Fessonia torshizica Salarzehi & Hajiqanbar

Salarzehi, Safoura, Hajiqanbar, Hamidreza, Olyaie Torshiz, Ali & Noei, Javad, 2012, Description of a new species of the genus Fessonia (Acari: Prostigmata: Smarididae) from Iran, Revue suisse de Zoologie 119 (4), pp. 409-415 : 410-414

Fessonia torshizica Salarzehi & Hajiqanbar n. sp.

Figs 1-7

MATERIAL STUDIED: Holotype larva (SS-2010-1a), free-living, collected from soil samples of vineyards in Torshiz, Khorasan Razavi province, Northeastern Iran, 35° 11' N, 58° 72' E, 1215 m. a.s.l. 24-IX-2010, leg. S. Salarzehi . Paratype: 1 larva (SS-2010-1b), same collection data as for holotype.

ETYMOLOGY: The specific epithet refers to the type locality, Torshiz.

DIAGNOSIS: Tarsus 1 with 26 serrate setae; genu I without microseta (k); genua I, II, and III each with one solenidion (s); basifemur I and telofemur I with 3 and 4 serrate setae, respectively; tarsus II with 24 serrate setae.

DESCRIPTION OF LARVA: Metric data given in Table 1 .

Idiosoma (Figs 1-2). Length 316 (300), width 249 (221). Dorsal scutum subpentagonal, anterior border curved, with two pairs of barbed normal setae (AL, PL), two pairs of trichobothria (ASens, PSens), ASens almost setulose throughout but PSens setulose only in posterior half. Laterally of scutum two pairs of eyes. Remaining part of dorsum carrying 38 barbed setae in rows C-H. Venter with all setae barbed except elc I. Coxa I with setae 1b 52 (49) and 1a 19 (18), setae 1a located outside, close to margins of coxae I. Setae 2b 21 (19), situated on coxae II; setae 2a 44 (41), situated between coxae II. Setae 3b 35 (32), situated on coxae III; setae 3a 24 (22), situated anteriorly outside coxae III. Three pairs of setae situated posterior to coxae III.

Gnathosoma (Fig. 3). Chelicera with cheliceral base 60 (64) long and with smooth movable claw; cheliceral digits short, 5 (4) long. Dorsal gnathosoma with a pair of smooth, pointed adoral setae cs 6 (5) anteriorly and with a pair of short, thick and blunt supracoxal setae elcp 3 (2) in lateral position. Ventrally a pair of smooth and pointed subcapitular (tritorostral) setae bs 10 (8) and a pair of short, thick and blunt oral setae as 3 (2). Palpal femur with one barbed dorsal seta, 21 (19) long, palpal genu with one barbed dorsal seta, 11 (9) long. Palpal tibia with one smooth and two barbed setae. Odontus bifid, 9 (7) long. Palpal tarsus with four smooth setae gc 7 (6), ds 5 (4), ic 4 (3), hc 3 (2), one barbed seta nc 15 (14), one solenidion (w) and one prominent distal eupathidium (z).

Legs (Figs 4-7). Leg I 208 (172) long, femora I-III divided into basi- and telofemur; segmentation formula: 7-7-7. Details of leg chaetotaxy in Table 2 . Trichobothria present on tibia and tarsus of leg I. Anterior trichobothrial sensilum (ta) on tarsus I forming a complex with spatulate seta (c), microsolenidion (e), eupathidium (z) and seta z. Two trichobothria also located in proximal half of tarsus I. Tibia I with one trichobothrium in proximal half; shape of all trichobothria on leg I similar, with nude base and setulose upper half. A posterior solenidion on tibia I along with seta da. Solenidion (s) on genu I shorter than 1/2 length of other solenidia on leg I. Leg II 203 (171) long, anterior solenidion on tibia II longer than posterior one. Genu II with only pit of microseta k present. Solenidion (s) on genu II subequal to posterior solenidion (j) of tibia I. Leg III 248 (215) long, solenidion (s) on genu III a little longer than solenidion (j) on tibia III. All tarsi I-III with smooth and claw-like empodia; lateral claws pad-like, with small barbs.

REMARKS: Fessonia torshizica n. sp. differs from F. papillosa in fnBf I (3 vs 2), fnTf I (4 vs 5), number of microsetae k on genu I (0 vs 1), fnTa I (26 vs 20-22), fnTa II (24 vs 21-22), number of solenidia on genu III (1 vs 0) and fnTa III (23 vs 21-23). All leg chaetotaxy characters of the larvae of Fessonia torshizica n. sp. and F. papillosa are compared in Table 2 .