Bdellodes edentata Halliday, 2005, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Halliday, R. B.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2005
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Prostigmata
Bdellidae
Bdellodes
Bdellodes edentata

description: Bdellodes edentata sp. nov. (Figs 2–9)
Specimens examined
Holotype female, South Africa, Port Elizabeth, Marine Protea Hotel, 18.viii.1994, T. K. Qin coll., clover and capeweed, site 30–16 (= 94­16). Paratypes, 3 females, same data as holotype.
Description (Female)
Dorsal idiosoma (Fig. 2). Length 693–890 µm, width at widest point 315–651 µm (n=4). Surface with fine striate ornamentation throughout, striations irregular, not in any distinct pattern (Fig. 8); with two pairs of eyes. Sensillae oo, po fine, similar in length (ca. 100 µm); anterior setae mps, hi, he long (ca. 80 µm), posterior setae becoming progressively shorter, lateral propodosomal setae lps absent, anus terminal.
Ventral idiosoma (Fig. 3). Surface smooth or with very weak irregular striation, except for distinct transverse striation anterior to coxae I (Fig. 9); genital plates large, crescentshaped (ca. 130 x 50 µm), each bearing eight genital setae and flanked by three pairs of paragenital setae; anus flanked by two pairs of para­anal setae; coxae with distinct transverse striation.
Gnathosoma. Hypostome (Fig. 4) with 8 pairs of hypostomal setae 50–60 µm long and two pairs of short adoral setae; surface smooth except for transverse striation basally. Palp (Fig. 5) femur 240 µm long, 6 setae; genu 39 µm long, 1 seta; tibia 66 µm long, 4 setae; tarsus 240 µm long, 16 setae, all segments with fine transverse striation throughout.
Chelicera (Fig. 6) length 275 µm, height at base 25 µm, with two setae 30–40 µm long; with a polygonal pattern of ridges basally, smooth distally; fixed digit edentate, truncate; movable digit edentate, distally pointed.
Legs. Leg I: coxa 2 setae; trochanter 21 µm long, 1 seta; basifemur 139 µm long, 12 setae; telofemur 55 µm long, 7 setae; genu 50 µm long, 7 setae; tibia 84 µm long, 6 setae + one dorsal trichobothrium; tarsus 184 µm long, 30 setae, of which 11 distal setae pilose for most of their length (Fig. 7). Leg II: coxa 3 setae; trochanter 32 µm long, 1 seta; basifemur 137 µm long, 11 setae; telofemur 58 µm long, 6 setae; genu 60 µm long, 7 setae; tibia 71 µm long, 8 setae + one dorsal trichobothrium; tarsus 171 µm long, 32 setae, of which 12 distal setae pilose for most of their length. Leg III: coxa 4 setae; trochanter 26 µm long, 1 seta; basifemur 168 µm long, 10 setae; telofemur 52 µm long, 6 setae; genu 52 µm long, 8 setae; tibia 105 µm long, 13 setae; tarsus 189 µm long, 30 setae of which 14 distal setae pilose for most of their length. Leg IV: coxa 3–4 setae; trochanter 105 µm long, 1 seta; basifemur 168 µm long, 3 setae; telofemur 66 µm long, 5 setae; genu 84 µm long, 7 setae; tibia 132 µm long, 13 setae + one trichobothrium; tarsus 224 µm long, 32 setae + one basal trichobothrium, 12 distal setae pilose for most of their length.
Remarks
The known fauna of Bdellodes in southern Africa now includes 5 species— B. edentata, B. hessei, B. lapidaria, B. meridionalis, and B. exilicornis (Berlese) (Meyer & Ryke, 1959a and present observations). B. edentata may be distinguished from the other species as follows: fixed digit of chelicera with two teeth in B. hessei, edentate in B. edentata; posterior sensillum reduced in B. lapidaria, normal in B. edentata; two cheliceral setae placed close together in B. meridionalis, widely separated in B. edentata; idiosoma length 2600 µm in B. exilicornis, less than 1000 µm in B. edentata.
B. edentata is represented in the present survey collection by four specimens from a single locality at Port Elizabeth, which is outside the geographic range of H. destructor (Qin & Halliday, 1996; Qin 1997). This rare and localised species would appear to have no relevance as a potential biological control agent.
Etymology
The name of this species alludes to the edentate cheliceral digits.
description: Published as part of Halliday, R. B., 2005, Predatory mites from crops and pastures in South Africa: potential natural enemies of redlegged earth mite Halotydeus destructor (Acari: Penthaleidae), pp. 11-64 in Zootaxa 1079 on pages 22-25, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.170355