Pentamerismus behsharicus, Khanjani, Mohammad & Gotoh, Tetsuo, 2008

Khanjani, Mohammad & Gotoh, Tetsuo, 2008, False spider mites of the genus Pentamerismus McGregor (Acari: Tenuipalpidae) from Iran, Zootaxa 1768, pp. 52-60 : 56-58

Pentamerismus behsharicus sp. nov.

( Figs. 9–16 )

FEMALE (n = 2). Color in life is red. Idiosoma broadly oval. Measurements of holotype with measurements of paratypes in parentheses: Length of body (excluding gnathosoma) 240 (243); (including gnathosoma) 283 (287); width 182 (185); length of leg I 120 (117); leg II 109 (111); leg III 91 (90), leg IV 93 (95).

Dorsum. Anterior margin of prodorsal shield deeply notched (rostral shield present). Prodorsum medially smooth and laterally with few striae, area surrounding sejugal suture transversely lineate ( Fig. 9 ); opisthosoma anteriorly almost smooth and posteriorly convex lineate; pores absent. Prodorsal setae broadly lanceolate, serrate but sce much smaller and serrate. Opisthosoma with lateral setae broadly lanceolate and dorsocentral setae minute, acute; ve half distance ve-ve; lengths of dorsal setae as follows (paratype in parentheses): ve 27 (26), sci 27 (26), sce 23 (24), c1 13 (14), c 2 13 (12), c 3 20 (21), d1 6 (5), d2 3 (4), d3 19 (20), e1 6 (5), e2 21 (20), e3 19 (21), f2 19 (20), f3 20 (21), h1 19 (19), h2 19 (18); distances between dorsal setae: ve-ve 48 (49), ve-sci 30 (30), sci -sci 99 (96), sce-sce 141 (138), sci-sce 30 (29), c1-c1 45 (44), c1-c2 31 (30), c2-c3 27 (28), c3-c3 162 (159), c1-d1 40 (38), c2-d2 35 (36), c3-d3 40 (41), c2-c2 107 (108), d1-d1 42 (41), d1-d2 35 (37), d2-d3 32 (33), d2-d2 89 (91), d3-d3 188 (186), d1- e 1 46 (47), d3- e 2 26 (27), e1- e 1 4 (5), e1- e 2 72 (69), e2-e2 179 (170), e1- e 3 67 (68), e2- e 3 21 (20), e3-e3 174 (173), e3-f2 27 (26), e1-f2 66 (65), f2- e 3 27 (26), f2-f2 155 (154), f2-f3 27 (26), f3-f3 124 (122), f3-h2 30 (29), h1-h1 42 (43), h1-h2 27 (26), h2-h2 88 (86), f2-f3 27 (25), e3-f2 27 (26), e1-h1 74 (71).

Ve n t e r.Ventral cuticle with broad striae; transversely striate between ventral setae, 4a and pregenital shield; length of setae la 77 (78), 1b 20 (19), 1c 21 (20), 2b 33 (37), 2c 21 (19), 3a 65 (68), 3c 16 (14), 4a 71 (76), and 4c 15 (13). Ventral setae are whip-like, setae 1a, 3a and 4a more than five - six times longer than aggenital setae (ag) 12 (12). Pregenital shield smooth and genital shield with few transverse striae ( Fig. 10 ); aggenital (ag) setae almost smooth and shorter than genital setae (g1-2); inner pair (g1) posteriad of outer pair (g2); anal setae(ps1-3) shorter than genitals (g1-2), setae g1 15 (14), g2 15 (14), ps1 10 (11), ps 2 10 (11), ps3 10 (11). Distances: ag-ag 27 (27), g1-g1 19 (20), g2-g2 40 (39), g1-g2 19 (19).

Gnathosoma. Rostrum extending beyond articulation facet of between femur and genu I ( Fig. 12 ); palpus five segmented, with one solenidion and two eupathidia distally; second palpal segment with two setae, fourth segment with one dorsal seta and one ventral seta ( Fig. 11 ).

Legs. Legs are rather short, about less than one third length of the idiosoma. Setal formulae of leg segments as follows (including the specialized sensory setae such as solenidia in parenthesis): coxae 3-2-1-1; trochanters 1-1-2-1; femora 4-4-3-1; genua 4-4-1-0; tibiae 4- 4-3-3; tarsi 7(1) - 7(1) -4-4. Dorsal setae thick and more serrated; dorsal setae on femora I long and lanceolate; dorsal setae on legs II–III leaf - like ( Figs. 13– 16 ). Tarsal claws hooked - like.

Remarks. The new species can readily be recognized from other known species of Pentamerismus ( P. eryhraus group) by the long spatulate seta on femur I, genua I–II having 4 setae and posterior part of propodosoma being smooth. In spite of above characters, the following known species, P. foliisetis Livshitz & Mitrofanov, 1967 , P. erythraus ( Ewing, 1917) and P. j u n i p e r i i Reck, 1951 resemble the new species in some general characters. However, Pentamerismus behshahricus is easily distinguishable from P. foliisetis by 1) the shape of dorso-central setae c1 and dorso - sublateral setae c2 minute as opposed to broadly spatulate in P. f o l i - isetis, 2) genu I with 4 setae, instead of three in P. foliisetis , 3) Intercoxal area behind 4a with broad transverse striae as opposed to smooth in P. foliisetis 4) genital shield with transverse lines whereas smooth in P. foliisetis , 5) dorsal seta on femur I broadly lanceolate in new species but longer and slenderer in P. foliisetis , 6) palp femur I with two setae as appose to it is one seta in P. foliisetis , 7) femur II with three setae whereas P. foliisetis bears two setae. Pentamerismus erythraus and P. janiperi Reck differ from the new species in the size and shape of dorso central and dorso-sublateral setae (d1, d2 and e1), in these two species they are long and acute, and dorsal seta on femur I broad, spatulate and shorter than those of the new species; the ornamentation of the prodorsum and striation of pregenital also differ from that of the new species..

Male. Unknown.

Etymology. The new species is named after the city name, Behshahr, Iran, where it was collected.

Material examined. Holotype female, 12 October, 1995, was collected from Juniperus polycarpus L., Behshahr, Mazandaran, Iran; by H. Barimani Varandi and one female paratype was collected with the same data. The holotype female of the new species is preserved as slide-mounted specimens deposited in the Collection of Acarology Laboratory, University of Bu-Ali Sina, Hamadan, Iran and one paratype female will be deposited in the National Mite Collection of Arachnida, Plant Protection Research, Pretoria, South Africa.

Figures

FIGURES 9 – 16. Pentamerismus behshahricus sp. nov., (female); 9. dorsum; 10. venter, 11. palp; 12. infracapitulum; 13. leg I; 14. leg II; 15. leg III; 16. leg IV.