Obdulia Pritchard and Baker, 1958

Kamran, Muhammad, Khan, Eid Muhammad & Alatawi, Fahad Jaber, 2022, Genus Obdulia Pritchard and Baker (Acari: Tenuipalpidae) from Saudi Arabia; a new species and re-description of O. daadi Al-Gboory, Journal of Natural History 56 (41 - 44), pp. 1609-1625 : 1610

Genus Obdulia Pritchard and Baker, 1958

Type species: Obdulia tamaricis, 1958 ; 260.

Diagnosis

Based on Pritchard and Baker (1958) and Mesa et al. (2009).

Female. Palp one-segmented, proximally fused to rostrum, rostral shield absent, four pairs of legs, idiosoma with 14 pairs of dorsal setae (three pairs propodosomal and 11 hysterosomal setae), dorsal setae d 2 present, setae e 2 and setae f 2 absent, ventral plate lacking, genital plate present and distinct, female genital plate with two pairs of genital setae and anal opening flanked by two pairs of anal setae, male with three pair of genitoanal setae, both sexes with tarsal claws uncinated, each with one pair of tenent hairs, empodium pad-like, with two rows of small tenent hairs.

Geographic distribution and hosts of Obdulia species

This genus has limited distribution and has been reported from only a few countries, such as Iran ( Farzan and Asadi 2011, 2012; Beyzavi et al. 2013; Khanjani et al. 2013; Beard et al. 2015), Iraq ( Al-Gboory 1987), Israel ( Pritchard and Baker 1958; Gerling et al. 1976), Egypt ( Zaher 1984; El-Kady 1997) and Greece ( Hatzinikolis 1987). Species of the genus Obdulia have been reported mostly from Tamarix spp. (Tamaricaceae) , except O. sinai collected from leaves of Organum syriacum L. ( Lamiaceae ) from Egypt. Obdulia tamaricis has been reported from cone-shaped twig galls on Tamarix spp. ( Pritchard and Baker 1958; Gerling et al. 1976; Farzan and Asadi 2011) and O. daadi has been collected also from leaves of Tamarix spp. ( Al-Gboory 1987; El-Kady 1997; Mesa et al. 2009; Farzan and Asadi 2011; Khanjani et al. 2013).