Rhodacarellus iraniensis, Castilho, Raphael C., Jalaeian, Mahdi & De, Gilberto J., 2012

Castilho, Raphael C., Jalaeian, Mahdi & De, Gilberto J., 2012, Two new species of Rhodacaridae (Mesostigmata: Rhodacaroidea) from Iran, Zootaxa 3248, pp. 35-42 : 39-41

Rhodacarellus iraniensis sp. n.

Material examined. Holotype female and one paratype female from soil of an orchard at Najafabad (32°38’N, 51°23’E, alt. 1754 m), Isfahan Province, Iran, 12 April 2003; three paratype females from soil of an orchard at Borkhar (32°81’N, 51°54’E, alt. 1590 m), Isfahan Province, Iran, 22 July 2003; three paratype females from soil of an orchard at Falavarjan (30°51’N, 51°32’E, alt. 1600 m), Isfahan Province, Iran, 27 Jun 2003; one paratype female from soil of an orchard at Khomani Shahr (32°41’N, 51°32’E, alt. 1602 m), Isfahan Province, Iran, 7 July 2002. All types collected by M. Jalaeian. The holotype and five paratype females are deposited in the Acarological Collection, Zoological Museum, College of Agriculture, Tehran University, Karaj, Iran; three paratype females deposited at Departamento de Entomologia e Acarologia, Escola Superior de Agricultura “Luiz de Queiroz” ( ESALQ), Universidade de São Paulo ( USP), Piracicaba, State of São Paulo, Brazil.

Adult female ( Fig. 7–12 ) (Five specimens measured). All setae smooth.

Gnathosoma. Fixed cheliceral digit 33 (33–34) long, with five teeth in addition to apical tooth and a setiform pilus dentilis; dorsal cheliceral seta absent ( Fig. 7 ); movable cheliceral digit 35 (34–35) long, with three teeth in addition to apical tooth. Numbers of setae on palp trochanter – tarsus: 2-5-6-14 -15. Epistome with anterior margin smooth and provided with three extensions and a pair of short spines; pair of spatulate anterolateral extensions about two thirds the length of the aciculate anterocentral extension, all smooth, except for denticles at the tip of the anterolateral extensions ( Fig. 8 ). Deutosternal denticles in seven roughly transverse rows of about uniform lengths, each with 8–14 denticles ( Fig. 9 ). Internal malae seemingly fused to each other at the base; with four - five basal fimbriae. Corniculi diverging in mounted specimens. Seta h3 directly posterior to h1 and slightly posterior and mediad to h2. Measurements of setae: h 1 15 (15–16), h 2 8 (8–9), h 3 14 (13–14), sc 13 (13–14).

Dorsal idiosoma ( Fig. 10 ). Podonotal shield smooth, except for a narrow punctate band next to the insertions of j1, j2 and z1, and along straight posterior margin; 142 (139–144) long and 134 (132–135) wide at widest level; with 19 pairs of setae (s1 and r1 absent) and seven pairs of distinguishable lyrifissures. Unsclerotised integument along lateral margins of podonotal shield with three pairs of setae (s2, s3 and r4). Opisthonotal shield smooth, except for a narrow punctate band along slightly convex anterior margin; 159 (157–160) long and 104 (101–106) wide at widest level; with 15 pairs of setae, nine pairs of distinguishable lyrifissures and a pair of pores anterolaterad of J5; with a pair of ellipsoidal structures posterior to J3 and a pair of ellipsoidal and a pair of rounded structures posterior to J4, apparently corresponding to muscles insertions. Unsclerotised integument along lateral margins of opisthonotal shield with four pairs of setae (R1-R4); seta R5 absent. Measurements of setae: j1 12, j2 15 (14–15), j3 13 (12–13), j4 16 (15–16), j5 13 (13–14), j6 14 (13–15), z1 6 (5–7), z2 14 (13–14), z3 15 (14–15), z4 14 (14–15), z5 15 (14–15), z6 18 (18–19), s2 5 (5–6), s3 6, s4 21 (20–22), s5 21 (21–22), s6 16 (16–17), r2 5 (5–6), r3 27 (26–28), r4 8 (7–8), r5 9 (8–10), r6 23 (22–24), J1 13 (12–13), J2 13, J3 12 (12–13), J4 17 (17–18), J5 15 (14– 15), Z1 17 (17–18), Z2 17 (17–18), Z3 33 (32–33), Z4 21 (21–22), Z5 42 (41–42), S1 16 (16–17), S2 15 (15–16), S3 18 (17–18), S4 23 (23–24), S5 24 (23–24), R1 9 (8–9), R2 7 (6–8), R3 7 (7–8), R4 11 (11–12).

Ventral idiosoma ( Fig. 11 ). Base of tritosternum 18 (15–19) long and 9 (8–10) wide proximally ( Fig. 12 ); laciniae 51 (50–52), separated for about 95% of their total length, pilose. Sternal shield smooth and with anterior margin indistinct; region anterior to the first pair of lyrifissures lightly sclerotised and punctate; posterior margin concave; approximately 89 (87–92) long, including the lightly sclerotised punctate region, 69 (68–70) wide at widest level; with four pairs of setae and three pairs of lyrifissures. With a pair of ellipsoidal structure between sternal and genital shields, apparently corresponding to muscles insertions. Genital shield smooth, except for a punctate ellipsoidal region near convex posterior margin; longer than wide; extending posteriorly behind coxae IV; distance between st 5- st 5 34 (32–36). Unsclerotised integument posterolaterad of st5 with two pairs of lyrifissures. Unsclerotised integument along anterior margin of ventrianal shield with two pairs of setae (Jv1 and Zv1); distinct ellipsoidal structure anterior to ventrianal shield might correspond to a transversal fold of the cuticle of this region. Ventrianal shield mostly smooth, with inverted U-shaped punctate band; 107 (106–108) long and 93 (90–95) wide at widest level, not fused to dorsal shield; with lateral margins straight to slightly convex; with five pairs of setae (Jv2-Jv4, Zv2 and Zv3) in addition to circum-anal setae, and three pairs of distinguishable lyrifissures; post-anal seta about 1.7 times as long as para-anal setae; with a pair of ellipsoidal and a pair of rounded structures posterolaterad and posteromesad of Jv3, respectively, apparently corresponding to muscles insertions. With a pair of elongate metapodal plates, whose anterior end is round and contains a pore-like structure, located well behind insertion of coxa IV. Peritreme extending anteriorly to level of posterior margin of coxa II. Peritrematal shield not much wider than peritreme in the region next to it, constrict behind stigma and fused to exopodal and endopodal shields next to coxa IV, constrict anterior to peritreme, but expanding beyond s3 and extending to level between z1 and z2; distally approaching but not fusing to dorsal shields. Measurements of setae: st1 15 (14–15), st2 15 (15–16), st3 14 (14– 15), st4 15 (14–15), st5 12 (11–13), Jv1 9 (9–10), Jv2 14 (13–14), Jv3 16 (15–16), Jv4 30 (28–31), Zv1 12 (11–12), Zv2 11 (11–12), Zv3 16 (15–17), para-anal 25 (23–26), post-anal 44 (42–45).

Spermathecal apparatus. Not distinguishable.

Legs. Lengths: I: 257 (256–259); II: 175 (171–179); III: 160 (157–164); IV: 213 (211–215). Numbers of setae on legs I–IV: coxa: 2, 2, 2, 1; trochanter: 6, 5, 5, 5; femur: 13, 11, 6, 6; genu: 13, 11, 9, 10; tibia: 14, 10, 8, 10; tarsi II–IV: 18, 18, 17. For all segments, chaetotaxy follows what was reported by Evans (1963) for “ Rhodacarus - group” of the Rhodacaridae . Setae pd -2 of genu II (20), ad -1 of genu III (20), ad -1 of femur IV (25), ad -1 of genu IV (26) and ad -1 of tibia IV (26) distinctly longer than other dorsal setae of the same respective segments (8–10, 9– 10, 13–15, 10 –11 and 10–11). Seta pd- 2 of tarsus IV erect, about as long as other dorsal setae of the same segment. Pretarsi I–IV similar in shape, each consisting of an elongate ambulacral stalk, a pair of strongly sclerotised claws, and three rounded pulvillar lobes; pretarsus I about half as long as other pretarsi.

Adult male. Unknown.

Etymology. The name iraniensis is derived from Iran, the country where the type specimens were collected.

Remarks. Rhodacarellus iraniensis is most similar to R. tebeenus Hafez & Nasr , but the latter has genital shield with posterior margin truncate and without punctate band; a pair of metapodal plates of uniform width and without pore-like structure; peritrematal shield not fused to exopodal and endopodal shields next to coxa IV; and genua III and IV and tibia IV with eight, eight and nine setae, respectively. The following characteristics distinguish other similar Rhodacarellus species from the species here described: peritreme extending anteriorly to median region of coxa I in R. liuzhiyingi Ma and R. yalujiangensis Ma ; lateral margins of ventrianal shield medially constricted in R. shandongensis Ma ; opisthonotal and ventrianal shields ornamented in R. francescae Athias- Henriot, R. maxidactylus Karg , R. montanus Shcherbak , R. subterraneus Willmann and R. unicus Karg ; seta Jv4 absent in R. epigynialis Shcherbak ; seta Zv1 inserted on the ventrianal shield in R. arcanus Athias-Henriot , R. corniculatus Willmann , R. kreuzi Karg and R. moneli Solomon ; opisthonotal shield with 14 pairs of setae (Z3 absent) in R. citri Fouly ; seta Z5 shorter than Z 3 in R. silesiacus Willmann ; epistome with anterocentral extension shorter than anterolateral extensions in R. apophyseus Karg ; and epistome with anterolateral extensions aciculate and paraanal seta about 0.3 times as long as post-anal seta in R. perspicuus Halaškov.

Figures

FIGURES 7 – 12. Rhodacarellus iraniensis sp. n. Female. 7. Lateral (antiaxial) view of chelicera; 8. Epistome; 9. Hypostome; 10. Dorsal idiosoma; 11. Ventral idiosoma; 12. Tritosternum. Lyrifissures enlarged for improved visibility.