Gaeolaelaps praesternalis (Willmann)

Joharchi, Omid, Tolstikov, Andrei V., Khaustov, Alexander A., Khaustov, Vladimir A. & Sarcheshmeh, Mohammadhassan Abbasi, 2019, Review of some mites (Acari: Laelapidae) associated with ants and bumblebees in Western Siberia, Russia, Zootaxa 4613 (1), pp. 71-92 : 81-82

Gaeolaelaps praesternalis (Willmann)

Hypoaspis praesternalis Willmann, 1949: 115 . Hypoaspis praesternalis .— Evans, 1953: 272; Ryke, 1963: 2; Davydova & Nikolsky, 1986: 108; Ma & Yin, 2011: 119; Saito & Takaku, 2011: 88.

Hypoaspis (Hypoaspis) praesternalis .— Van Aswegen & Loots, 1970: 190.

Hypoaspis (Gaeolaelaps) praesternalis .— Evans & Till, 1966: 173.

Specimens examined. Four females, RUSSIA, Tyumen Province, vicinity of Uspenka, 57°04’N, 65°04’E, 21 May 2018, O. Joharchi coll., in the nest of Myrmica rubra (L.) ( Hymenoptera : Formicidae ).

Notes. Gaeolaelaps praesternalis was described from meadow soil in Poland ( Willmann, 1949). The species has been reported many times from all over Europe, Asia, and North America as follows: Tanzania ( Evans, 1953; Van Aswegen & Loots, 1970), Germany (Karg, 1962), South Africa ( Ryke, 1963), Great Britain ( Evans & Till, 1966), Japan ( Saito & Takaku, 2011), China ( Ma & Yin, 2011), Zanzibar ( Joharchi et al., 2018) and Iran ( Khezri et al., 2006). However, we believe that there is some ambiguity about the identification of this species, because most authors did not mention how they identified their specimens. Joharchi et al. (2018) discussed this problem, but only a comprehensive revision of all these records can resolve this problem completely.

Davydova & Nikolsky (1986) reported Hypoaspis praesternalis from Western Siberia on the basis of specimens collected from the soil and rodents nests. It is now recorded from the ants’ nests. Our specimens agree very well with the description given by Evans & Till (1966, Fig. 19 ). The species is recognised by the presence of 39 pairs of simple setae on the dorsal shield, including two pairs of Zx setae; some setae in the opisthonotal region long enough to reach the base of the next posterior setae; peritreme short, extending to the mid-level of coxa II; a pair of granular pre-sternal plates; and tarsus IV with two very elongate setae pd2, pd3 (88–98).

Figures

FIGURES 14–20. DIC micrographs of Cosmolaelaps neocuneifer, female. 14, idiosoma in dorsal view; 15, idiosoma in ventral view; 16, general view of some dorsal setae; 17, general view of some opisthogastric setae, and post-anal seta; 18, epistome; 19, subcapitulum; 20, chelicera, fixed digit.