Acalitus simplex Flechtmann & Etienne, 2002, n.sp

Acalitus simplex n.sp. (Fig. 4) DIAGNOSIS �� An Acalitus species with 4 ��rayed empodia; fused, granulated coxae I, smooth coxae II; coxisternal area with coarse granules not arranged in transverse lines; reduced prodorsal shield design: one pair of complete admedian lines and fragments of submedian line. FEMALE �� (n = 6). Body wormlike, 158 (145��171), 53 (53��57 wide. Gnathosoma projecting downwards; basal seta 3 (3); antapical seta absent; chelicerae 13 (13). Prodorsal shield anteriorly broadly rounded, 25 (24��26), 29 (28��31) wide; design reduced to one pair of complete admedian lines and partial submedian lines. Dorsal tubercles near rear shield margin, 19 (18��21) apart, directing scapular seta (sc) divergently backwards; sc 24 (22��25). Legs lacking femur and tibia I setae. Leg I 24 (22��25); femur 11 (9��11), femoral seta (bv) absent; femur with a few ventral lines; genu 3 (3), genual seta (l") 15 (14��16); tibia 3 (3), tibial seta (l') absent; tarsus 6 (5��6), solenidion 7 (6��7), straight, not knobbed, empodium 5 (5), 4 ��rayed, dorsal seta (ft') 6 (5��9), lateral seta (ft") 20 (18��20), unguinal seta u' 4 (3��4). Leg II 22 (21��22); femur 10 (8��10), bv 9 (8��9); genu 3 (2��3), l" 9 (8��10); tibia 3 (3); tarsus 5 (5��7), solenidion 7 (7��8), empodium 5 (4��6), 4 ��rayed, ft' 5 (4��5), ft" 18 (18��23), u' 4 (3��4). Coxae I fused, mesally granulated; coxal seta I (1 b) 7 (7��8), 9 (7��9) apart; coxal seta II (1 a) 18 (16��22), 9 (9��11) apart; coxal seta III (2 a) 28 (28��33), 19 (19��20) apart. Coxisternal area with a few coarse granules. Genitalia 20 (19��22) wide, 12 (12��16) long; epigynium with coarse granules; genital seta (3 a) 8 (8��10). Opisthosoma evenly arched in cross section; annuli continuous dorsoventrally. Lateral seta (c 2) 20 (18��25), on annulus 3 (2��4) from genitalia rear margin. Ventral seta I (d) 44 (43��46), 37 (36��40) apart, on annulus 15 (14��16); ventral seta II (e) 19 (19��24), 21 (19��23) apart, on annulus 29 (26��29); ventral seta III (f) 13 (13��15), 16 (14��18) apart, on annulus 50 (46��50) or 5��6 th from rear. Total ventral annuli 54 (50��54), microtuberculate; total dorsal annuli 68 (64��72), microtuberculate, caudal 9 (7��12) annuli with smaller microtubercles and fading to rear annuli. Caudal seta (h 2) 46 (43��57); accessory seta (h 1) 2 (2��3). MALE �� (n = 3). Similar to female, 141��161, 48 wide. Gnathosoma: basal seta 3; antapical seta absent; chelicerae 12��13. Prodorsal shield 20��24, 27 �� 28 wide; sc 18��22, 16 �� 19 apart. Legs: leg I 20��23; femur 8��9, bv absent: genu 2��3, l" 11��14; tibia 3, l' absent; tarsus 4��5, solenidion 6, empodium 5, 4 ��rayed, ft' 5��10, ft" 18��19, u' 2��3. Leg II 17��20; femur 7��8, bv 7��9; genu 2, l" 7��8; tibia 2��3; tarsus 4��5, solenidion 7��8, empodium 4��5, 4 ��rayed, ft' 3��4, ft" 15��18, u' 2��3. Coxae: 1 b 5��7, 8 apart; 1a 11 �� 13, 9 apart; 2a 23 �� 25, 17 �� 18 apart. Genitalia 13��16 wide, 8��11 long, granulated; 3a 6 �� 7. Opisthosoma: c 2 17��19, on annulus 3; d 35��38, 31 �� 35 apart, on annulus 12��14; e 12��16, 18 �� 21 apart, on annulus 24��26; f 12��13, 13 �� 14 apart, on annulus 41��46 or 5 th from rear. Total ventral annuli 46��50; total dorsal annuli 59��64, caudal 7��11 dorsal annuli with smaller microtubercles; h 2 37��38; h 1 2, TYPE MATERIAL �� Female holotype, 19 female and 6 male paratypes, from Ruellia tuberosa L.(Acanthaceae), Clairange, Grand Bourg, Marie Galante / Guadeloupe, coll. J. Etienne, 4 Aug. 2001, on 7 microscopic preparations in the collection of Departamento de Entomologia, Fitopatologia e Zoologia Agr��cola, Universidade de S��o Paulo, ESALQ, Piracicaba, S��o Paulo, Brazil. One paratype slide deposited in the New Zealand Arthropod Collection. RELATION TO HOST �� vagrant on lower leaf surface. ETYMOLOGY �� The specific designation, simplex, is from the Latin simplex meaning simplicity and refers to the reduced prodorsal shield design. REMARKS �� One species of Acalitus, A. ruelliae (Channabasavanna, 1966), described from Ruellia patula in India, was reported on R. tuberosa from Venezuela (Boczek & Nuzzaci, 1988) and from Guyana (Mohanasundaram & Muniappan, 1990). A. simplex n.sp. differs in being much larger (A. ruelliae 115��125 long); in presenting a granulated epigynium (with longitudinal scorings in A. ruellia) and in the anteriorly rounded prodorsal shield (triangular, acuminate in A. ruelliae).
Published as part of Flechtmann, Carlos H. W. & Etienne, Jean, 2002, New records of plant mites (Acari, Acaridae, Tetranychidae) from Guadeloupe and Marie Galante with descriptions of five new eriophyid species, pp. 1-16 in Zootaxa 47 on pages 10-12, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.155892
{"references":["Channabasavanna, G. P. (1966) A Contribution to the Knowledge of Indian Eriophyid Mites (Eriophyoidea: Trombidiformes: Acarina). University of Agricultural Sciences, Hebbal, Bangalore, 154 pp.","Boczek, J. & Nuzzaci, G. (1988) A new genus and five new species of eriophyid mites (Acari: Eriophyoidea). Entomologica, Bari, 23, 123 - 138.","Mohanasundaram, M. & Muniappan, R. (1990) On the Eriophyid fauna of Trinidad and Guyana: description of a new genus and species (Acari: Eriophyidae). International Journal of Acarology, 16, 59 - 62."]}