Scutacarus karafiati, Khaustov, 2015

Scutacarus karafiati n. sp.

( Figures 1-3 View FIGURE View FIGURE View FIGURE )

Description

Female — Length of idiosoma 230 (215 – 230), width 200 (190 – 200).

Gnathosoma — Gnathosomal capsule short, oval, with well developed dorsal median apodeme, dorsally with two pairs of weakly barbed and pointed setae ( cha, chb) and one pair of postpalpal setae ( pp), situated anterolaterally to bases of setae cha. Palps dorsolaterally with subequal setae dFe and dGe. Ventral surface of gnathosoma not visible.

Idiosomal dorsum ( Figure 1A View FIGURE ) — Prodorsum completely covered by tergite C, with two pairs of smooth needle-like setae v 2 and sc 2, one pair of barbed capitate trichobothria, and one pair of oval stigmata. All dorsal shields with numerous small dimples. Cupules ia on tergite D and ih on tergite H large, round. Setae c 1, c 2, d and f thick, blunt-ended and distinctly barbed; setae e and h 2 pointed, curved medially and sparsely barbed; setae h 1 needle-like, smooth. Posterior margin of tergite EF undulate. Lengths of dorsal setae: c 1 42 (40 – 42), c 2 34 (31 – 34), d 39 (37 – 39), e 46 (43 – 46), f 52 (48 – 52), h 1 8 (7 – 8), h 2 37 (35 – 37). Distances between setae: c 1 - c 1 65 (64 – 65), d -d 130 (125 – 130), f -f 98 (90 – 98), h 1 - h 1 54 (50 – 54).

Idiosomal venter ( Figure 1B View FIGURE ) — 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 well developed. Apodemes 3 (ap3) weakly developed, diffuse, apodemes 4 (ap4) short, joined with poststernal apodeme (appo). Apodemes 5 fused with appo, diffuse. Setae 2 b slightly thickened, smooth, blunt-ended, setae 4 a smooth, situated on the same level as 4 b and reaching slightly beyond posterior margin of poststernal plate, setae ps 3 short and smooth. Setae 4 c thickened and heavily barbed. Other ventral setae sparsely barbed. Distance 4 a – 4 a about 1.5 times longer than 4 a – 4 b. Anterior genital sclerite tongue-like, posterior genital sclerite triangular. Length of ventral setae: 1 a 37 (34 – 37), 1 b 30 (26 – 30), 2 a 30 (29 – 32), 2 b 30 (28 – 30), 3 a 28 (26 – 29), 3 b 34 (31 – 35), 3 c 44 (40 – 45), 4 a 15 (15 – 16), 4 b 70 (66 – 71), 4 c 37 (33 – 37), ps 1 33 (29 – 33), ps 2 29 (26 – 29), ps 3 6 (4 – 6).

Legs ( Figures 2 View FIGURE , 3 View FIGURE ) — Leg I ( Figure 2A View FIGURE ). Leg chaetotaxy: Tr-1, Fe-3, Ge-4, TiTa-16(4). Tibiotarsus with large tarsal claw, pointed distally. Seta k barbed, pointed, eupathidion tc" situated on long pinnaculum. Lengths of solenidia: ω 1 13 (12 – 13)> ω 2 11 (10 – 11)> φ 1 10 (9 – 10) < φ 2 11 (10 – 11); ω 2 and φ 2 baculiform, φ 1 clavate, ω 1 fingershaped. Seta dFe flattened, with several large barbs. Setae l’ of femur blunt-ended and smooth. Leg II ( Figure 2B View FIGURE ). Leg chaetotaxy: Tr-1, Fe-3, Ge-3, Ti- 4(1), Ta-6(1). Tarsus with large padded claws and well-developed flipper-like empodium. Solenidion ω 12 (11 – 12) finger-shaped, solenidion φ weakly clavate. Setae pl" spine-like, barbed, u’ blunt-ended and barbed in distal half. Leg III ( Figure 3A View FIGURE ). Leg chaetotaxy: 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, barbed, u’ blunt-ended and barbed in distal half. Leg IV ( Figure 3B View FIGURE ). Leg chaetotaxy: Tr-1, Fe-2, Ge-1, TiTa-7. Setae d of femur blunt-ended. Tibiotarsus short, only slightly longer than its width. Setae tc" shorter than pv’.

Male and larva unknown.

Type material — Female holotype, slide AK130914, Russia, Tyumen Province, Tyumen region, vicinity of Tyumen, 57°13’43.6" N, 65°28’28.4" E, on ants Formica fusca Linnaeus , 13 September 2014, coll. A.A. Khaustov. Paratypes: 3 females, same data ; 6 females, Russia, Tyumen Province, Uvat region, vicinity of settlement Demyanka , 59°31’35" N, 69°57’47" E, on ants Formica fusca , 22 August 2014, coll. V. A. Stolbov GoogleMaps .

Etymology — The new species is named after Helmut Karafiat, a German acarologist, for his contribution to the study of European scutacarid mites.

Differential diagnosis — The new species is most similar to S. rotundus ( Berlese, 1903) by thick and distinctly barbed setae c 1, c 2, d, f, curved and pointed e and h 2, and very short h 1. It differs from S. rotundus by setae f less than 1.5 times longer than d ( f about two times longer than d in S. rotundus ), setae h 1 needle-like and smooth (sparsely barbed and characteristically curved medially in S. rotundus ), setae tc" of tibiotarsus IV shorter than pv’ ( tc" much longer than pv’ in S. rotundus ), setae 4 c distinctly thickened, heavily barbed and not reaching beyond posterior margin of poststernal plate (setae 4 c not thickened, sparsely barbed and reaching far beyond posterior margin of poststernal plate in S. rotundus ), solenidia ω 2 and φ 2 subequal (solenidion ω 2 longer than φ 2 in S. rotundus ).