Biscirus iranensis Paktinat-Saeej & Bagheri

Paktinat-Saeej, Saeed, Bagheri, Mohammad, Saboori, Alireza & Ahaniazad, Mansoureh, 2015, Two new Bdellidae (Trombidiformes: Bdelloidea) from Iran and the status of Neobiscirus Gomelauri, 1963, Zootaxa 4013 (4), pp. 519-530 : 520-523

Biscirus iranensis Paktinat-Saeej & Bagheri sp. nov.

( Figs. 1–17 )

Description. Male (n =3): Dimensions: Length of body (including gnathosoma) 1240 (1137–1225), width of body 455 (438–495), length of gnathosoma 420 (345–412), length of chelicera 366 (310–368); leg lengths: I 737 (590– 725), II 705 (535–700), III 820 (645–805), IV 962 (788–925); VES 180 (156–190), DES 252 (238–282); palpomeres I–V: 21 (14–18), 233 (190–222), 37 (27–30), 63 (40–52), 162 (117–132); at? (220), pt? (218), mps 52 (52), c1 46 (43–50), c2 50 (52), d1 45 (45), e1 56 (54), f1 62 (57–63), f2 58 (55–58), h1 63 (60), h2 61 (53); distance: at–at 82 (73), pt–pt 240 (243), c1–c2 138 (140), c1–d1 133 (116–125).

Gnathosoma ( Figs. 1–3 ): Two pairs of ventral hypostomal setae longitudinally aligned (vh1–vh2) ( Fig. 1 ); hypostome ending in two lateral lips, bearing two adoral setae ad1 24 (23), ad2 25 (24) and with longitudinal striations, which are transverse at base. Chelicera ( Figs. 2 , 14 ) with longitudinal striae and bear two setae, proximal seta 80 (58–72) longer than distal seta 58 (46–52); movable digit smooth and with two denticles, fixed digit straight, smooth and slightly shorter than movable digit. Palp ( Fig. 3 ) chaetotaxy: trochanter 0, basifemur 2sts, telofemur 1sts, genu 2sts, tibiotarsus 1sts, 1s, 2 long end setae (VES, DES). Setae on telofemur and genu finely pilose.

Dorsum ( Figs. 4–7 , 15–17 ): at and pt slender and nude. Striae on propodosoma transverse between setae at but center of propodosoma with roughly broken striations and lateral margins longitudinally striated ( Fig. 4 ); two pairs of posterolateral eyes with oblique striae between each pair and one median eye present ( Figs. 4 , 15 ). Dorsal striae of hysterosoma continuous to sparsely broken; all striae ornamented with papillae-like patterns ( Figs. 5–6 , 16–17 ); dorsal setae minutely pilose ( Fig.7 ).

Venter ( Figs. 8–9 ): Ventral setae nude; genital plates each with 12–16 setae arranged in two rows; 12–15 aggenital setae present, first pair between coxae IV; anal valves with three pairs of smooth pseudanal setae (ps1– ps3). Amphioid sclerite with nine pairs of simple setae ( Fig. 9 ).

Legs ( Figs. 10–13 ): Leg chaetotaxy: coxae I–IV 4 (5)-3-6(7)-4sts; trochantera I–IV 1-1 -1-1sts; basifemora I– IV 9 (10)-9t-8(9)-4sts; telofemora I–IV 5-5 (4)-4-4sts; genua I–IV 5 sts, 5(4)asl- 5sts, 1asl- 5sts, 1asl- 4sts, 1asl; tibiae I–IV 13 (11)sts, 4asl, 1bsl, 1pe, 1T- 14(11/13)sts, 1asl, 1bsl- 14(10/12)sts, 1asl- 12sts, 1T; tarsi I–IV 29 sts, 2asl, 2bsl, 1pe- 30sts, 2bsl- 28sts, 1T- 25sts, 1asl, 1T.

Female (n =1): Similar to male, but with the following specifications. Dimensions: Length of body (including gnathosoma) 1025, width of body 465, length of gnathosoma 338, length of chelicera 298; leg lengths: I 570, II 537, III 641, IV 745; VES 148, DES 230; palpomeres I–V: 14, 182, 31, 34, 105; at 175, pt 172, mps 48, c1 42, c2 46, d1 43, e1 44, f1 62, f2 57, h1 60, h2 51; distance: at–at 60, pt–pt 195, c1–c2 122, c1–d1 115. Ventral side with 15 genital setae on each plate and 15–16 aggenital setae. Leg chaetotaxy: coxae I–IV 4-3 -5(7)-4sts; trochantera I–IV 1-1 -1- 1sts; basifemora I–IV 9-9 -8(9)-4sts; telofemora I–IV 5-4 -4-4sts; genua I–IV 5 sts, 4asl- 5sts, 1asl- 5sts, 1asl- 4sts, 1asl; tibiae I–IV 11 sts, 4asl, 1bsl, 1pe, 1T- 10sts, 1asl, 1bsl- 10sts, 1asl- 12(10)sts, 1T; tarsi I–IV 30 sts, 2asl, 2bsl, 1pe- 29sts, 2bsl- 28sts, 1T- 25sts, 1asl, 1T.

Remarks. Biscirus iranensis Paktinat-Saeej & Bagheri sp. nov. resembles Biscirus silvaticus ( Kramer, 1881) and B. arenarius Wallace & Mahon, 1972 in having the same solenidotaxy of tarsi I–IV; and resembles B. kobachidzei comb. nov. in having a median eye. B. iranensis sp. nov. can be distinguished from B. silvaticus by (1) presence of one attenuated solenidion on genua IV (absent in B. silvaticus ); (2) presence of one blunt solenidion on tibiae I (absent in B. silvaticus ); (3) all eugenital setae on amphioid sclerites are simple (branched and forked in B. silvaticus ); (4) coxae II and telofemora IV with 3 and 4 setae, respectively (opposed to 4 and 3 in B. silvaticus ). B iranensis sp. nov. differs from B. arenarius by (1) having four and one attenuated solenidion on tibiae I and III, respectively (rather than three attenuated solenidia on tibiae I and one blunt solenidion on tibiae III in B. arenarius ); (2) having a median eye on the propodosoma (absent in B. arenarius ); (3) coxae II and IV with 3 and 4 setae, respectively (rather than 4 and 3 in B. arenarius ). B iranensis sp. nov. differs from Biscirus kobachidzei in having 9 simple eugenital setae on the amphioid sclerites (10 branched amphioid setae B. kobachidzei ).

Etymology. The specific epithet was derived from the country of origin, Iran.

Type material. Holotype and one paratype males were collected from the soil and rotten leaves under citrus trees, 17 June 2013, Amreh village, Sari city, Mazandaran Province, by Saeed Paktinat-Saeej and one paratype male and one paratype female were collected from the soil and humus under apple trees, 25 September 2014, Azarshahr city, East Azerbaijan Province, Iran by Mansoureh Ahaniazad. The holotype male, one paratype male and one paratype female, are deposited in the Acarological Collection, Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Maragheh, Maragheh, Iran and one paratype male is deposited in the Acarological Collection, Acarological Society of Iran (ASI), Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 3. Biscirus iranensis Paktinat-Saeej & Bagheri sp. nov. (male): 1 — Subcapitulum, 2 — Chelicera, 3 — Palp.

FIGURES 4 – 7. Biscirus iranensis Paktinat-Saeej & Bagheri sp. nov. (male): 4 — Propodosoma, 5 — Dorsal view of idiosoma, 6 — Papillae-like pattern on hysterosoma, 7 — Dorsal seta.

FIGURES 8 – 9. Biscirus iranensis Paktinat-Saeej & Bagheri sp. nov. (male): 8 — Genital valve, 9 — Amphioid sclerite.

FIGURES 10 – 13. Biscirus iranensis Paktinat-Saeej & Bagheri sp. nov. (male): 10 — Leg I, 11 — Leg II; 12 - Leg III, 13 — Leg IV.

FIGURES 14 – 17. Biscirus iranensis Paktinat-Saeej & Bagheri sp. nov. (male): 14 — Chelicera, 15 — Median eye on prodorsum, 16 and 17 — Dorsal striae of hysterosoma.