Scutacarus lasiophilus Khaustov, 2015, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Khaustov, Alexander A.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2015
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Prostigmata
Scutacaridae
Scutacarus
Scutacarus lasiophilus

description: Scutacarus lasiophilus sp. nov.
(Figs. 1–4, 12 A)
Description. FEMALE (holotype). Length of idiosoma 195 (185–215 in 7 paratypes), width 200 (175–215). Gnathosoma (Fig. 2): gnathosomal capsule oval, with well-developed dorsal median apodeme, dorsally with 2 pairs of smooth and pointed setae (cha, chb) and 1 pair of postpalpal setae (pp), situated anterolaterally to bases of setae cha (Fig. 2 A). Palps dorsolaterally with subequal setae dFe and dGe. Palps ventrally with large mushroomlike accessory setigenous structure (ass). Palpal solenidion absent. Palps terminated with small tibial claw. Gnathosomal venter with 1 pair of pointed subcapitular setae m and pair of round pits situated posteriorly to bases of setae m (Fig. 2 B). Central part of subcapitulum with small dimples; lateral parts of gnathosoma with rough microsculpture reaching to bases of setae m. All pharyngeal pumps transversely striated. Pharyngeal pump 1 oval, separated from pharyngeal pump 2 by length of pharyngeal pump 1, pharyngeal pump 2 slightly larger than pump 1, oval, pharyngeal pump 3 oval, subequal to pharyngeal pump 1(Fig. 2 B). Idiosomal dorsum (Figs. 1 A, 2A). Prodorsum completely covered by tergite C, with 2 pairs of smooth needle-like setae v 2 and sc 2, 1 pair of barbed capitate trichobothria, and 1 pair of oval stigmata associated with long tracheal trunks (Fig. 2 A). Lateral propodosomal spine absent. All dorsal shields with numerous small dimples. Setae e vestigial; h 2 not evident, other dorsal setae distinctly barbed and blunt-ended. Cupules ia on tergite D and ih on tergite H large, round. Tergite EF with 1 pair of oval porous fields situated anteromedially to setae f. Lengths of dorsal setae: c 1 34 (29 – 34), c 2 28 (27 – 28), d 33 (32–33), f 27 (25–27), h 1 30 (27–30). Distances between setae: c 1– c 1 61 (56–67), d–d 99 (87–110), f–f 115 (105–125), h 1– h 1 48 (45–49). Idiosomal venter (Fig. 1 B). All ventral plates with numerous small dimples. Apodemes 1 (ap1) well-developed and joined with prosternal apodeme (appr), apodemes 2 (ap2) w-like, joined with appr; sejugal apodeme (apsej) well-developed and joined with appr. Secondary transverse apodeme absent. Apodemes 3 (ap3) weakly developed, diffuse, ap4 short, joined with poststernal apodeme (appo). Apodemes 5 indistinct. Setae 2 b slightly thickened, smooth, blunt-ended, setae 4 a smooth, situated distinctly posteriorly to 4 b and reaching beyond posterior margin of poststernal plate, setae ps 3 short and smooth. Other ventral setae distinctly barbed. Distance 4 a –4 a subequal to distance 4 a –4 b.
Secondary transverse sclerotized lines on poststernal and aggenital plates present. Anterior genital sclerite complicate, consists of median tongue-like elongation connected with sclerotized oval structure ring laterally with tube-like sclerites (Fig. 12 A), posterior genital sclerite large, triangular. Lengths of ventral setae: 1 a 36 (33–37), 1 b 28 (26–31), 2 a 27 (23–28), 2 b 25 (23–26), 3 a 40 (37–42), 3 b 36 (35–42), 3 c 34 (30–35), 4 a 26 (19–27), 4 b 49 (48– 52), 4 c 39 (32–40), ps 1 29 (26–29), ps 2 25 (23–25), ps 3 4 (4–5). Legs (Figs. 3, 4). Leg I setation (Fig. 3 A): Tr-1, Fe- 2, Ge-4, TiTa-16(4). Tibiotarsus with large tarsal claw, pointing at apices. Seta k smooth, blunt-ended, eupathidion tc” situated on long pinnaculum. Lengths of solenidia: ω 1 11 (9–11)> ω 2 7 (6–7) = φ 1 7 (7–8)> φ 2 8 (7–8); ω 2 and φ 2 baculiform, φ 1 clavate, ω 1 finger-shaped. Seta dFe thickened and pointed. Setae l’ of femur blunt-ended and smooth. Leg II setation (Fig. 3 B): Tr-1, Fe-3, Ge-3, Ti-4(1), Ta-6(1). Tarsus with large padded claws and welldeveloped flipper-like empodium. Solenidion ω 7 (7–8) finger-shaped, solenidion φ weakly clavate. Seta l’ of femur very short, spine-like. Seta pl” spine-like, smooth, u’ blunt-ended and barbed in distal half. Leg III setation (Fig. 4 A): Tr-1, Fe-2, Ge-2, Ti-4(1), Ta-6. Claws of same shape as on tarsus II. Solenidion φ weakly clavate. Setae pl” spine-like, weakly barbed, u’ blunt-ended and barbed in distal half. Leg IV setation (Fig. 4 B): Tr-1, Fe-2, Ge-1, TiTa-7. Setae d of femur, d and tc” of tibiotarsus blunt-ended. Tibiotarsus short, only slightly longer than its width. Setae tc” smooth or with few small barbs, distinctly shorter than seta d of tibiotarsus.
MALE and LARVA unknown.
Type material. Female holotype, slide VS 300714 and 2 female paratypes, RUSSIA: Tyumen Province, Tyumen region, vicinity of settlement Narimanovo, 57o21′56″ N, 65o08′21″ E, on ants Lasius niger (Linnaeus), 30 July 2014, coll. V.A. Stolbov; 4 female paratypes, RUSSIA: Tyumen Province, Tyumen region, vicinity of settlement Reshetnikovo, 57°17'00.2" N, 65°24'32.5" E, on ants Lasius niger, 25 September 2014, coll. T.A. Tarakanov; 3 female paratypes same locality and date from ants Lasius flavus Fabricius.
Type deposition. Holotype and 7 paratypes deposited in TUMZ; 2 paratypes in ZISP.
Etymology. The name of a new species is referring to its association with ants of the genus Lasius.
Differential diagnosis. Female of the new species is most similar to S. tertius Ebermann and Moser, 2008 described from the U.S.A. (Ebermann & Moser 2008) by the presence of secondary sclerotized lines on the poststernal and aggenital plates, similar lengths of dorsal and ventral idiosomal setae and shape of the anterior genital sclerite. It differs from S. tertius by setae c 1 and c 2 distinctly barbed and blunt-ended (vs. c 1 and c 2 pointed and with only few weak barbs in S. tertius), distance 4 a –4 a subequal to distance 4 a –4 b (distance 4 a –4 a about 2 times longer than 4 a –4 b), solenidia ω 2 and φ 2 subequal (vs. solenidion ω 2 almost 2 times shorter than φ 2). Among Palaearctic species, S. lasiophilus sp. nov. is most similar to S. myrmecophilus Metwali, 1981 by the presence of a secondary transverse sclerotized line on the aggenital plate. It differs from S. myrmecophilus by the presence of a secondary transverse sclerotized line on the poststernal plate (vs. absent in S. myrmecophilus) and by distinctly longer dorsal hysterosomal setae, 27–33 long (vs. 15–17).
description: Published as part of Khaustov, Alexander A., 2015, Three new species of myrmecophilous scutacarid mites (Acari: Scutacaridae) from Western Siberia, Russia, pp. 265-279 in Zootaxa 4013 (2) on pages 266-268, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4013.2.7, http://zenodo.org/record/245159