Eupalopsellus taifensis, Khan & Kamran & Rehman & Mirza & Alatawi, 2024

Khan, Eid Muhammad, Kamran, Muhammad, Rehman, Muneeb Ur, Mirza, Jawwad Hassan & Alatawi, Fahad Jaber, 2024, Two new species of Eupalopsellidae (Acari: Prostigmata: Raphignathoidea) and key to the world species of Exothorhis Summers, Journal of Natural History 58 (13 - 16), pp. 511-526 : 513-517

Eupalopsellus taifensis sp. n.

( Figures 1–8 )

Diagnosis (based on female)

Dorsal shields punctate; all dorsal body setae on small tubercles; seta c 2 on platelets, postocular bodies (pob) nearly twice as large as eyes; humeral platelets obvious; setae e 1 and f 1 shorter than distances to setae next in line, trochanter IV with a seta, femur III with three setae and tarsus IV with a solenidion ω.

Description (n = 16). Measurement of holotype followed by 15 paratypes as ranges (in parentheses).

Dorsum. ( Figure 1 ) Length of body (excluding gnathosoma) (v 1 –h 2) 315 (304–324), width 219 (208–228). Body oval; dorsum is covered by four distinct shields, the propodosomal, metapodosomal, opisthosomal and suranal shields; dorsal integument striated except the shields; all the dorsal shields finely punctate; setae situated on small tubercles; propodosomal shield truncate posteriorly bearing four pairs of setae (vi, ve, sci and sce), a pair of eyes 9 (8–10), and a pair of post-ocular bodies (pob) 20 (18–21) in diameter, anterior margin of dorsal propodosomal shield with inverted V-shaped striae, the space between propodosomal and opisthosomal shield (CD) with transverse striae; the striae lateral to CD and EF shields striated longitudinally; CD, EF and H shields with three, three and two pairs of setae, respectively; humeral setae situated on small shields; all the dorsal body setae slender, pointed and pectinate; f 1 longest dorsal body setae. Length of setae: vi 15 (13–16), ve 20 (18–22), sc1 21 (20–22), sce 23 (21–24), c 1 15 (13–17), c 2 30 (28–33), d 1 23 (20–25), d 2 21 (20–24), e 1 25 (23–28), e 2 23 (21–25), f 1 39 (37–43), h 1 35 (33–39), h 2 33 (30–38). Distance between setae: vi–vi 31 (30–34), ve–ve 58 (54–60), vi–ve 23 (20–25), ve– sci 32 (30–36), sci–sce 40 (36–44), sci–sci 10 (9–12), sce–sce 95 (92–99), c 1 –c 1 74 (71–77), c 1 – c 2 50 (47–53), c 2 –c 2 144 (137–150), c 1 –d 1 55 (53–58), d 1 –d 1 33 (31–38), d 2 –d 2 117 (111–122), d 1 – e 1 58 (55–60), d 2 – e 2 42 (39–45), e 1 –e 1 72 (68–75), e 1 – e 2 25 (23–28), e 2 –e 2 102 (97–109), e 1 –f 1 29 (27–30), f 1 –f 1 67 (63–70), f 1 –h 1 53 (49–56), f 1 –h 2 43 (39–47), h 1 –h 1 37 (35–40), h 1 –h 2 20 (18–23), h 2 –h 2 72 (70–74).

Venter. ( Figure 2 ) The anterior (1 a) and median (3 a) pairs of setae are very long and whip-like; the posterior pair (4 a) is almost half the length of the former two setae (4 a); venter entirely striated; the anogenital area bears seven pairs of setae; three pairs of aggenital setae (ag 1–3) and four pairs of anogenital setae (g 1, ps 1–3), all setae are relatively long except the fourth pair of anogenital setae (ps 1), which is relatively short. A tooth-like structure is located on each side of anogenital shield in a latero-posterior position. Length of setae: l a 92 (88–198), 1 b 27 (21–30), 1 c 22 (19–25), 2 b 32 (29–35), 3 a 75 (71–80), 3 b 24 (21–26), 3 c 25 (22–28), 4 a 51 (48–54), 4 b 19 (16–22), 4 c 21 (20–24). Three pairs of aggenital setae (ag 1 – 3), ag 1 37 (35–39), ag 2 32 (30–35), ag 3 30 (28–34). Anal shield with coarse areolae sculpturing and three pairs of pseudoanal setae (ps 1–3) and one pair of genital setae (g 1), setae g 1 40 (36–43), ps 3 28 (26–30), ps 2 22 (20–25), ps 1 20 (20–23). Distance between setae: 1 a –1 a 37 (35–40), 3 a –3 a 73 (70–77), 4 a –4 a 52 (50–55), 1 b –1 c 11 (10–13), 1 a –3 a 110 (103–119), 3 a –4 a 83 (80–90), 4 a–ag 1 68 (63–72), ag 1 –g 1 45 (42–49), g 1 –ps 3 17 (15–20), ps 3 –ps 2 12 (10–15), ps 2 –ps 1 7 (6–8), ag 1 –ag 1 31 (29–34), g 1 –g 1 20 (19–229), ps 3 –ps 3 28 (25–30), ps 2 –ps 2 30 (27–32), ps 1 –ps 1 18 (16–20).

Gnathosoma. ( Figures 3–4 ) Chelicerae slender, nearly one and a half times as long as movable digits (114: 68); Palp tapered, palpgenu about thrice as long as palptibia (35:12), palptibial claw minute, dorsal seta l ’ T (2) about one-ninth length of l (19); terminal palptarsal eupathidium 7; counts of setae and solenidion from palptrochanter to palptarsi: 0, 3, 1, 3, 3 + 1 ω + 2 subterminal eupathidia + 1 terminal eupathidium; subcapitular setae m 40 (37–43), n 38 (35–41), m–m (18–21), n–n 15 (13–17) and m–n 20 (19–23).

Legs. ( Figures 5 – 8 ) Length of leg I 164 (156–169); leg II 137 (132–143); leg III 133 (127–139); leg IV 140 (136–144). Tarsal claws uncinate. Setal formulae of leg segments as follows: coxae 2–1–2–2; trochanters 1–1–1–1; femora 4–4–3–1; genua 1 + Κ –1–1–1; tibiae 5 + 1 φ ρ–4 + 1 φ ρ–4 + 1 φ ρ–4 + 1 φ ρ; tarsi 10 + 1 ω –9 + 1 ω –6 + 1 ω –6 + 1 ω. Tarsi I and II with solenidia, I ω 9 (7–10), II ω 5 (4–7), slender and tapering rather than rod like.

Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the name of the city ‘Taif’ where the type specimens were collected.

Type materials. Holotype female, three paratype females, Juniperus procera Hochst. ex Endl. ( Cupressaceae ), Taif, Saudi Arabia, 21.100134°N, 40.333479°E, 12 September 2017, coll. Eid M. Khan and Muneeb Ur Rehman; two paratype females, Juniperus procera Hochst. ex Endl. ( Cupressaceae ), Taif, Saudi Arabia, 21.416795°N, 40.416738°E, 14 September 2017, coll. Eid M. Khan and Muneeb Ur Rehman; six paratype females, Prunus korshinskyi Hand. - Mazz ( Rosaceae ), Taif, Saudi Arabia, 21.333578°N, 40.316798°E, 12 October 2016, coll. Eid M. Khan and Muneeb Ur Rehman; two paratype females, Acacia sp. , (Leguminosae), Taif, Saudi Arabia, 21.100133°N, 40.316832°E, 11 September 2017, coll. Eid M. Khan and Muneeb Ur Rehman; two paratype females, Crataegus sinaica Boiss ( Rosaceae ), Taif, Saudi Arabia, 21.350082°N, 40.316819°E, 11 September 2017, coll. Eid M. Khan and Muneeb Ur Rehman.

Remarks. Eupalopsellus taifensis sp. n. is morphologically close to E. orebiosis Meyer and Ueckermann, 1984 and E. sellnicki, Meyer and Ueckermann, 1984 in: leg tarsus IV each with a solenidion (ω), dorsal body shields punctate and femur III with three setae. However, the new species differs from E. orebiosis due to trochanter IV with one seta (vs without seta), setae c 2 on platelets (vs setae c 2 on integument), coxal area with punctations (vs coxal area smooth), and setae e 1 and f 1 shorter than distance to setae next in line (vs setae e 1 and f 1 crossing setae next in line). Moreover, the new species differs from E. sellnicki in the combination of characters: postocular bodies twice as large as eyes (vs postocular bodies 4–5 times larger than eyes); coxal area with punctations (vs coxal area smooth), setae e 1 and f 1 shorter than distance to setae in line (vs setae e 1 and f 1 crossing setae next inline).

Figures

Figure 1. Eupalopsellus taifensis sp. n. Female, dorsum.

Figure 2. Eupalopsellus taifensis sp. n. Female, venter.

Figures 3, 4. Eupalopsellus taifensis sp. n. Female, 3 – Sub-capitulum; 4 – Palp.

Figures 5–8. Eupalopsellus taifensis sp. n. Female, 5 – Leg I; 6 – Leg II; 7 – Leg III; 8 – Leg IV.