Description of a new ant-associated species (Acari: Mesostigmata: Laelapidae) from Iran E. Babaeian, A. Seraj, A. Nemati To cite this version: E. Babaeian, A. Seraj, A. Nemati. Description of a new ant-associated species (Acari: Mesostig- mata: Laelapidae) from Iran. Acarologia, Acarologia, 2014, 54 (2), pp.221 - 228. 10.1051/acarolo- gia/20142129. hal-01565287 HAL Id: hal-01565287 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01565287 Submitted on 19 Jul 2017 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. 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Acarologia 54(2): 221–228 (2014) DOI: 10.1051/acarologia/20142129 DESCRIPTION OF A NEW ANT-ASSOCIATED SPECIES (ACARI: MESOSTIGMATA: LAELAPIDAE) FROM IRAN Esmaeil BABAEIAN1,2*, Ali Asghar SERAJ2 and Alireza NEMATI3 (Received 24 February 2014; accepted 26 April 2014; published online 30 June 2014) 1 Department of Plant Protection, College of Agriculture, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran. [email protected], [email protected] ( * Corresponding author) 2 Department of Plant Protection, College of Agriculture, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Iran. [email protected] 3 Department of Plant Protection, College of Agriculture, University of Shahrekord, Iran. [email protected] ABSTRACT — A new species of laelapid mite of the genus Myrmozercon, Myrmozercon iranicus Babaeian and Nemati n. sp., is described and illustrated based on adult female specimens collected in the nest of Messor sp., in Yazd and Shahrekord regions (Yazd and Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari provinces, respectively) of Iran. KEYWORDS — Acari; Laelapidae; Myrmozercon; Messor sp.; Iran INTRODUCTION the genus are known from Iran (Baker and Strandt- mann, 1948; Hunter and Hunter, 1963; Rosario and Mites of the family Laelapidae Berlese are cos- Hunter, 1988; Ueckermann and Loots, 1995; Walter, mopolitan; they have a wide ecological diversity in- 2003; Shaw and Seeman, 2009; Joharchi et al., 2011; cluding insect paraphages, parasites of vertebrates, Trach and Khaustov, 2011; Babaeian et al., 2013; and free-living predators inhabiting soil, litter habi- Ghafarian et al., 2013; Joharchi and Moradi, 2013). tats and nests of vertebrates and arthropods (Evans In 1902, Berlese created the genus Myrmozercon and and Till, 1966; Strong and Halliday, 1994; Lindquist designated M. brevipes as its type species. Later, et al., 2009). Nests of social insects provide habi- Berlese (1903, 1904) erected a second genus Myr- tats for diverse genera within the family Laelapidae monyssus Berlese and sub-divided it into two sub- such as Holostaspis Kolenati, Laelaspis Berlese, Gym- genera, Myrmonyssus and Laelaspulus Berlese. Myr- nolaelaps Berlese and occasionally Gaeolaelaps Evans monyssus and Laelaspulus were considered junior and Till and Cosmolaelaps Berlese (Lindquist et al., synonyms of Myrmozercon by Rosario and Hunter 2009). Others such as the genus Myrmozercon have (1988) and Shaw and Seeman (2009). The most de- a more ambiguous association with their hosts. tailed diagnosis of Myrmozercon was provided by Shaw and Seeman (2009) and Joharchi and Moradi The genus Myrmozercon is poorly known world- (2013). Casanueva (1993) revised the family Laelap- wide; it includes about 27 described species from idae based of phylogenetic analyses and included Europe, Australia, Africa, Middle East, Transcauca- the genera associated with Hymenoptera (groups sia, North America and Central Asia. Six species of http://www1.montpellier.inra.fr/CBGP/acarologia/ 221 ISSN 0044-586-X (print). ISSN 2107-7207 (electronic) Babaeian E. et al. III and IV) within the sub-family Melittiphidinae. Genus Myrmozercon Berlese Myrmozercon A new species of , associated with Myrmozercon Berlese, 1902: 699. Type species Myr- Messor sp. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) is described mozercon brevipes Berlese, 1902, by monotypy. and illustrated in this paper. Diagnosis — The concept of Myrmozercon used here is based on that of Shaw and Seeman (2009) MATERIALS AND METHODS and Joharchi and Moradi (2013). Mite specimens were extracted from soil samples Myrmozercon iranicus Babaeian and Nemati n.sp. collected from the nest of an unidentified species of the genus Messor using Berlese-Tullgren funnels. Specimens examined — Holotype and two Specimens collected were then cleared in Nesbitt’s paratype females, Iran, Yazd, Taft, 31°45’N 54°14’E, solution and mounted in Hoyer’s medium. Mea- 25 Nov. 2013, O. Joharchi coll., in nest of Messor sp.. surements are presented in micrometers (µm) as: Paratypes, two females, Shahrekord County, Dotu minimum-maximum or in a single value. Dorsal region, 30 June 2010, E. Babaeian coll., in nest of shield length and width were taken from anterior to Messor sp.. posterior margins along the midline, and at broad- Diagnosis — Melittiphinae laelapid mites. Dor- est level, respectively. Length of the epigynal shield sal shield broad, not covering dorsal idiosoma, with was measured along the midline from the posterior 39 pairs of relatively long and barbed setae (exclud- margin of the sternal shield to the posterior margin ing short and smooth setae z1): j1-j6, J1-J5, z1-z6, Z1- of epigynal shield, and the width at widest point. Z5, s1-s6, S1-S5, Zx2-Zx3, r2-r5. Two unpaired setae Length and width of the sternal shield were mea- Jx present between J2-J4; epigynal shield posteriorly sured along the midline from its anterior to poste- tapered. Post-stigmatal section of the peritrematal rior margins and at the level of setae st2, respec- shield very elongate and extending well posterior tively. Length of the anal shield was measured to coxa IV to level of long metapodal shield. along the midline from its anterior to posterior mar- gin including the cribrum (which is often folded un- Legs — Genu I and tibia I has three ventral se- der), and the width at the widest points. Length tae, femur IV and genu IV with six and nine setae, of legs was taken from the base of the coxa to the respectively. apex of tarsus, excluding the pretarsus. The sec- Description — Female (4 specimens). (Figures 1 ond segment of the chelicera was measured from and 2) the base to the apex of the fixed digit. The length of Dorsal idiosoma (Figure 1A) — Dorsal shield 464 the movable cheliceral digit was taken from the base – 482 long, 258 – 278 wide at level of r3, with reticu- to its apex. Setae were measured from the bases of late pattern on the whole surface except median re- their insertions to their tips. Idiosomal setal nota- gion, rounded posteriorly and does not completely tion follows that of Lindquist and Evans (1965), the cover idiosoma, with complement of 39 pairs of leg chaetotaxy that of Evans (1963a) and the palp setae and two unpaired setae. Podonotal area of chaetotaxy that of Evans (1963b). Idiosomal no- shield with 22 pairs (j1-j6, z1-z6, s1-s6, r2-r5) and tation for glands and lyrifissures follows Johnston opisthonotal area with 17 pairs ( J1-J5, Z1-Z5, S1- and Moraza (1991). S5, Zx2, Zx3), and two unpaired postero-median The holotype and two paratype specimens are setae (Jx) between setae J2-J4; all setae (except z1) preserved as permanent slides and deposited in the slightly thickened, distinctly barbed in apical third, Jalal Afshar Zoological Museum, College of Agri- and usually long enough to pass the base of the se- culture, University of Tehran, Iran (JAZM) and one tae next behind, seta z1 10 – 12 shortest and smooth. paratype specimen in the Acarological Collection, Length of setae: j1 30 – 32, s1, j2 22 – 25, j3, s2 35 – Acarological Society of Iran, Faculty of Agriculture, 37, z2, s3, r2 40 – 42, j4, z3, r3, s4, S1 47 – 50, z4, r4, r5, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran. S2, J5 52 – 54, j5, z6, s5, s6 58 – 60, J1, J2, Z4, Z5, S3, 222 Acarologia 54(2): 221–228 (2014) FIGURE 1: Myrmozercon iranicus Babaeian and Nemati n. sp., female: A – Dorsal idiosoma; B – Ventral idiosoma; C – Gnathosoma; D – Epistome; E – Palp, right side (trochanter, femur and genu); F – Palp-tarsal apotele; G – Chelicera. 223 Babaeian E. et al. FIGURE 2: Myrmozercon iranicus Babaeian and Nemati n. sp., female: A – Leg I, right side; B – Leg II, left side; C – Leg III, right side; D – Leg IV, right side; E – Coxa and trochanter IV, right side. Scale bare= 100 µm 224 Acarologia 54(2): 221–228 (2014) S4, S5 62 – 64, J3, J4, Z1, Z2, Zx2, Zx3 65 – 67.