Imparipes ( Imparipes ) hajiqanbari Rahiminejad, 2022

Imparipes ( Imparipes) hajiqanbari Rahiminejad sp. nov.

( Figs 1–10 View FIGURES 1–2 View FIGURES 3–6 View FIGURES View FIGURE )

Description

Phoretic female. Body ( Figs 1–2 View FIGURES 1–2 ) poorly sclerotized, spherical. Length of idiosoma 243 (232), width 209 (202) on the widest part of tergite C.

Gnathosoma ( Figs 4–5 View FIGURES 3–6 ). Gnathosomal capsule oval, with indiscernible dorsal median apodeme, dorsally with two pairs of subequal setae cha 7 (7) and chb 6 (6), and one pair of very short postpalpal setae ( pp). Palpi dorsolaterally with two subequal setae dFe 4 (4) and dGe 5 (5). A large mushroom-like accessory setigenous structure ( ass) and one pair of well-developed solenidia situated on ventral surface of palpi. Gnathosoma ventrally with one pair of pointed subcapitular setae m 6 (5) and pair of round pits placed posteriorly to bases of setae m. Gnathosomal capsule not stippled. All gnathosomal setae ( cha, chb, m, dGe and dFe) pointed and smooth. Pharyngeal system ( Fig. 6 View FIGURES 3–6 ) tripartite, all pumps with transverse striations and grouped together; pump 1 bow-shaped, smallest and situated near posterior margins of trochanters II, pump 2 quadrangular and largest, pump 3 vase-like.

Idiosomal dorsum ( Fig. 1 View FIGURES 1–2 ). All dorsal shields with numerous very fine round dimples. All dorsal setae pointed and barbed, except for setae c 1 and c 2, smooth. Prodorsum with a pair of club-shaped trichobothria and two pairs of smooth and slightly curved setae v 2 and sc 2 ( Fig. 3 View FIGURES 3–6 ), and one pair of round stigmata associated with tracheal trunks, completely covered by tergite C. Free margin of tergite C separated by a curved line from other parts. Seta c 1 very short and thin. Lateral propodosomal spine well developed. Cupules ia on tergite D and ih on tergite H spherical and oval, respectively. Bases of setae c 2 associated with long alveolar canals. Posterior margin of tergite H with short tongue-like projection. Lengths of dorsal setae: c 1 9 (8), c 2 36 (34), d 88 (83), e 136 (131), f 105 (99), h 1 100 (95), h 2 128 (118). Distances between setae: c 1 – c 1 57 (56), c 1 – c 2 52 (52), d–d 88 (88), e–f 64 (62), f–f 33 (30), h 1 – h 1 40 (39), h 1 – h 2 48 (46).

Idiosomal venter ( Fig. 2 View FIGURES 1–2 ). All ventral plates with very small dimples; ap1 v-shaped and ap2 straight, both well developed and joined with appr; apsej well developed, bow-shaped and joined with appr and secondary transverse apodeme present. Ap3 indiscernible; ap4 long, joined with appo, not reaching to trochanters III and bases of setae 4 c. Ap5 strong, well developed and clearly sclerotized, continued from trochanter IV to appo. All ventral setae pointed and distinctly barbed except for setae 2 b, distinctly thickened, smooth and blunt-ended. Anterior genital sclerite (a gs) small, triangular and weakly sclerotized, posterior genital sclerite ( pgs) large, triangular and slightly wider than long. Posterior margin of aggenital plate is evenly rounded. Lengths of ventral setae: 1 a 59 (57), 1 b 48 (48), 2 a 69 (66), 2 b 50 (49), 3 a 95 (92), 3 b 64 (60), 3 c 71 (68), 4 a 109 (104), 4 b 64 (64), 4 c 83 (80), ps 1 69 (66), ps 2 36 (35), ps 3 100 (96).

Legs ( Figs 7–10 View FIGURES View FIGURE ). Leg I ( Fig. 7 View FIGURES ): leg setation: 1-3-4-16(4). Tarsus with a medium size claw. Tibiotarsus with four solenidia; lengths of solenidia: ω 1 5 (5) < ω 2 14 (13)> φ 1 7 (7)> φ 2 6 (5); ω 1 baculiform, both ω 2 and φ 2 digitiform, φ 1 clavate,. Seta k sparsely barbed, weakly blunt-ended; eupathidia tc’ and tc ″, situated on top of a long pinnaculum each, seta ft” at the base of the longer pinnaculum bearing tc’. On femur seta l ′ blunt-ended and smooth, seta d spine-like; setae v ′ of trochanter and femur pointed and smooth; setae l” of genu smooth and blunt-ended; other leg setae, excluding eupathidia ( tc’, tc”, ft’, ft”, p”), sparsely barbed, pointed and somehow whip-like. Leg II ( Fig. 8 View FIGURES ): leg setation: 1-3-3-4(1)-6(1). Tarsus with two large hook-like claws and well developed empodium; solenidia ω 11 (10) and φ 5 (4), both digitiform; all setae sparsely barbed and pointed; setae u’ and tc” weak and shorter than other setae; seta v” of tibia longer than others; genu with three subequal setae; v” shortest seta of the leg. Leg III ( Fig. 9 View FIGURES ): leg setation: 1-2-2-4(1)-6. Claws same shape as on tarsus II; tarsus with seta u’, shortest on tarsus; solenidion φ 4 (4) digitiform; seta v’ on trochanter reaching the apex of genu; all setae on the leg sparsely barbed and pointed. Leg IV ( Fig. 10 View FIGURE ): leg setation: 1-2-1-3(1)-6. Length of tarsus IV 79 (68), pretarsus IV 37 (39). All setae pointed. Setae pl″ and u′ smooth, u′ not reaching the apex of tarsus; other setae on the leg distinctly barbed; pretarsus long and tapered, with a pair of short claws and a small empodium; tc’ longest seta of the leg; solenidion φ 7 (7) clavate.

Type material. Female holotype (VR-20210611-1), in a vial containing three specimens of alates of Lasius sp. (Hym.: Formicidae ). The hosts were captured by a light trap from Alangdareh Forest park, Gorgan, Golestan Province, Northern Iran, 36.46°N, 54.26°E, altitude, 423 m., coll. V. Rahiminejad, 11 June 2021 GoogleMaps ; paratype: one female (VR-20210611-2), same data.

Differential diagnosis. The new species is most similar to I. longisetosus Willmann, 1951 , described from Austria ( Willmann, 1951), by distance between setae 4 a longer than that of setae 4 b, setae ps 3 > ps 1 > ps 2, apodeme 4 (ap4) middle length and apodeme 5 (ap5) well-sclerotized, setae e > h 2 > f ≥ h 1 > d > c 2 > c 1, seta ps 2 longer than half as long as setae ps 1, and 4 b the longest on the body venter. The new species differs from I. longisetosus in having seta c 1 very short, i.e. more than three times shorter than c 2; all dorsal setae pointed and distances between setae c 1 – c 1 and c 1 – c 2 subequal (seta c 1 and c 2 subequal, all dorsal setae blunt-ended and distance between setae c 1 – c 1 distinctly longer than c 1 – c 2).

Etymology. The new species is named in honor of late Dr. Hamidreza Hajiqanbar (Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran), the M.Sc. and Ph.D. mentor of the first author and a great colleague, for his extensive international contributions in study of heterostigmatic mites.