Sertitympanum nodosum (Sheals, 1962) Mašán, 2017

Masan, Peter, 2017, A revision of the family Ameroseiidae (Acari, Mesostigmata), with some data on Slovak fauna, ZooKeys 704, pp. 1-228 : 1

Sertitympanum nodosum (Sheals, 1962) comb. n.

Plates 70 , 71 , 76E , 77B

Kleemannia nodosa Sheals, 1962: 99.

Kleemannia bassolsae Vargas & Polaco, 2001: 171.

Ameroseius bassolase (sic). - Kazemi and Rajaei 2013: 64; Khalili-Moghadam and Saboori 2014: 674.

Ameroseius (Kleemannia) bassolsae . - Hajizadeh et al. 2013a: 150.

Type depository.

Of Kleemannia nodosa - British Museum (Natural History), London, United Kingdom; of Kleemannia bassolsae - Laboratorio de Acarología, Departamento de Zoología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Ciudad de México, Mexico; Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico; Canadian National Collection of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes, Research Branch, Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

Type locality and habitat.

Of Kleemannia nodosa - Argentina, Nahuel Huapi National Park, habitat not stated; of Kleemannia bassolsae - Mexico, Durango, Laboratorio del Desierto, on Nelson‘s kangaroo rat, Dipodomys nelsoni ( Mammalia, Rodentia ).

Comparative material.

Argentina: 1 ♀ (BMNH: 1961.6.2029, holotype) - 39/2, det. J. G. Sheals (labelled Kleemannia nodosa ) . Germany: 5 ♀♀ (ZMH: A2/62) - 1957, Langenhorn , Müllplatz, leg. H. J. Haas, det. G. O. Evans (2 ex.) and G. Rack (3 ex.) in 1964 (labelled Kleemannia nodosa ) ; 2 ♀♀ (ZMH: A41/73) - May 1973, Kassel , Neubau, leg. H. Kühne, det. G. Rack in 1973 (labelled Ameroseius nodosus ) ; 6 ♀♀ (ZMH: A108/85) - 17. 9. 1985, NW Deutschland, Stade , lästig in einem Badezimmer, leg. U. Zellentin, det. G. Rack in 1985 (labelled Ameroseius nodosus ) .

Remarks.

This species was only briefly described by Sheals (1962), and his description needs the following amendments, according to an examination of the holotype: (1) dorsal shield sculpture with a specific pattern of straight and curved lamellar structures, less sclerotised reticulate and granulate areas, and shallow depressions in central and marginal portion; the shield scalloped posteromarginally, bearing 28 pairs of setae (there are two incompletely illustrated pairs and one redundant marginal pair in the original figure of dorsum); (2) setae j1 placed ventrally; (3) sternal shield between coxae II and III with endopodal portions well developed; (4) third pair of sternal lyrifissures on soft integument, behind the pseudo-metasternal platelets; (5) peritrematal shields with a pair of enlarged cavity-like poroid structures; (6) posterior margin of ventrianal shield widely rounded; (7) setae JV1, ZV2 and JV5 on soft integument, JV5 spatulate; (8) setae h1, fixed digit of chelicera, epistome and palptarsal apotele well discernible, typical of the genus (see generic diagnosis above); (9) coxae I-IV with rows of spicules, coxae II with a spine on anterior surface; (10) legs I-IV dorsally with lamellar and papular sclerotic structures; (11) leg chaetotaxy typical for the genus; (12) tarsi I-IV each with empodium but no claws; (13) sperm induction pores discernible, papilla-like.

I am unable to find important differences between the holotype of Sertitympanum nodosum from Argentina and specimens of Sertitympanum bassolsae from Mexico, adequately described and illustrated by Vargas and Polaco (2001). Therefore, a new synonymy is established between the two above mentioned species in this study.

I have examined a large number of Sertitympanum specimens from Iran (received from A. Ahadiyat, J. Hajizadeh and Sh. Kazemi). Despite certain variability of the lamellar pattern of the sculptural sclerotization (due to different pressure of the cover glass on mounted specimens), and variable shape of some sternal and ventrianal shields, I consider the specimens from Iran (excluding two mites with longer dorsal setae and identified as Sertitympanum aegyptiacum ) as conspecific with the holotype of Sertitympanum nodosum . In addition, I examined some Sertitympanum specimens available in the Rack Collection in Hamburg. They were collected in synanthropic habitats (bathroom, new building, waste disposal area) in north-western Germany (Langenhorn, Kassel, and Stade), labelled Kleemannia nodosa or Ameroseius nodosus , and identified by G. O. Evans in 1964 or G. Rack in 1964, 1973 and 1985. Here I regard their identification as correct. The first record of Sertitympanum in Europe is perhaps unexpected and surprising from a biogeographic and ecological point of view, but specimens from Germany agree in detail with the specimens from South America and Asia. I expect S. nodosum to be cosmopolitan species distributed by human activities and associated with various synanthropic habitats, including stored grain and other food products, especially in the temperate climatic regions.

Figures

Plate 70. Sertitympanum nodosum, female (from Germany), dorsal idiosoma.

Plate 71. Sertitympanum nodosum, female (from Germany). A Dorsal idiosoma B-C Epistome, variant forms D Hypostome, ventral view.

Plate 76. Ameroseiidae spp., female. A-E Structures of sperm access system. A Kleemannia delicata, sperm induction pores (solenostomes) associated with inner margin of coxae III B and D Kleemannia plumigera, solenostomes associated with inner margin of coxae III C Epicriopsis suedus, sacculus foemineus and associated tubuli annulati E Sertitympanum nodosum, tubuli annulati F-H Chelicera. F Asperolaelaps rotundus G Ameroseius renatae H Kleemannia delicata.

Plate 77. Ameroseiidae spp., female. A-C Poroid structure associated with peritrematal shield. A Kleemannia delicata B Sertitympanum nodosum C Kleemannia plumigera D Metasternal region in Kleemannia plumigera.