A revision of the family Ameroseiidae (Acari, Mesostigmata), with some data on Slovak fauna
Author
Masan, Peter
Institute of Zoology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska cesta 9, 845 06 Bratislava, Slovakia
uzaepema@savba.sk
text
ZooKeys
2017
2017-09-29
704
1
228
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.704.13304
journal article
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.704.13304
1313-2970-704-1
111A101E74054C408F51693957A64D97
CB39FF8EFFA2FF8CFFBFFFA9FF94FF8B
1149838
Ameroseius furcatus Karg, 1971
Plates 14
, 15
, 16
Ameroseius furcatus
Karg, 1971a: 231.
Ameroseius pseudofurcatus
Livshits & Mitrofanov, 1975: 462.
Syn. n.
Ameroseius furcatus
. -
Bregetova 1977
: 158;
Karg 1993
: 228;
Hajizadeh et al. 2013b
:68.
Type depository.
Of
Ameroseius furcatus
- Museum
fuer
Naturkunde, Berlin, Germany; of
Ameroseius pseudofurcatus
- Nikita Botanical Gardens, National Scientific Center, Yalta, Crimea, Russia (the type specimens not found and probably lost, based on personal communication from Alex Khaustov).
Type locality and habitat.
Of
Ameroseius furcatus
- Germany, Naturschutzgebiet Kalktuffmiedermoor at Oechsen (
Rhoen
), in tussocks of grass with roots; of
Ameroseius pseudofurcatus
- Russia, Crimea, Nikita Botanical Gardens, in leaf litter under common hazel (
Corylus avellana
) from a park.
Comparative material.
Germany
:
2 ♀♀
(ZMB: 40199,
holotype
; ZMB: 40200,
paratype
) -
17. 8. 1967
,
Kalktuffniedermoor
,
suedw
.
von Oechsen
/
Rhoen
,
Gras
m.
Wurzeln am Westhang
, 2979, 2980
.
Iran
:
2 ♀♀
(CJH) -
Guilan Province
, soil sample, leg.
J. Hajizadeh.
Russia
:
10 ♀♀
,
4 ♂♂
(IZSAV) -
9. 1. 1973
,
Crimea
,
Nikita Botanical Gardens
, litter under
Quercus pubescens
(labelled
Ameroseius pseudofurcatus
)
.
Published material from
Slovakia
.
Cerova
Vrchovina Highland:
Siatorska
Bukovinka Village,
Somoska
Castle (
Fenďa and
Masan
2009
).
Revised material from
Slovakia
:
Podunajska
Rovina Flatland:
1 ♀
-
30. 11. 1994
,
Bodiky
Village
(labelled as
Ameroseius pseudoplumosus
- leg. et det.
S.
Kaluz
, unpublished but registered by the '
Databank of Slovak
Fauna'
at former http://zoology.fns.uniba.sk/dfs/system300.htm)
.
New material from
Slovakia
.
Horehronske
Podolie Basin:
2 ♀♀
,
1 ♂
-
20. 6. 2006
,
Zlatno Village
,
Zlatnianske Skalky Forest
, pine forest (
Pinus sylvestris
), soil and detritus from ant-hill of
Formica
sp. (
Hymenoptera
,
Formicidae
), altitude
755 m
, leg.
P.
Masan
.
Male
Karpaty Mts.
:
2 ♀♀
-
1. 5. 2005
,
Bratislava Capital
,
Karlova Ves Settlement
,
Mokry
Jarok Valley
, oak forest (
Quercetum
) with ash (
Fraxinus
sp.), hornbeam (
Carpinus betulus
) and maple (
Acer
sp.), moss and tinder from decaying ash stump, altitude
230 m
, leg.
P.
Masan
;
85 ♀♀
,
9 ♂♂
-
8. 6. 2013
,
Plavecky
Mikulas
Village
,
Derava
Skala Cave
, broad-leaved deciduous forest, rocky shelter (crepuscular cave), soil detritus, altitude
380 m
, leg.
P.
Masan
. Nitrianska Pahorkatina Wold
:
1 ♀
,
1 ♂
-
28. 6. 2004
,
Nemecky
Village
,
Kulhan
Forest
, oak-beech forest (
Querco-Fagetum
), leaf litter and soil detritus, altitude
320 m
, leg.
J.
Carnogursky
.
Volovske
Vrchy Hills
:
2 ♀♀
-
7. 8. 2016
,
Kojsov
Village
,
Turniska
Forest
, beech forest (
Fagion sylvaticae
), rocky shelter (crepuscular cave), leaf litter and soil detritus deposited in rocky cervices, altitude
720 m
, leg.
P.
Masan
.
Remarks.
Ameroseius furcatus
was originally described from Germany, where it was collected in a tussock of grass with roots (
Karg 1971a
). Karg included this species to an identification key, without adequate morphological description. The species was only very briefly diagnosed by him, and based only on two accompanying illustrations, the epistome and dorsal shield. These illustrations were partly confusing because Karg drew the epistome as a flat structure having smooth anterior margin, and the dorsal shield bearing only 24 pairs of setae. The examination of the type material of
A. furcatus
showed that the epistome is elongate and marginally serrate, and the dorsal shield possesses the normal 29 pairs of setae. Distinctive features of
A. furcatus
females include the peculiar presence of a pair of small rounded platelets between pseudo-metasternal platelets, short and rounded hyaline appendage on distal apex of movable cheliceral digit, and the insertion of JV3 on (ventri)anal shield, but they were neglected by
Karg (1971a)
.
I believe that the inconsistent original description of
Ameroseius furcatus
, especially the absence of comments on specific ventral features and a misinterpretation of the dorsal chaetotaxy (
Karg 1971a
), led to description of the same species under the name
Ameroseius pseudofurcatus
. The latter has been thoroughly described and illustrated by
Livshits and Mitrofanov (1975)
from specimens from the Nikita Botanical Gardens, Crimea, from leaf litter under common hazel. I have not examined type specimens of that species, but I have a slide with numerous specimens (ten females, four males) from a mite collection of the Nikita Botanical Gardens, National Scientific Center, Yalta, Crimea (received from Alex Khaustov), collected in the type locality, and labelled as follows:
Ameroseius pseudofurcatus
,
dub
pushistyi
,
podstilka
,
gnbs
(
gosudarsennyi
nikitskii
botanicheskii
sad
), 9. 1. 1973 (leaf litter under downy oak,
Quercus pubescens
, State Nikita Botanical Gardens). From previously published descriptions (
Karg 1971a
,
Livshits and Mitrofanov 1975
), observations of the primary type of
A. furcatus
, and examination of conspecific material from Germany, Crimea and Slovakia I have concluded that the both above mentioned species are identical and should be considered as synonymous.