Leptus kattikus Haitlinger, 2009

Mąkol, Joanna, Felska, Magdalena, Moniuszko, Hanna & Zaleśny, Grzegorz, 2012, Redescription of Leptus kattikus Haitlinger, 2009 (Actinotrichida, Parasitengona, Erythraeidae) and molecular identification of its host from DNA barcoding, Zootaxa 3569, pp. 67-78 : 69-75

Leptus kattikus Haitlinger, 2009

Diagnosis. Larva. One seta on palp femur and palp genu. Scutum in the shape of irregular hexagon, with sharpened antero-lateral corners. Anterior and posterior margin of scutum concave. Four intercoxalae at the level of coxae III. Anterior intercoxalae III (3a1) 2.0–2.9 times shorter than the posterior ones (3a2). Tibia I (283–328) with two solenidia (φ). ISD = 78–105. Ti III/AW = 3.2–4.5. DS max = 73–97. L/W = 0.8–1.1. Ti III = 362–440.

Description. Larva ( Figs 1 –14). For morphometric data see Table 1.

TABLE 1. Morphometric data on larvae of Leptus kattikus . Leptus kattikus Haitlinger, 2009

Sample size Mean Range Data for holotype (original description

( Haitlinger 2009)/present studies) Character

GNATHOSOMA

...... continued on the next page Leptus kattikus Haitlinger, 2009

Sample size Mean Range Data for holotype (original description

( Haitlinger 2009)/present studies) Character

PW/AW 20 1.3 1.1–1.3 1.1/1.2 DS max. 20 87 73–97 88/90 VS 20 78 75–85 no data/78 3a 1 20 33 27–39 25/25 3 a 2 20 81 67–95 65/ 70 3a2/3 a 1 20 2.5 2.0–2.9 2.6/2.8 LEGS

Cx I (L) 20 102 75–120 106/100 Tr I (L) 20 64 45–83 60/73 bFe I (L) 20 169 157–183 160/175 tFe I (L) 20 151 138–162 162/155 Ge I (L) 20 213 188–229 236/225 Ti I (L) 20 304 283–320 328/328 Ta I (L) 20 216 197–234 208/230 Ta I (W) 20 32 20–62 19/20 LEG I (Σ) 20 1219 1145–1267 1260/1286 Cx II (L) 20 121 92–133 112/108 Tr II (L) 20 67 54–78 70/70 bFe II (L) 20 138 120–154 146/145 tFe II (L) 20 132 113–142 152/138 Ge II (L) 20 174 161–194 180/180 Ti II (L) 20 276 253–301 290/298 Ta II (L) 20 203 177–234 200/203 Ta II (W) 20 28 24–33 19/25 LEG II (Σ) 20 1110 1039–1161 1150/1142 Cx III (L) 20 124 100–144 116/118 Tr III (L) 20 71 58–86 70/85 bFe III (L) 20 164 151–180 190/183 tFe III (L) 20 171 151–187 186/185 Ge III (L) 20 199 184–210 212/213 Ti III (L) 20 383 362–406 420/440 Ta III (L) 20 207 192–224 – Ta III (L) 20 25 20–28 – LEG III (Σ) 20 1319 1250–1386 – IP 20 3649 3434–3810 – Ti I/AW 20 2.8 2.4–3.0 3.2/3.3 Ti I/Ge I 20 1.4 1.3–1.5 1.4/1.5 Ti II/PW 20 2.0 1.9–2.1 2.6/2.6 Ti II/Ge II 20 1.6 1.5–1.7 1.6/1.7 Ti III/AW 20 3.5 3.2–3.7 4.0/4.5 Ti III/Ge III 20 1.9 1.8–2.1 2.0/2.1 Ti III/Ti I 20 1.3 1.2–1.3 1.3/1.3 1) distorted (underestimate), due to the fold in the posterior part of the shield, 2) broken, 3) one with broken tip, one missing,

4)distorted (underestimate), due to the broken tip of AL.

Gnathosoma. Chelicera ( Figs 1 , 12) composed of basal segment and movable claw. Mouth (Figs 4, 6, 12) surrounded with lamellar, narrowing apically fimbriae. At mouth—c. 4–5 pairs of digit-shaped and terminally diverged processes. Dorsally, a pair of setiform adoral setae (cs) (c. 15) placed anteriorly and a pair of club-shaped supracoxal setae (elcp) (c. 2) located postero-laterally, at gnathosoma base (Fig. 4). Ventrally (Fig. 6) a pair of very short (c. 3) spine-like setae (as) and a pair of longer (c. 35) subcapitular setae (bs), covered with few short barbs, arising at medial part of the stem. Pedipalp formula: 0-B-B-BBB-NNBBBωζ. Palp femur and palp genu (Fig. 4) with one setulose seta. Palp tibia ( Figs 2 , 13) with three barbed setae. Odontus simple. Palp tarsus ( Figs 2 , 13) with six normal setae, of which four are covered with setules and two are smooth, one solenidion (ω) located in proximal part of the segment and one prominent distal eupathidium (ζ).

Dorsal side of idiosoma. Scutum ( Figs 3 –4, 14) with indistinct perforations on the entire surface. Setae AL shorter than PL. AL almost levelled with ASens, PL placed posteriorly to AL, c. at the widest part of scutum. ASens shorter than PSens, both with setules covering the distal half of the stem. Single eyes on circular sclerites located at the level of posterior margin of scutum. The remaining part of idiosoma covered with cuticle displaying a linear design. Folds (Fig. 15) separated with rows of perforations. Each perforation clogged with cuticular plug. Dorsal setae (Fig. 5) inserted in small cuticular rims and covered with setules distributed along the stem, except for its basal most part. ƒD = 43–58 (n = 19).

Ventral side of idiosoma (Fig. 6). ƒCx = 1-1-1. Club-shaped supracoxal setae elc I present on dorsal side, in terminal part of coxae I. Setae 1b, 2b, 3b located on coxae I, II, III, respectively. Setae 1a, 2a, 3a1-a2 placed between the respective coxal plates. Setae 3a1 (Figs 6–7, 15) distinctly shorter than 3a2. ƒV = 22–29 (n = 19) (the total number of setae in ƒD and ƒV formula (NDV) = 72–84, n = 19). Ventral setae (Fig. 8) with setules more sharpened than in dorsal setae. Cuticle displays the similar pattern to one on dorsal side of idiosoma; the rows of perforations more distinct (Fig. 15).

Legs ( Figs 9–11 , 16–17). Leg segmentation formula: 7-7-7. For leg chaetotaxy see Table 2. Cuticle on legs arranged in transverse folds, especially distinct on tarsi. Normal setae on legs covered with husk-like setules. Famulus on tarsus I located distally to solenidion. Eupathidia on tarsi I–III covered with delicate fimbriae. Slightly longer fimbriae present on claw-like claw and on empodium at tarsi termination. Tarsal claws without terminal hooks.

Leg segment Chaetotaxy Cx I 1n, 1 supracoxal seta Tr I 1n

bFe I 2n

tFe I 5n

Ge I 8n, 1σ, 1κ Ti I 14n, 2φ, 1κ Ta I 26n, 2ζ, 1ω, 1ε Cx II 1n

Tr II 1n

bFe II 2n

tFe II 5n

Ge II 7–8n, 1κ Ti II 14–15n, 2φ Ta II 21–24n, 2ζ, 1ω Cx III 1n

Tr III 1n

bFe III 1n

tFe III 5n

Ge III 8 n

Ti III 15n, 1φ Ta III 25–27n, 1ζ FIGURES 4–8. Leptus kattikus : 4. Dorsal side of the body (legs omitted beyond trochanters); 5. Dorsal idiosomal seta; 6. Ventral side of the body (legs omitted beyond trochanters); 7. Intercoxala 3a1; 8. Ventral idiosomal seta.

FIGURES 12–17. Leptus kattikus . SEM micrographs. 12. Antero-ventral part of gnathosoma; 13. Palp tibia and palp tarsus; 14. Cheliceral bases and scutum; 15. Intercoxala 3a1; 16. Tibia I; 17. Tarsus III.

Distribution. Nepal, Vietnam.

Deposition of the material. A total number of 121 larvae were separated from a single host. Voucher specimens are deposited in the senior author’s collection (Institute of Biology, Department of Invertebrate Systematics and Ecology, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Wrocław, Poland).

Molecular analysis. We expected to obtain an approximately 650bp long COI gene product from L. kattikus , however after sequencing we obtained only a reliable 438bp long contig beginning at the 5’ end. Unfortunately most of the 3’ end of the sequence was illegible due to the presence of double peaks. The PCR reaction as well as sequencing were repeated and, for each repetition, the obtained results were similar to the initial sequencing. BLAST alignment analysis of the COI barcode region of our sequence showed 88%–84% similarity, in the overlapping regions, with the sequences being those of Phasmatidae . The highest levels of similarity (87.9% and 86.8%) were observed for Ramulus irregulariterdentatus ( AB477463 ) and Phraortes illepidus ( AB477460 ), respectively. The results show that the amplified product of COI barcode belongs to the host of Leptus kattikus which was determined morphologically as Xenophasmina bedoti . Thus, despite the unsuccessful amplification of barcode COI region of the mite larva, we were able to obtain the sequence of its host, which demonstrates molecular host identification based on DNA content isolated from engorged mite larvae.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 3. Leptus kattikus: 1. Chelicera; 2. Details of palp tibia and palp tarsus; 3. Details of scutum.

FIGURES 9 – 11. Leptus kattikus. 9. Leg I (trochanter – tarsus); 10. Leg II (trochanter – tarsus); 11. Leg III (trochanter – tarsus).