Geckobiella Hirst

Paredes-León, Ricardo, Klompen, Hans & Pérez, Tila M., 2012, Systematic revision of the genera Geckobiella Hirst, 1917 and Hirstiella Berlese, 1920 (Acari: Prostigmata: Pterygosomatidae) with description of a new genus for American species parasites on geckos formerly placed in Hirstiella, Zootaxa 3510, pp. 1-40 : 6-7

Geckobiella Hirst

Geckobiella Hirst, 1917: 138 ; Hirst 1926: 199; Radford 1943: 71; 1950: 377; Baker and Wharton 1952: 208; Lawrence 1953: 15.

Geckobiella (Hirstiella) Berlese, 1920: 194 .

Hirstiella (in part): Hirst 1926: 197; Vitzthum 1942: 806; Radford 1943: 71; 1950: 377; Baker and Wharton 1952: 208; Cunliffe 1952: 162; Jack 1961: 305; Cruz, 1984: 2. New synonymy.

Cyclurobia Cruz, 1984: 5 , syn. Bochkov 2008: 338.

Type species. Geckobia texana Banks, 1904 , by monotypy.

Diagnosis. Female. Palpal tarsus elongate, narrowly attached to tibia; seta v of palpal tibia nude (never ending in thick brush-like structure). Dorsal body setae c3 present; coxal group I–II separate from coxal group III–IV (distance between groups longer than length of coxal group I–II); genital setae (g1) simple, spiniform and slender (sometimes sparsely barbed) and located on the tip of lobes. Tarsi I–IV stout ending blunt; seta tc’ longer than tc” on tarsi II-IV. Addition of setae ps1–3 delayed to deutonymph.

Description. Female. Gnathosoma. Palps slender and long (2–3 times as long as the base of gnathosoma); palpal femur with dorsal seta short (never reaching tip of palp), slightly thick, spiniform or subclavate; palpal genua with dorsal seta short, thin, spiniform or subclavate; seta v of palpal tibia nude (never ending in a thick brush-like structure); palpal tarsus slender and narrow. Idiosoma . Oligotrichy present (except for Geckobiella texana and G. harrisi showing hypertrichy). Dorsal setae short, less than 100 µm (except for G. boneti , G. trombidiiformis and G. p e l a e z i), spinose spatulate (club-like) or peripectinate (in some species setae f2 and h1 dimorphic); setal pair h1 short, half as long as h2 (subequal in length in G. harrisi ); setal pair f2 always barbed; dorsal setae c3 present; prodorsal shield absent or present, when present with 1 (vi or sci) or 2 pairs of setae (vi and sci) ( Fig. 2 ); genital setae located on lobes. Legs. Femora I–IV of similar size as genua I–IV; leg setae shorter than length of each podomer (segment); tarsi I–IV blunt distally; seta ft of tarsus I acuminate, nude; solenidia ω 1 and ω 2 of tarsus I present (ω 1 absent in G. harrisi ); setae a” of tarsi II–IV barbed; setae tc of tarsus I long (longer than pretarsus); seta v of genua II absent (present in G. texana ); seta vs” of tarsi II–IV absent (present in G. texana ); setae 4c of coxae IV absent; setae tc of tarsi II–IV barbed, tc’ longer than tc”; coxal group I–II separate from III–IV (distance longer than length of coxal group I–II), coxal group I–II located on anterior part and III–IV on posterior part of idiosoma , at least coxae IV posterior to midline of the idiosoma body; setae 1b of coxae I and 2b of coxae II slender and acuminate, nude; 3c of coxae III acuminate nude or barbed, and 3d barbed or bipectinate; femora II and IV without seta v’ (present in G. trombidiiformis and G. p e l a e z i).

Male. Legs. Seta v’ on genua IV large hollow ensiform and seta v” on tibia IV solid and spine-like (except in G. diolii and G. s t a m i i); solenidia ω 1 and ω 2 of tarsus I present. Setal development. Addition of setae ps1–3 delayed to deutonymph.

Hosts. All instars parasitic on the families of iguanian lizards Iguanidae , Phrynosomatidae or Tropiduridae ( Table 2 ).

Included species. Geckobiella texana (Banks) , G. trombidiiformis Berlese, G. p e l a e z i (Cunliffe), G. boneti (Cunliffe) , G. bakeri (Cunliffe) , G. harrisi Davidson, G. stamii (Jack) , G. pyriformis (Newell et Ryckman) , G. javieri (Cruz) , G. diolii ( Baker) and G. donnae sp. nov. Paredes-León, Klompen and Pérez ( Table 2 ).

Species Host Distribution Reference * See remarks in results section for each of these species.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Prodorsal shields of the species of Geckobiella. A, G. trombidiiformis; B, G. p e l a e z i; C, G. boneti; D, G. bakeri; E, G. pyriformis; F, G. javieri; G, G. diolii; H, G. donnae sp. nov. Scale bar 100 µm.