Bulbolaelaps Faraji, Zare & Rahmani, 2021

Genus: Bulbolaelaps Faraji, Zare & Rahmani, 2021

Bulbolaelaps Faraji, Zare & Rahmani, 2021: 968 View Cited Treatment .

Type species: Bulbolaelaps bossei Faraji, Zare & Rahmani, 2021 , by monotypy.

Taxonomic notes

This originally monotypic genus was only recently established on the basis of adult stages of the type species Bulbolaelaps bossei found in association with an unidentified fungus (possibly Pleurotus sp. ) in Iran. Faraji et al. (2021) described Bulbolaelaps in the Digamasellidae as a genus related to Dendrolaelaps -like taxa with the following diagnostic characters: 1) podonotal and opisthonotal shields separated in both sexes; 2) opisthonotal shield fused with opisthogastric shield in males; 3) scleronoduli present; 4) most dorsal setae barbed and apically bulbous; 5) st3 more medially arranged than other setae; 6) palptrochanter with bulbous swollen membranous structure on venter; 7) corniculi weakly developed; 8) weakly sclerotized epistome dorsally fimbriated; 9) hypostomal setae h1 and h2 more or less transversely aligned; 10) deutosternal furrow narrow; 11) ventral base of female movable cheliceral digit with a paraxial spine-like projection; 12) setae ad1 and pd1 on legs II–IV apically narrowly lanceolate.

Of the features listed, only some are diagnostic and can be used to identify the genus. For example, the peculiarities on the gnathosoma that were previously unknown in related genera of the family Digamasellidae , namely 1) a narrowed deutosternal furrow, the transverse rows of which have only one tooth each, 2) an unusual posterior position of the setae h1, which are closer to that of h3, so that the bases of the hypostomal setae h1–h3 are similarly far apart; 3) the epistome with abundantly fimbriated distal part; 4) palptrochanter with a strongly inflated membranous structure. These and other unusual features are also found in another member of the genus described in this paper. These features also include the form of the modified dorsal setae with club-shaped tips; the morphology of the chelicera with a conspicuously curved movable digit, reduced dentition, and the pilus dentilis sitting on a special columnar base; the dorsoapical setae of tarsi II–IV with a slightly expanded and flattened subapical part; the straight anterior margin of the ventral shield in males and others.

A further peculiarity of the gnathosoma in the newly described species is the bilobed form of the cornicules, which are protected by a hyaline membrane, and the shortening of the fixed cheliceral digit, which is more pronounced in males than in females. In the male of the type species of the genus, the shortening of this structure is not at all obvious, although, for example, the shape and size of the spermatodactyl are very similar in both known representatives of the genus.

Certain changes in the generic diagnosis of Bulbolaelaps by Faraji et al. (2021) must also be made with respect to the number of transverse rows of denticles on the ventral hypostome and the placement of some setae on the podonotum and sternal shield in Bulbolaelaps neomidae . The dorsal setae s1 and r2, as well as the sternal setae st4 are not located on the shield surface in the new species, but on the soft integument. The presence of only three pairs of sternal setae is a characteristic of the related family Halolaelapidae and has probably not yet been found in the Digamasellidae .

Identification key to species of Bulbolaelaps (females)

1. Anterior parts of peritrematal shields connected to anterolateral parts of podonotal shield, this scutal complex with all podonotal setae on its surface (including s1, r2); surface of podonotal and opisthonotal shields completely reticulate; sternal shield with well-defined anterolateral corners, lateral constriction at level of coxae II and four pairs of setae (st1–st4); setae J5 and Z4 with pointed tip; gnathosomal corniculi simple; metapodal platelets suboval; movable cheliceral digit with ventrobasal paraxial spine-like projection and four teeth, of which two distal teeth smaller than the others; idiosoma 723–756 μm long............................................................................................. Bulbolaelaps bossei

- Peritrematal shields with free anterior parts, not connected to podonotal shield; setae s1 and r2 on soft integument between peritrematal and podonotal shields; surface of podonotal and opisthonotal shields with a mixture of reticulation, punctation, rugosity and smooth surface; sternal shield with weakly pronounced anterolateral margins, straight lateral margins between coxae II and three pairs of setae (st1–st3, st4 on soft integument); setae J5 and Z4 with claviform tip; corniculi bifid; metapodal platelets worm-shaped; movable cheliceral digit without special projection and three similar teeth; idiosoma 725–980 μm long...................................................................... Bulbolaelaps neomidae sp. nov.

Identification key to species of Bulbolaelaps (males)

1. Setae J5 and Z4 with pointed tip; cheliceral digits similar in length (fixed digit about ¾ of length of movable digit); sternitogenital shield medially smooth, with posterior setae st4 and st5 slightly longer than other sternal setae (st1 36–38 μm, st2 34–36 μm, st3 38 μm, st4 42–43, and st5 44–46 μm); femur II with a spur-like projection; idiosoma 616–635 μm long................................................................................................... Bulbolaelaps bossei

- Setae J5 and Z4 with club-shaped tip; fixed cheliceral digit strongly shortened, twice shorter than movable digit; sternitogenital shield anteromedially reticulate, with st4 apparently longer than other sternal setae (st1 35–44 μm, st2 and st3 36–46 μm, st4 60–69 μm, st5 33–49 μm); femur II with two spur-like projections; idiosoma 700–780 μm long.................................................................................................. Bulbolaelaps neomidae sp. nov.