Antennoseius species

Beaulieu, Frédéric, Déchêne, Andrea D. & Walter, David E., 2008, Phase morphs and phoresy: New species of Antennoseius (Vitzthumia) mites (Acari: Mesostigmata: Ascidae) associated with pyrophilous carabids (Carabidae: Sericoda spp.) in Alberta, Canada, Zootaxa 1961 (1), pp. 37-57 : 53-55

Key to adult females of Antennoseius species with ambulacrum on leg I

1. Anterior dorsal shield with 1 or more pairs of setae among j2-j5 or z2-z4 strongly thickened, short, smooth and spur-like (some may also have a hair-like tip); one or more setae on coxae I–II similarly shaped......2

- Most setae of anterior dorsal shield similar in length and shape, none spur-like; coxal setae not spur-like.......................................................................................................................................................................7

2. Anterior dorsal shield with 1 or 2 pairs of spur-like setae (j3 and/or j4).....................................................3

- Anterior dorsal shield with 4 or more pairs of spur-like setae......................................................................5

3. Anterior dorsal shield with 2 pairs of spur-like setae (j3 and j4); posterior dorsal shield with 5 pairs of barbed setae; India........................................................................................................... deyi Bhattacharyya

- Anterior dorsal shield with 1 pair of spur-like setae (j3); remaining setae simple, not barbed................... 4

4. Anterior dorsal shield with 19 pairs of setae (r2 off shield); peritreme extending to level of z1; idiosoma 700–750 µm; India........................................................ orientalis Bhattacharyya, Sanyal & Bhattacharyya

- Anterior dorsal shield with 20 pairs of setae; peritreme shorter, extending only to level of coxa I; idiosoma about 600 µm; India............................................................................................... garurensis Bhattacharyya

5. Anterior dorsal shield with 4 pairs of spur-like setae; coxa I with 2 spur-like setae with hair-like tip; femur I with only 1 spine-like seta; seta st3 on sternal shield; Kazakhstan........................ bregetovae Chelebiev ‡

- Anterior dorsal shield with 5 or 6 pairs of spur-like setae; coxa I with only 1 spur-like setae (with or without hair-like tip); femur I with 3 or 4 spur or spine-like setae; seta st3 on soft cuticle................................6

6. Anterior dorsal shield with 5 pairs of spur-like setae (j2-j5, z2); seta pc of subcapitulum spur-like with hair-like tip; genu I with 2 spur-like setae; posterolateral corners of sternal shield deeply eroded, producing a broad median process posteriorly; Canada (Alberta) ........................ perseus n. sp. (smooth morph)*

- Anterior dorsal shield with 6 pairs of spur-like setae (j2-j3, z2-z4, s4); seta pc of subcapitulum simple; genu I with 3 spur-like setae; sternal shield not as deeply eroded, without median process; India.............. .......................................................................................................................... ranikhetensis Bhattacharyya

7. Dorsal shield setation strongly neotrichous, anterior dorsal shield with about 31 pairs of short, smooth setae and several unpaired setae; posterior dorsal shield with 20 pairs of setae; Moldavia, Ukraine (Crimea), Russia (Novosibirsk Province, Krasnodar Territory)................................ multisetus Eidelberg *

- Dorsal shields at most weakly neotrichous, anterior dorsal shield typically with 19–26 pairs of setae, posterior dorsal shield with 12–17 pairs of setae..............................................................................................8

8. Dorsal and opisthogastric shielding and surrounding soft integument covered with small granular tubercles; most dorsal setae distinctly barbed; generally nonphoretic forms.......................................................9

- Dorsal and opisthogastric shielding generally smoothly reticulate and surrounding soft integument smoothly striate, lacking granular tubercles; most dorsal setae, excepting j1, smooth or nearly so (may be slightly pilose apically); commonly phoretic forms...................................................................................15

9. Ventri-anal shield with 3 circum-anal setae and 1 or 2 pairs of ventral setae; st1 off sternal shield, on soft cuticle in between sternal shield and pre-sternal plates..............................................................................10

- Ventri-anal shield with 3 circum-anal setae only (rarely, an unpaired ventral seta asymmetrically on shield margin); st1 on sternal shield.....................................................................................................................12

10. Ventri-anal shield with 3 circum-anal setae and 1 pair of ventral setae; fixed digit of chelicerae unidentate; India............................................................................................................................ indicus Bhattacharyya

- Ventri-anal shield with 3 circum-anal setae and 2 pairs of ventral setae; fixed digit of chelicerae typically serrated (unknown for A. belajevi )............................................................................................................11

11. Posterolateral margins of posterior dorsal shield gently rounded, giving nearly semicircular outline; epigynial shield rounded posteriorly; anterior dorsal shield with 1 unpaired median seta; Russia (Magadan province) .......................................................................................................................... belajevi Bregetova

- Posterolateral margins of posterior dorsal shield somewhat truncated, giving a somewhat (inverse) trapezoidal outline; epigynial shield truncated posteriorly; dorsal shields with no unpaired median seta; Canada (Alberta)...................................................................................................... perseus n. sp. (granular morph)

12. Dorsal shields densely granulate-tuberculate, lacking reticulate patterning; Central Europe ........................ ................................................................................................................................... granulatus (Willmann)

- Dorsal shields with reticulate patterning of tubercles superimposed on granulate-tuberculate surface ... 13

13. Idiosoma 800–900 µm; posterior dorsal shield with 12–14 pairs of setae, including only 3 or 4 pairs of S setae; northern Europe ...................................................................................................... oudemansi (Thor)

- Idiosoma 500–600 µm; posterior dorsal shield with 14–17 pairs of setae, including 5 or 6 pairs of S setae....................................................................................................................................................................14

14. Anterior dorsal shield with about 17 pairs of setae, apparently lacking 1 or 2 setae in area normally occupied by z2-z4 on either side, and with only r4 of marginal series on edge of shield; pre-sternal platelets apparently absent, and lateral margins of sternal shield apparently entire between sternal setae 2 and 3; Kazakhstan............................................................................................................... koroljevae Chelebiev ‡

- Anterior dorsal shield with 20–25 pairs of setae, with z series complete, with 1 or 2 extra setae usually present on either side in area occupied by s3-s6, and with r2 and often r4 on edge of shield; pre-sternal platelets present but weakly defined, and lateral margins of sternal shield usually notched at level of lyrifissures 2; USA (Colorado) .................................................... janus Lindquist & Walter (granular morph)

15. Vertical seta j1 sparsely to densely barbed and larger or thicker than other setae on anterior dorsal shield.....................................................................................................................................................................16

- Vertical seta j1 similar to others, not noticeably enlarged or barbed..........................................................17

16. Vertical seta j1 about 1.5× longer than other setae on dorsal shields; Z5 thickened and barbed; other setae slightly pilose apically; Moldavia, Ukraine (Crimea), Russia (Rostov province), Kazakhstan..................... ................................................................................................................................ ovaliscutalis Eidelberg *

- Vertical seta j1 not longer than other setae on dorsal shields; other setae including Z5 narrowly bicarinate; USA (Colorado) ...................................................................... janus Lindquist & Walter (smooth morph)†

17. Palptibia and palpgenu with respectively 1 and 2 strongly thickened, short, smooth, spur-like setae dorsodistally; cells in most of anterior shield packed with longitudinal or oblique lineae; anterior margin of tectum mostly smooth, with no or very few denticles; seta st3 on soft cuticle; sternal shield with a broad postero-median process; idiosoma 425–500 µm; Canada (Alberta) ...................................... pyrophilus n. sp. *

- Palptibia and palpgenu with normal setae dorso-distally; dorsal shields without longitudinal lineae; anterior margin of tectum with numerous denticles; seta st3 on sternal shield, although sometimes on the edge; sternal shield without broad postero-median process; idiosoma 600–675 µm...........................................18

18. Sternal shield with anterior margin without a notch; four subapical setae on tarsus I only slightly longer than other setae; anal shield finely tuberculate; Central Europe ................................ spinosus (Willmann)

- Sternal shield strongly notched anteriorly; four subapical setae 2/3 length of tarsus I; anal shield probably smooth (not mentioned in description); Russia (Taymyr region) .......................... hyperboreus Nikolskij ‡