Neotrombicula heptneri Kudryashova, 1973

Stekolnikov, Alexandr A., Saboori, Alireza, Shamsi, Mohsen & Hakimitabar, Masoud, 2019, Chigger mites (Acariformes: Trombiculidae) of Iran, Zootaxa 4549 (1), pp. 1-66 : 48

Neotrombicula heptneri Kudryashova, 1973

Neotrombicula heptneri Kudryashova, 1973 in Kudryashova et al. 1973a: 134 , fig. 3; Kudryashova et al. 1978: 135; Stekolnikov & Kar 2015: 355.

Diagnosis. SIF = 7BS-N-3-3111.1000; fPp = B/B/BBB; fsp = 7.7.7; fCx = 1.1.1; fSt = 2.2; fSc: PL> AL> AM; fD = 2H-6-6-8-2-4-(4)-2-(2); DS = 32–36; VS = 26–37; NDV = 60–69; Ip = 1019–1131; eyes 2 + 2; f 1 at level of S 1; f 2 posterior to S 2. Measurements of holotype and paratype: AW 79, 81 , PW 89 , 93 , SB 31, 30, ASB 34, 36, PSB 34, 34, SD 68, 70, P-PL 31, 32, AP 33, 33 , AM 43 , 44 , AL 47, 44 , PL 72 , 75 , S 76, 74, H 69, 71, D min 49, 53, D max 64, 68, V min 35, 34, V max 50,52, pa 414, 409, pm 353, 346, pp 401, 401, Ip 1168, 1156, TaIIIL 104, 101, TaIIIW 19, 18 .

Type material examined. Holotype larva (ZMMU Tdt-33, I-65 -2159) from Meriones persicus, Chehel Zarʼi, 1570 m a.s.l., stony slopes of mountains, 26 October 1969, coll. V.M. Neronov; one paratype larva (ZMMU Tdt- 34, I-64 -2524) from Meriones lybicus, Fesa, 1130 m a.s.l., 30 November 1969, coll. V.M. Neronov.

Hosts. Capra hircus , Meriones libycus , M. persicus , Tatera indica .

Distribution. Iran (Chahar Taq, Chehel Zarʼi, Kerman, Mahdishahr), Turkey.

Remarks. Measurements in the original description of this species ( Kudryashova et al. 1973a) are systematically smaller than our measurements of type specimens ( Stekolnikov & Kar 2015). However, in her later work Kudryashova replaced the table of measurements for N. heptneri with other values ( Kudryashova et al. 1978), which do not significantly differ from our results.