Alliphis phoreticus Mašán

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 : 32-33

Alliphis phoreticus Mašán

( Figs 17, 18, 83, 84, 90, 99)

Alliphis phoreticus Mašán, 1994a: 9 . Diagnosis (adults). Dorsal idiosoma ( Fig. 17). Dorsal shield suboval, relatively narrow, 360–420 µm long and 225–270 µm wide in females, 315–365 µm long and 195–240 µm wide in males, distinctly reticulated only in marginal areas. Dorsal setae relatively short, subequal in length; in females: j1 14–18 µm, j2 18–20 µm, j3 19–23 µm, j4 17–20 µm, j5 15–19 µm, J3 14–17 µm, J5 9–11 µm, Z5 9–14 µm.

Ventral idiosoma ( Fig. 18). Presternal platelets present, weakly sclerotised. Sternal shield slightly longer than wide, 80–94 µm in length and 70–79 µm in width, mostly smooth or with weak anteromarginal ornamentation lines; first pair of sternal pores slit-like, oriented obliquely. Epigynal shield narrow, 35–41 µm wide. Post-genital sclerites absent. Anal shield subtriangular, approximately as long as wide, 61–71 µm long and 63–74 µm wide, with rounded anterior margin and weak transverse striae on surface. Opisthogastric integument with a pair of elongated metapodal platelets. Peritrematal shields relatively wide, well developed along the whole peritreme, almost truncate on posteriormost margin, smooth, without ornamentation on surface ( Fig. 90); peritremes long, anterior ends reaching beyond paravertical seta z1. Dorsolateral and opisthogastric integument with ten pairs of setae in females, nine pairs in males. In male, sterno-genital shield 138–155 µm long, anal shield 60–63 µm long and 57–64 µm wide.

Gnathosoma . Cheliceral dentition as in Figs 83 and 84. Epistome with elongated central projection and well developed wing-like lateral elements densely serrated on distal margin ( Fig. 99).

Legs. Chaetotaxy of leg segments typical for genus ( Table 3). Femora II and IV of male not spurred.

Remarks. Alliphis phoreticus has been recorded only from Slovakia. It occurs in cattle dung in pasture and grassland habitats, where it is phoretic on several species of dung beetles.

Occurrence in Slovakia. (a) Verified published data. Nízke Tatry Mts.: Liptovský Ján [6984] ( Mašán 1994a). Trnavská Pahorkatina Wold: Brunovce [7373]; Horná Streda [7373] ( Mašán 1994a).

(b) New data. Považský Inovec Mts.: 2 ♀♀, 2 July 1994, Lúka, Srnia Dolina [7373]. Trnavská Pahorkatina Wold: 29 ♀♀, 29 ♂♂, 34 DN, 16 August 1992, Brunovce [7373] .