm long and 58–64 µm wide. Tritosternum as in Fig. 145.

Remarks. There are seven slides of this species in the Berlese Acaroteca (122/46–49, 196/30–31 and 196/ 34), most of them are labelled "tipico" or "cotipi", and together they carry 53 female specimens found on Geotrupes stercorarius in Italy (San Vincenzo, Pisa). Only eleven females on slide 196/34 are in good condition and suitable for study. There is no doubt that these Italian specimens are conspecific with those from Slovakia as described in this paper. The species can be easily recognised by the distinctive shortened peritremes and medially constricted dorsal shield, which carries only 27 pairs of setae. This is a well known species which has been redescribed by several authors ( Hyatt 1959; Karg 1976; Mašán 1994a). It is a dung beetle associate usually found on Geotrupes spiniger (Geotrupidae) , but occasionally can be also found on other geotrupid species ( Haitlinger 1999).

Occurrence in Slovakia. (a) Published data. Trnavská Pahorkatina Wold: Brunovce [7373] ( Mašán 1994a; identified as Pelethiphis equestris by Mašán 1994b).

(b) New data. Trnavská Pahorkatina Wold: 11 ♀♀, 16 August 1992, Brunovce [7373].