Anystipalpus livshitsi Eidelberg, new combination
Creators: name: Lindquist, Evert E.
name: Moraza, María L.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2009
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Mesostigmata
Laelapidae
Anystipalpus
Anystipalpus livshitsi

description: Anystipalpus livshitsi (Eidelberg), new combination
(Figs 12–28)
Antennoseius (Antennoseius) livshitsi Eidelberg, 1989: 74.
Antennoseius (Antennoseius) ukrainicus Sklyar, 1994: 484; new synonymy.
Diagnosis. ADULT FEMALE. Podonotal shield with eight of its 21 pairs of setae (j2-j5, z2-z4, s4) strongly thickened, smooth, spinelike, with bluntly rounded tips; opisthonotal shield with setae J5, Z4, Z5, S5 barbed; other dorsal shield setae collectively similar in smooth, slightly stout, pointed form and length (about 0.4 to 0.6 as long as longitudinal intervals between their bases). Sternal shield lacking lyrifissures. Epigynal shield drop-shaped, with lateral margins constricted anterior to genital setae and posterior margin evenly rounded. Peritrematal-exopodal shield with one or two lines extending from stigma to posterior margin. Coxa I with one seta (av) bluntly spinelike. Tarsus II lacking spinelike setae. Leg I with trochanter seta d, femoral seta pd2, and genual setae pd1-pd3 short, bluntly spinelike.
Description. ADULT FEMALE. Dorsal shields together 425–452 long, reticulated over entire surfaces, reticula more elongate between setae J5 and Z5 (Fig. 13). Podonotal shield 240–260 long, greatest width 225– 240 at level of setae r2, with 21 pairs of smooth setae (j1-j6, z1-z6, s1-s6, r2 and two extra pairs in s3-s6 area) of which eight pairs (j2-j5, z2-z4, s4) short (9–12) strongly thickened, spinelike, with bluntly rounded tips (Figs 13, 15). Opisthonotal shield 185–200 long, 225–234 wide at level of setae S1, evenly rounded posteriorly, with 15 pairs of setae (J1-J5, Z1-Z5, S1-S5). Setae j1 (7–8) and z1 (9) short, smooth, j1 slightly spinelike (Figs 14, 15); setae J5, Z4, Z5, S5 barbed (Fig. 15); other dorsal shield setae collectively similar in smooth, slightly stout, pointed form and length (17–23, most about 0.4 to 0.6 as long as longitudinal intervals between their bases); setae J5 (22) slightly shorter than Z5 (24); transverse interval between setae J5 (46) slightly greater than those between J4 (40) and Z5 (32). Lateral soft cuticle with 15 or16 pairs of smooth setae (12–14), including r3-r6, R1-R7 and four or five pairs of UR setae.
Tritosternum with laciniae (80) free nearly to their bases, where fused for 10–12 µm and with denticulate fringe above apical margin of tritosternal base (as in Fig. 5). Presternal area with pair of narrow platelets adhered to anterior margin of sternal shield. Sternal shield ca. 100–110 long from anterior presternal margin to irregularly concave posterior margin, 85 at narrowest width between coxae II; anterior part of sternal shield weakly sclerotized to level slightly behind insertions of setae st1 (Fig. 17); sternal shield with three pairs of attenuate setae, these progressively slightly shorter from st1 (25–28) to st3 (20–22), and lacking poroids; shield with pair of parallel longitudinal lines near mid-surface faint, sometimes lacking; endopodal extensions between coxae I and II united with sternal shield, but those between coxae II and III separate fragments (Fig. 17). Setae st4 (19–22) inserted on soft cuticle. Endopodal strips weakly developed between coxae III and IV. Epigynal shield smooth, 110–120 long from anterior margin of broadly rounded hyaline rim to evenly rounded posterior margin, 53–60 at widest level between setae st5 (16–19), and 30–32 at narrowest width between legs IV. Opisthosomatic venter with two pairs of metapodal platelets (one smaller pair near posterior edge of peritrematal-exopodal shield and one larger oval pair (20–22 x 9–10) well removed behind peritrematal-exopodal shields), and with one pair of small postgenital platelets. Anal shield faintly reticulatelineate, with paranal setae (16–17) nearly as long as postanal seta (19–20); shield width (65–70) slightly less than its length including cribrum (70–75). Soft cuticle with ten pairs of simple opisthogastric setae JV1-JV5, ZV1-ZV5 flanked by three or four pairs of simple submarginal UR and marginal R setae; JV4, JV5, ZV5 slightly thicker, sometimes slightly barbed. Peritrematal-exopodal shield with one or two lines extending from stigma to broadly rounded posterior margin (Fig. 17); peritreme extends anteriorly to level of seta z1, where vertex curved ventrally (Figs 14, 17). Spermathecal structures indiscernible in specimens at hand.
Tectum with anterior margin sparsely denticulate, convex; mid surface of tectum with transverse line of denticles well defined, concave medially (Fig.16). Cheliceral shaft, excluding basal section, 150 long, with slender digits (Fig. 20); dorsal face of fixed digit with lateral (antiaxial) hoodlike ridge that begins to taper midway along length of digit nearly to apex, seeming to cover movable digit in repose (Fig. 21); fixed digit with row of five to seven (rarely eight to ten) fine teeth and a slightly larger offset subapical tooth along apical third and a tiny proximal tooth on masticatory margin (Figs 21–23); movable digit (50) strongly bidentate, sometimes with a tiny subapical denticle, and with nearly imperceptible vestige of process on midventral surface (Fig. 23). Subcapitulum slender, elongate, its greatest width (70–80) at base about 0.6–0.7 its length (110–125) from capitular base to apex of corniculi; hypostome on a neck-like projection, such that longitudinal distance between hp3 and pc (40) nearly four times that between hp1 and hp3 (11). Deutosternum with seven transverse rows of denticles, all except basal row connected laterally, rows one to five similar in width, each with a single median denticle, sixth and seventh rows slightly widened, with several denticles (Fig. 18). Corniculi normal in form, slightly longer than internal malae; subcapitular setae simple, hp1 (23– 25) longer than capitular seta pc (15–18), hp3 shorter (9–10), scarcely longer than hp2 (8–9). Palpus elongate (192–204), about 0.50 to 0.53 as long as leg I (Fig. 12), each of palpal trochanter (45–50), femur (46–50), genu (42–46), tibia (44–46) similarly elongated, about 2.5 times as long as palptarsus (17–19); palptibia 3.6 times as long as wide; palptrochanter with more basal seta (15) 0.6 as long as more distal seta (25); apical pd seta of palptibia curved, blunt (15) in distinction to adjacent setae.
Legs I (375–405) about 0.9 as long as collective length of the two dorsal shields; other leg lengths (excluding pretarsi): II (310–335), III (275–300), IV (350–370). Leg I length ratios, genu: tibia: tarsus, about 1.0: 0.95: 1.4; tarsus (88) slightly longer than femur (82–86). Coxae I–IV lineate on posterior inner surfaces; basal seta av of coxa I and posterior seta pv of coxa II modified as thick, blunt spines (11–13) (Figs 24, 25); pv of coxae I, av of coxa II, and setae of coxae III–IV normal, slender, pv about half as long as av on coxa III and subequally as short as v on coxa IV. Legs I to IV with chaetotactic formulae of femora, genua, tibiae as described for genus. Leg I with setae pd of trochanter, pd2 of femur, and pd1-pd 3 of genu stout, short (9–15), blunt, spinelike (Fig. 24); femur I with pd1 pointed, erect, slender-spinelike (35), and ad2, ad3 minute (5), erect; other setae normal, slender. Except coxa II av, legs II–IV without modified spinelike setae (Figs 25–28).
ADULT MALE and IMMATURES. Unknown.
Material examined. Eight adult females, IRAN, North Khorasan Province, Esfarayen (36° 55' 29" N, 57° 44' 08" E) elevation 1,471 m, 26 June 2007, coll. S. Kazemi, ex. under elytra of carabid beetle, Ophonus (Metophonus) rufibarbis (Fabricius); three deposited in the AETMU, Tehran, two in the MZUNAV, Pamplona, and two in the CNCI, Ottawa.
Remarks. Dr. Olga Makarova has recently examined, measured and made additional sketches of type material (holotype and 9 paratypes) of Antennoseius livshitsi Eidelberg, which confirmed our anticipation that it is conspecific with material at hand, and belongs to the taxon Anystipalpus. She also concurs that A. livshitsi and Antennoseius ukrainicus Sklyar are conspecific, even though the original descriptions and figures of both species were incomplete in some details, and provided no information on the length of the palpi and their segments, the degree of subcapitular elongation and the presence or absence of sternal shield lyrifissures. Dr. Makarova’s measurements completely overlap ours, and are included in the ranges given above for the lengths of idiosoma, leg I, palpus and its segments, and the subcapitular dimensions. Other of her notes are in full accord with our redescription presented above.
Eidelberg (1989) collected 150 adult females of A. livshitsi from localities in Moldavia, Crimea, and Kazakhstan where they were found under the elytra and on the folded wings of carabid beetles representing 22 species in 14 genera, which are currently classified in nine different tribes. The beetles were collected from open natural biotopes (steppe, meadows, lake shores) and cultivated areas (apple orchards, gardens, grass fields). The type material of Sklyar (1994) included 23 adult females from localities in Crimea, Poltava and Donetsk provinces of southern, central and eastern Ukraine, under the elytra of carabids representing six species in as many genera, from three tribes. Again, the beetles were collected from diverse habitats, i.e., shelterbelt forest litter, under rocks, alfalfa field, under oak bark. This species appears to be extensively distributed across east central Europe and west central Asia where associated with diverse carabid beetles.
description: Published as part of Lindquist, Evert E. & Moraza, María L., 2009, Anystipalpus, Antennoseius and Vitzthumia: a taxonomic and nomenclatural conundrum of genera (Acari: Mesostigmata: Dermanyssina), with description of four species of Anystipalpus, pp. 1-39 in Zootaxa 2243 on pages 18-23, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.190657