Tenuipalpidae (Acari: Trombidiformes) from Casuarinaceae (Fagales)
Author
Beard, Jennifer J.
Author
Seeman, Owen D.
Author
Bauchan, Gary R.
text
Zootaxa
2014
3778
1
1
157
journal article
46234
10.11646/zootaxa.3778.1.1
619047ab-8736-4e55-be22-d3519be49a52
1175-5326
251337
20D5DCD9-17F5-4863-B627-42B7C349B9A7
Philippipalpus agohoi
Corpuz-Raros, 1978
(
Figs 95–97
)
Philippipalpus agohoi
Corpuz-Raros, 1978
: 220
, fig. 5.
Philippipalpus agohoi
Smiley
et al.
(1996)
: 172, figs 11–15.
Type
material examined.
5 female
paratypes
ex. Coastal She-Oak (“Agoho”)
Casuarina equisetifolia
(Casuarinaceae)
,
THE
PHILIPPINES
, Cagayan, Sta. Ana,
31 March 1977
, coll. J.M. Sotto (
USNM
, 2 slides).
Diagnosis.
Distance between setae
v2
-h1
300–310. Distance between
e2-e2
130–140. Prodorsal shield with oblique depressions, covered with fine reticulate sculpturing. Cuticle between prodorsal and opisthosomal shields (sejugal region) strongly papillate-striate. Opisthosomal shield with 4–5 pairs of broad transverse depressions with finely reticulate cuticle within each depression sublaterally; 4–5 smooth ridges in sublateral cuticle associated with depressions; mesonotal region indistinctly separated from pygidial region. Lateral cuticle with> 100 strong papillae. Cuticle between
3a-4a
with mixed striae. Vesicle of spermatheca round, 2
x 2
, with granulate appearance.
FEMALE (5
paratypes
).
Dorsum.
(
Fig. 95
a) Body measurements: distance between setae
v2
-h1
300–310,
sc2- sc2
115–125; other measurements:
v2-v
2
25–38,
sc1-sc1
88–95,
c1-c1
35–42,
c3-c3
150–165,
d1-d
1
26–29,
d3-d3
135–150,
e1-
e
1
16–23,
e2-e2
130–140,
e3-e3
115–120,
f3-f3
90–98,
h1-h
1
21–28,
h2-h2
58–67. Gnathosoma completely concealed beneath the prodorsum. Anterior margin of the prodorsum with deep medial notch (internal depth 15–19), forming 1 pair of broad fleshy lobes; setae
v2
inserted beneath a fold on the lobes; anterior notch located within a weak depression (
Fig. 95
a). Prodorsal shield with fine reticulation of small cells; 4–5 pairs of oblique depressions and associated oblique ridges on lateral margin of shield medad setae
sc1–2
; laterad cuticle strongly papillate. Three pairs of tiny pores present sublaterally, in longitudinal row. Cuticle between prodorsal and opisthosomal shield (sejugal region) obviously papillate. Opisthosomal shield with smooth to folded and papillate sculpturing medially between
c1–e1
; 4–5 pairs of broad transverse depressions with finely reticulate cuticle within each depression sublaterally; 4–5 pairs of smooth transverse ridges in sublateral cuticle between the depressions; lateral cuticle strongly papillate; posterior cuticle between
e1–h1
finely striate to reticulate. Paired tiny pores between each of
c1–c3
,
d1–d3
, and 2 pairs sublateral to
e1
; 1 pair of large pores present medad
d3–e3
(total 5 pairs of pores visible). All dorsal setae barbed, thick, with triangular cross-section (except
e1
,
h1
). Setal lengths:
v
2
17– 20,
sc
1
18–22,
sc
2
21–23,
c
1
19–24,
c
3
18–23,
d
1
13–18,
d
3
21–22,
e
1
12
–15,
e
2
21
–24,
e
3
21
–24,
f
3
20–23,
h
1
14–16,
h
2
19–22.
Palps
. (
Fig. 95
b) Setal formula 0, 0, 0, 2, 3(1s+2e). Tibial setae, dorsal 7–8 long, ventral 9–11 long; tarsal eupathidia 5–7 long, 7–8 long; solenidion 6–7 long.
Venter.
(
Fig. 96
a) Cuticle anterolaterad
1a
with granular appearance; cuticle between
1b -1a
with longitudinal striae;
1a -3a
with transverse striae; striae mixed between
3a -3a
;
3a -4a
with transverse to wavy striae;
4a -4a
with mixed striae becoming transverse posterior to
4a
, then longitudinal around the genital region. Genital setae inserted in more-or-less transverse line along posterior margin of genital shield, setae
g1
inserted slightly posterior to
g2
. Genital shield membranous, weakly developed, smooth. All coxal setae fine. Setal lengths:
1a
52–78,
1
b 20–28,
2
b 18–22,
2
c 21–23,
3
a 48–74,
3
b 22–31,
4
a 44– 53,
4
b 26–29,
ag
1
15–19,
g
1
21–25,
g
2
18–21,
ps
1
14–17,
ps
2
13–17,
ps
3
9–12.
Spermatheca
. (
Fig. 96
b) Spermathecal tube long and narrow, 100–105 long, ending in a granular, membranous vesicle. Genital opening anteromedad anal setae
ps3
.
Legs.
(
Fig. 97
) Setal formula for legs I–IV (coxae to tarsi) 1-0-3-1-4-8(1), 2-0-3-1-4- 8(1), 1-1-2-0-2-4, 1-0-1-0-2-4. Tarsi I and II each with 1 antiaxial solenidion
ω"
(10–11 long) and 2 eupathidia
pζ'- pζ"
(7–8, 8–9 long). Leg setation as in
Table 1
except: coxae I without
1c
; tr I–IV without
v ′
(
l'
present on tr III); ge I–II with
d
, ge I–IV without
l ′
, ge I–II without
l′′
; ti III–IV without
d
; ta I–IV without
tc
′′.
FIGURE 95.
Philippipalpus agohoi
Corpuz-Raros
, adult female, a. dorsum; b. detail of palp (scale bar for palp = 25 Μm).
FIGURE 96.
Philippipalpus agohoi
Corpuz-Raros
, adult female, a. posterior venter; b. spermatheca.
FIGURE 97.
Philippipalpus agohoi
Corpuz-Raros
, adult female, legs (right side), eupathidia (
pζ ′-pζ′′
) not labelled on leg I.
OTHER STAGES. Unknown.
Remarks.
The redescription of Smiley
et al.
(1996) reported two setae on genu I, but there is only one dorsal seta present on this segment. Also, they reported the setal count on tarsi I–II as 6(1), but the count is actually 8(1).
Philippipalpus agohoi
and
P. flumaquercus
are similar in that they both have strongly papillate dorsolateral cuticle, and can be separated from
P. nigraquercus
and
P. belah
that both have smooth to weakly papillate dorslateral cuticle.
Philippipalpus agohoi
can be separated from
P. flumaquercus
by having a finely reticulate prodorsum, while the latter has a coarsely rugose prodorsum.
The host genus,
Casuarina
, is the most widespread genus in the family, and
Ca. equisetifolia
is the most widely distributed species within the genus, with a littoral distribution ranging across tropical and subtropical coastlines of northern and northeastern
Australia
,
Burma
to
Vietnam
,
Malesia
, Melanesia and Polynesia (
Johnson & Wilson 1989
). This plant has also been introduced to the southern
United States
, West Africa and
Madagascar
(
Johnson & Wilson 1989
). The wide present day distribution of
Ca. equisetifolia
is an example of the ability of
Casuarinaceae
species to achieve dispersal by wind and sea (and highly likely by humans) (
Steane
et al
. 2003
). In a phylogenetic study by
Steane
et al
. (2003)
, two subspecies of
Ca. equisetifolia
, subsp.
equisetifolia
and subsp.
incana
, collected from Queensland,
Australia
, grouped with
Casuarina
species from the Indomalesian region, rather than with other Australian endemic species. Such a grouping suggests that
Ca. equisetifolia
is either a relatively new species that came to
Australia
from Indomalesia, or it evolved in
Australia
(from an ancestor shared with the other Indomalesian taxa) and then dispersed to other regions (
Steane
et al.
2003
). The origin of this species is of great interest in terms of the origin of
Ph. agohoi
which is the only non-Australian species in the Tegopalpinae. Records of
Ca. equisetifolia
from
India
, the Mascarene Islands (near
Madagascar
) and other tropical areas are regarded as relatively recent deliberate or accidental introductions (
Johnson & Wilson 1989
).