Tenuipalpus iranicus Khadem, Asadi & Seeman, 2018

Safdarkhan, Khadem, Asad, Eh & Seeman, Owen D., 2018, Two new species of Tenuipalpus Donnadieu, 1875 (Acari: Trombidiformes: Tenuipalpidae) from Iran, Zootaxa 4410 (3), pp. 511-524 : 512-519

Tenuipalpus iranicus Khadem, Asadi & Seeman sp. nov.

( Figs. 1–25 )

Diagnosis. BOth sexes: prOjectiOn On anteriOr margin Of prOdOrsum with twO well develOped, pOinted lObes. Setae c1, e1 present (d1, f2 absent); dOrsum mOstly rugOse (cOmprising elOngate cells) except fOr medial prOpOdOsOmal shield with pOlygOnal reticulatiOn. DOrsal setae shOrt (10–19) and barbed, except lOnger setae sc2 (24–26) and filifOrm setae h2. TwO pairs each Of setae 3a and 4a; seta 1b duplicated (bases adjOining). Palp One-segmented, bearing One barbed tactile seta. Leg chaetOtaxy: femOra 4-4-2-1; genua 2-2-0-0; tibiae 4-4-3-3; tarsi 9(1)-9(1)-4-4 (tcʹ absent On tarsi ΙΙΙ–ΙV); seta d On femOra in lateral pOsitiOn. Female: bOdy Ovate, withOut hysterOsOmal cOnstrictiOn; ventral cuticle between setae 1a–ag with transverse striae; cuticle between setae ag–g1–2 (genital plate) with Oblique and lOngitudinal striae. Ventral and genital plates weakly develOped. Male: anteriOr hysterOsOma cOnstricting mOderately, pOsteriOr hysterOsOma at level Of setae e1 abOut half the width Of prOpOdOsOma; with additiOnal sOlenidia On tarsus Ι–ΙV.

Material examined. HOlOtype female ( SBUK) and six female paratypes (4 SBUC, 1 ACASΙ, 1 QM) ex Salix aegyptiaca (Salicaceae) , Ιran: HOrmOzgan PrOvince, GenOw, 27°23’ N 56°14’ E, 14 OctOber 2014, cOll. H. Khadem Safdarkhani.

Description. FEMALE (hOlOtype). ΙdiOsOma Ovate, withOut hysterOsOmal cOnstrictiOn. GnathOsOma: rOstrum passing base Of femur Ι, with a pair Of ventral setae m 10 (10–11). Palpus One-segmented, with One lOng, barbed seta (prObably tibial seta d) ( Fig. 3 ).

Dorsum ( Fig. 1 ) AnteriOr margin Of prOpOdOsOma with twO pOinted lObes. DOrsal pattern Of prOpOdOsOma reticulated with pOlygOnal cells medially, Otherwise with elOngate cells arranged mOstly Obliquely; medial hysterOsOma with elOngate cells arranged transversely, lateral hysterOsOma with elOngate cells arranged lOngitudinally. DOrsal setae slender, serrate. HysterOsOma with a pair Of large pOres between setae d3 and e3. Lengths Of dOrsal setae: v2 13 (12–13), sc1 18 (16–19), sc2 25 (24–26), c1 16 (15–16), c3 11 (10–11), d3 16 (16– 18), e1 13 (12–14), e3 14 (12–14), f3 14 (12–14), h1 13 (12–13), h2 121 (117–126); distances between dOrsal setae: v2 –h1 216 (213–221), v2–v2 38 (36–39), sc1–sc1 98 (96–99), sc2–sc2 134 (130–136), c1–c1 30 (28–31), c3–c3 139 (136–143), d3–d3 127 (124–129), e1– e1 16 (15–18), e3–e3 73 (71–76), f3–f3 55 (54–57), h1–h1 14 (13–14), h2–h2 29 (27–30).

Venter ( Fig. 2 ). Transverse striae present between 1a–ag; ventral and genital plates weakly defined by transverse and lOngitudinal striae, respectively; lateral and pOsteriOr hysterOsOma with lOngitudinal striae. COxal setae 1b duplicated (1b1, 1b2), their bases tOuching. TwO pairs Of intercOxal setae 3a, setae 3a2 much lOnger than 3a1; twO pairs Of lOng intercOxal setae 4a. Ventral setae smOOth and fine. Lengths Of ventral setae: 1a 68 (65–69), 1b1 46 (45–49), 1b2 60 (57–61), 1c 18 (18–19), 2b 70 (68–71), 2c 22 (20–22), 3a1 14 (13–15), 3a2 70 (68–71), 3b 20 (19–22), 4a1 84 (81–85), 4a2 70 (69–72), 4b 28 (27–30), ag 24 (22–25), g1 16 (15–17), g2 16 (14–17), ps1 8 (7–8), ps2 12 (11–13).

Spermatheca: NOt knOwn.

Legs ( Figs. 4–8 ). Tarsal claws and empOdia pad-like with tenent hairs. Setal fOrmula as fOllOws (cOxa tO tarsus; sOlenidia included in cOunt): Ι. 3–1–4–2–4–9(1ω), ΙΙ. 2–1–4–2–4–9(1ω), ΙΙΙ. 1–2–2–0–3–4, ΙV. 1–1–1–0–3–4. All dOrsal and lateral setae serrate; dOrsal setae Of femOra and genua in lateral pOsitiOn.

MALE. BOdy elOngate, anteriOr hysterOsOma cOnstricting mOderately: pOsteriOr hysterOsOma at level Of setae e1 abOut half the width Of prOpOdOsOma. GnathOsOma: rOstrum and palp similar tO female ( Fig. 11 ).

Dorsum ( Fig. 9 ) DOrsal pattern similar tO that Of female, except pygidial regiOn with elOngate cells arranged lOngitudinally; and elOngate cells generally lOnger, with mOre regular arrangement. DOrsal setae and pOres similar tO female. Lengths Of dOrsal setae: v 2 9–10, sc 1 13–15, sc 2 15–18, c 1 10–11, c 3 10–11, d 3 10–12 , e 1 9–10, e 3 12– 14, f 3 13–14, h 1 9–10, h2 133–141; distances between dOrsal setae: v2 –h1 178–185, v2–v 2 29–32, sc1–sc1 80–84, sc2–sc2 106–113, c1–c 1 25–28, c3–c3 105–109, d3–d3 83–88, e1–e1 5–6, e3–e3 52–56, f3–f3 44–47, h1–h 1 15– 17, h2–h 2 24–27.

Venter ( Fig. 10 ). Ventral striatiOn mOstly transverse, except lOngitudinal striae between cOxae Ι and ΙΙ and extreme lateral OpisthOsOma. Setal fOrm similar tO female. Lengths Of ventral setae: 1a 92–97, 1b1 91–95, 1b2 92– 95, 1c 17–19, 2b 52–57, 2c 18–22, 3a 1 13–15, 3a2 81–85, 3b 18–21, 4a1 67–72, 4a2 43–46, 4b 22–25, ag 15–16, g 1 15–16, g 2 12–14, ps1 6–7, ps 2 10–11. Setae ps1 nOt mOdified.

Aedeagus ( Fig. 12 ) lOng, almOst three-quarters the length Of OpisthOsOma.

Legs ( Figs. 13–17 ). Setal cOunt same as in female except an additiOnal prOximal sOlenidiOn On each tarsus. Tarsal claws pad-like and empOdia with tenent hairs.

DEUTONYMPH. BOdy Ovate. ROstrum and palp ( Fig. 20 ) similar tO female. Dorsum ( Fig. 18 ). PrOpOdOsOma with extensive medial reticulatiOn; Oblique striae laterally. Mid-hysterOsOma with transverse striae; pygidial regiOn smOOth, flanked by Oblique striae. DOrsal setae similar tO thOse in female, except setae c1 pOsitiOned anteriOr tO setae c3. Lengths Of dOrsal setae: v2 6 (6–7), sc1 9 (8–10), sc2 33 (31–34), c1 6 (5–6), c3 8 (8–9), d3 6 (5–6), e3 6 (5–6), f3 6 (6–7), h1 8 (7–9), h2 136 (132–139); distances between dOrsal setae: v2 –h1 192 (188–195), v2–v2 33 (31–34), sc1–sc1 73 (71–76), sc2–sc2 106 (103–108), c1–c1 34 (32–35), c3–c3 113 (110–115), d3–d3 94 (92–95), e3– e3 55 (54–58), f3–f3 41 (38–42), h1–h1 11 (11–13), h2–h2 23 (21–24).

Venter ( Fig. 19 ) Transverse striae between seta 1a tO mid-way between setae 4a–ag; lOngitudinal striae between cOxae Ι–ΙΙ and On OpisthOsOma. SetatiOn similar tO that in female except lacking setae 4a2 and g2. Lengths Of ventral setae: 1a 50 (48–51), 1b1 61 (60–63), 1b2 63 (61–66), 1c 13 (12–14), 2b 84 (81–85), 2c 17 (17–19), 3a1 11 (10–11), 3a2 52 (50–55), 3b 16 (15–18), 4a 34 (31–35), 4b 16 (14–16), ag 11 (10–11), g 13 (13–14), ps1 9 (9– 10), ps2 11 (10–11).

Legs ( Figs. 21–25 ). Tarsal claws pad-like and empOdium with tenent hairs. Leg setal cOunts (cOxa tO tarsus; sOlenidia included in cOunt): Ι. 3–1–4–0–4–8(1ω), ΙΙ. 2–1–4–0–4–8(1ω), ΙΙΙ. 1–2–2–0–3–3, ΙV. 1–0–1–0–3–3.

PROTONYMPH and LARVA. UnknOwn.

Remarks. AccOrding tO Meyer (1993), Tenuipalpus iranicus sp. nov. belOngs tO the xerocolus subgrOup Of the proteae species grOup. Our new species is unique amOng Tenuipalpus in having setae 1b duplicated. This unusual cOnditiOn is alsO knOwn in One Other species Of flat mites, Amblypalpus iraniensus Farzan, Asadi & Ueckermann, 2013 in Farzan et al. 2013 . Our new species alsO shOws sOme atypical OntOgenetic delays in cOmparisOn tO Other flat mites ( Lindquist 1985; Beard et al. 2014): setae d [DN] and lʺ [DN] On genu Ι–ΙΙ and seta tcʺ [PN, Ι–ΙΙΙ; DN ΙV] On tarsus Ι–ΙV are delayed tO the adult stage. Tenuipalpus iranicus is alsO unusual in the genus by lacking seta lʹ [L] On genu Ι–ΙΙΙ and tcʹ [PN] is absent On tarsus ΙΙΙ–ΙV.

AlthOugh Meyer’s grOups and subgrOups may nOt by mOnOphyletic (CastrO et al. 2016), they have strOng diagnOstic pOwer as they rely On presence/absence character states. AccOrding tO Meyer (1993), the xerocolus subgrOup is small and includes just twO species: T. nenaxi Meyer, 1993 and T. sparsus Meyer, 1993 . Ιf this subgrOup is expanded tO include species with twO Or mOre pairs Of setae 4a, then it alsO includes T. crassus André, 1953 (with three pairs Of 4a) and T. dubinini Reck, 1951 (with six pairs Of 4a). Tenuipalpus iranicus is easily separated frOm species with twO pairs Of setae 4a by lack Of setae d1 (versus present), dOrsal setae fine barbed (versus thickened), genual setal cOunt Of 2-2-0-0 (versus 3-3-1-0 in T. nenaxi ; 3-3-0-0 in T. xerocolus ) and tibia Ι–ΙΙ withOut seta lʺ (versus present).

Etymology. This species is named after the cOuntry where it was cOllected.

Figures

FIGURES 1–3. Tenuipalpus iranicus sp. nov., adult female. Dorsum(1), venter (2) and palp (3).

FIGURES 4–8. Tenuipalpus iranicus sp. nov., adult female. Right legs: leg I (4), leg II (5), leg III (6), leg IV (7) and pretarsus (8).

FIGURES 9–12. Tenuipalpus iranicus sp. nov., male. Dorsum (9), venter (10), palp (11) and aedeagus (12).

FIGURES 13–17. Tenuipalpus iranicus sp. nov., male.Right legs: leg I (13), leg II (14), leg III (15), leg IV (16) and pretarsus (17).

FIGURES 18–20. Tenuipalpus iranicus sp. nov., deutonymph. Dorsum(18),venter (19) and palp (20).

FIGURES 21–25. Tenuipalpus iranicus sp. nov., deutonymph. Right legs: leg I (21), leg II (22), leg III (23), leg IV (24) and pretarsus (25).