Cosmolaelaps guttulata ( Karg, 1978 )

Nemati, Alireza & Gwiazdowicz, Dariusz J., 2016, Description of a new species of Cosmolaelaps Berlese and the male of C. brevipedestra (Karg) from Iran, with notes on some other species of Cosmolaelaps Berlese (Acari: Laelapidae), Zootaxa 4066 (5), pp. 535-551 : 546-547

Cosmolaelaps guttulata ( Karg, 1978)

Figures 31–32

Hypoaspis (Cosmolaelaps) guttulata Karg, 1978: 5 .

Hypoaspis (Cosmolaelaps) guttulata .— Karg, 1979: 72; Karg, 1981: 218; Karg, 1985: 236; Karg, 1987: 291: Karg, 1988: 516; Xu & Liang, 1996: 193.

Cosmolaelaps guttulata .—Moreira, 2014: 213; Moreira et al., 2014: 319.

Cosmolaelaps confinisetarum Moreira, Klompen & Moraes, 2014: 333 . New synonymy.

Specimens examined. Microslides in Karg collection, Berlin: ZMB Nr. 40293 female (holotype), South America, Chile Laguna la Cotacotani, unter Steinen am See-Ufer (4780 m), Slide No. 3767, 22 November 1965; ZMB Nr. 40297 male, South America, Chile, Slide No. 4037, 22 November 1965; ZMB Nr. 40298 male, Argentina, Slid No., 4038, 14 October 1961; ZMB Nr. 40299 female, Brasilia, Slide No. 3768, 25 April 1970; ZMB Nr. 40300 female, Brasilia, Slide No. 3769, 15 December 1964; ZMB Nr. 40301 female, Brasilia, Slide No. 3770, 16 July 1971; ZMB Nr. 40303 female, Argentina, Rio Negro, El Bolson, Tal des Azal, 300 m, Laubstreu aus Nothofagus, Myrceugenia-Wald, Slide No. 3772, 14 October 1961.

Notes. According to Moreira et al. (2014), C. confinisetarum Moreira, Klompen & Moraes, 2014 , is closely related to Cosmolaelaps guttulata ( Karg, 1978) . They separated these species based on three main characters: the smooth dorsal shield, the presence of only two unpaired setae on the opisthonotal region of the dorsal shield, and j5 setae distinctly closer together than j4 setae in C. guttulata . In C. confinisetarum the dorsal shield is reticulated with three unpaired setae and the distance of j4–j 4 in comparison with j5–j5 is less than that in C. guttulata (Moreira et al., 2014) . Our observations of the type materials of C. guttulata ( Figs 31, 32: based on microslides No. 3767 and 3772), revealed that the dorsal shield of this species has reticulated pattern similar to that of C. confinisetarum , and with three unpaired Jx setae ( Fig. 32) on dorsal shield (in spite of two in original description in Karg, 1978). The distances between the bases of j4–J4 and j5–j 5 in C. guttulata is (46–50) and (29–33) respectively (measurements is based on type materials: microslides Nr. 3737, 3769 and 3770 in museum für Naturkunde Berlin, Germany). We could find no convincing distinguishing morphological differences between C. guttulata and C. confinisetarum , so C. confinisetarum is considered as junior synonym of C. guttulata .

The Iranian specimens of C. brevipedestra have 39 pairs of dorsal shield setae and three unpaired Jx setae. In the holotype of this species there are two unpaired Jx setae posterior to J1, while in our specimens there is only one unpaired Jx in this location. This situation was observed in some undescribed species of Gaeolaelaps genus in the mite collection of first author in Shahrekord University, Iran. The number of unpaired Jx setae on opisthonotal part apparently lacks taxonomic value to use as an important character to separate species in Cosmolaelaps .

Observations of the type materials of C. guttulata revealed a mistake in the number of teeth of fixed cheliceral digit in original description ( Karg, 1978) which was cited as seven teeth in addition to distal tooth. In fact the fixed digit possess five teeth in addition to distal tooth, similar to original description of C. confinisetarum .