Neoseiulella formosa (Wainstein), 2004

Kanouh, M., Kreiter, S., Douin, M. & Tixier, M. - S., 2012, Revision Of The Genus Neoseiulella Muma (Acari: Phytoseiidae). Re-Description Of Species, Synonymy Assessment, Biogeography, Plant Supports And Key To Adult Females, Acarologia 52 (3), pp. 259-348 : 277-278

Neoseiulella formosa (Wainstein)

( Figure 6 )

Typhlodromus formosus Wainstein 1958: 206 ; Abbasova 1966: 186. Typhlodromus (Seiulus) formosus (Wainstein) Ehara 1966: 16 . Typhlodromus (Nesbitteius) formosus (Wainstein) Arutunjan 1970: 19 . Typhloctonus formosus (Wainstein) Kolodochka 1974a: 26-27 ; Rivnay and Swirski 1980: 183. Neoseiulella formosa (Wainstein) Moraes et al. 2004: 297 ; Chant and McMurtry 2007: 147.

Adult female ( Figure 6a – d )

Dorsal shield ( Figure 6a ) — Dorsal shield distinctly reticulated throughout: length 336; width 163 (at level of s4) and 180 (at level of Z1). Five pairs of large circular solenostomes: gd1, gd2, gd6, gd8, and gd9. No poroid visible. Sub-lateral setae (r3 and R1) on the lateral margin. Dorsal shield bearing 19 pairs of setae, all smooth except Z4 and Z5 slightly serrated: j1 19; j3 30; j4 19; j5 20; j6 18; J2 26; J5 11; z2 22; z3 28; z4 31; z5 17; Z1 33; Z4 38; Z5 44; s4 34; s6 34; S2 39; S4 35; S5 19; sub-lateral setae r3 28 and R1 21. Peritreme extending anteriorly to the level of z4.

Ventral shields ( Figure 6b ) — Sternal shield 66 long and 65 wide (at level of ST2), smooth with three pairs of setae (ST1, ST2 and ST3) and two pairs of poroids. ST3 on an elongate projection of the sternal shield. A pair of metasternal setae (ST4) on separate platelets with a pair of small poroids. Genital shield 117 long and 62 wide (at level of ST5), smooth. Four elongate platelets or genital sigilla folded under the genital shield and situated between genital and ventrianal shields. One pair of poroids close to the genital shield (ST 5) and 3 pairs of poroids around the genital shield. Ventrianal shield rectangular-shaped, 102 long and 66 wide (at level of ZV2), lightly reticulated, with four pairs of preanal setae (JV1, JV2, JV3 and ZV2) and without solenostome gv3. Four pairs of caudoventral setae (ZV1, ZV3, JV4 and JV5) on the integument surrounding the ventrianal shield. JV5 24 long, smooth. Primary metapodal plate or inguinal sigillum 31 long and 3 wide.

Spermatheca ( Figure 6c ) — Cervix 13 long, elongated and cup-shaped.

Chelicera ( Figure 6d ) — One tooth and a pilus dentilis on the fixed digit. Movable digit 26 long, bearing one tooth.

Legs — Measurements of legs: leg I 271; leg II 219; leg III 211; leg IV 275. Eight setae (2-2/1, 2/0-1) on the genu II. No macroseta on legs.

Material examined — The female lectotype deposited in the ASU, Institute of Zoology , Academy of Sciences, Kiev, Ukraine .

Adult male ( Figure 6e, f ) Dorsal shield chaetotaxy similar to the female, but sub-lateral seta R1 on the dorsal shield. Ventrianal shield 99 long and 139 wide, distinctly reticulated and bearing five pairs of preanal setae and four pairs of poroids. Spermatodactyl L-shaped with a terminal foot and a toe enlarged. This description is based on one of the paralectotype specimens (deposited in the ASU, Ukraine) .

Previous reports — N. formosa is only known from the West-Palaearctic area. Countries from which this species is reported are: Armenia ( Arutunjan 1970, 1971); Caucasus region ( Abbasova 1966); Georgia ( Wainstein 1958; Samsoniya 1972; Wainstein and Vartapetov 1973); Hungary ( Bozai 1996, 1997; Ripka 1998, 2006); Moldova (Wainstein 1973); Ukraine ( Wainstein 1958; Kolodochka 1974b, 1978). Plants on which N. formosa was reported are: A. campestre , Acer sp. ( Aceraceae ); Cydonia sp., Malus sp., Mespilus germanica L., Mespilus sp., P. armeniaca , P. cerasifera , P. (Cerasus) avium , Prunus sp., P. spinosa , Pyrus sp., Rosa sp., Rubus sp., Sorbus sp. ( Rosaceae ); Alnus sp., C. avellana , Corylus sp. ( Betulaceae ); Cornus sp. ( Cornaceae ); Ficus carica L. ( Moraceae ); Juglans regia (Juglandaceae) ; Phaseolus sp. ( Fabaceae ); Q. cerris L., Quercus sp. ( Fagaceae ); U. laevis , U. scabra , Ulmus sp. ( Ulmaceae ).

The examination of the type materials of both N. tiliarum and N. formosa shows that except for the position of sternal setae ST3 (on/off the sternal shield), all other morphological characters and measurements are similar. Furthermore, morphological and molecular analyses ( Kanouh et al. 2010) showed that the position of seta ST3 is not a reliable diagnostic character and thus that N. tiliarum is a senior synonym of N. formosa . These results agree with the conclusions of Kolodochka (1986), Chant and Yoshida-Shaul (1989) and Denmark and Rather (1996).

Figures

FIGURE 6: Neoseiulella formosa (Wainstein). Female (lectotype): a – dorsal shield; b – ventral shields; c – spermatheca; d – chelicera. Male (collection): e – ventrianal shield; f – spermatodactyl.