Neoseiulus magnanalis Thor

Neoseiulus magnanalis (Thor)

(Figs 1–14)

Lasioseius (Lasioseius) magnanalis Thor, 1930: 109.

Typhlodromus (Amblyseius) magnanalis. — Chant, 1959: 105.

Type material. Neotype. Female. Spitsbergen, Billefjord, Petuniabukta (N 78º 42´, E16º 40´), sample SPIT –42, excrement of Rangifer tarandus (Linnaeus), 20 July 2007, coll. D.J. Gwiazdowicz. Deposited at the Institute of Zoology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (IZNASU), Kiev.

Other material examined. 1 female, Spitsbergen, Billefjord, Petuniabukta (N 78º 42´, E16º 40´), sample SPIT –21, plant communities with polar willow Salix polaris Wahlenb., 10 July 2007, coll. D.J. Gwiazdowicz; 2 females, Spitsbergen, Billefjord, Petuniabukta (N 78º 42´, E16º 40´), sample SPIT –41, excrement of goose, 20 July 2007, coll. D.J. Gwiazdowicz.

Description. Female. Dorsal shield (Fig. 1) well sclerotised, slightly striated, with seven pairs of solenostomes (it, iv, id, isc, il, is, ic) and 17 pairs of short, smooth, and pointed setae. Setae AL4, PM2, PM3 somewhat longer than others. Sternal shield with two pairs of solenostomes and three pairs of setae (St1–St3); MSt located on separate metasternal platelets. Ventrianal shield scutiform with three pairs of pre-anal setae PrA1–PrA3 (Fig. 3). Anal pores small, distinct, pointed, the distance between them shorter than the distance between bases of PrA2.

Setae V1, MV1, MV2 and PV on the integument surrounding the ventrianal shield. All ventral setae smooth, sharp, and fine. Peritremes short, extending only beyond base of seta AM1 (Fig. 2). Chelicerae (Figs 5–6) normal in relation to body size. Fixed digit with five teeth, movable digit without teeth. Large metapodal plate drop-shaped and caudally narrowed, smaller metapodal plate curved (Figs 7–9). Spermatheca with bell-shaped, narrow funnel, and with c-shaped atrium located on visible small cervix (Figs 10–11). Posterior part of peritremal shield slightly curved and with beak-shaped tip (Fig. 4). Basitarsus IV with elongate, sharp, and smooth macroseta (Fig. 12), other leg segments without macrosetae. Genu II with eight short setae (Fig. 14). Measurements are given in Table 1.

The male of this species was absent from the studied material.

Notes. Neoseiulus magnanalis is similar to N. apkutik, but differs by having shorter peritremes, the distance between anal pores shorter than distance between PrA2, fewer teeth on the fixed digit of the chelicera and no teeth on the movable digit; having only one macroseta on leg IV, and the form of metapodal platelets. In N. apkutik the peritremes reach the bases of setae D1; the anal pores are placed wider than distance between bases of PrA2; there are seven teeth on the fixed digit of the chelicera and two on the movable finger; and three macrosetae on leg IV.

The short peritremes in Thor’s (1930) drawing (Fig. 74) indicate that the specimens examined here belong to N. magnanalis. Among phytoseiid mites found in Svalbard only N. magnanalis has short peritremes which not reach the level of setae D1. Two other species have longer peritremes that reach setae D1. The description and illustrations presented here are based on the neotype specimen. Type material is deposited at the Institute of Zoology NAS of Ukraine, Kiev. Nothing is known about the biology or food habits of Neoseiulus magnanalis.

Neoseiulus grumantensis sp. nov . (Figs 15–30)

Material examined. Holotype. Female. Spitsbergen, Billefjord, Petuniabukta, (N 78º 42´, E 16º 40´), microslide no. 5 of sample SPIT –56, plant communities with polar willow Salix polaris Wahlenb., 28 July 2007, coll. D.J. Gwiazdowicz. Paratypes: Same location and date as holotype, 9 females, microslides no 1–4, 7–11 of sample SPIT –56 and 2 males, slides no. 6, 12); 1 female, Longyearbyen, (N 78º 13´, E 15º 33´), sample SPIT –1, plant communities with Cassiope tetragona (Linnaeus) D. Don., 27 August 2007, coll. D.J. Gwiazdowicz.

Description. Female (holotype). Dorsal shield (Fig. 15) well sclerotised and smooth, lightly striated in some parts, more strongly in the caudal part, with seven pairs of solenostomes (it, iv, id, isc, il, is, ic) and 17 pairs of setae. All setae smooth and short except AL4, PM2, PM3 which are some what elongated. Sternal shield with two pairs of solenostomes and three pairs of setae (St1-St3); MSt placed on metasternal platelets. Ventrianal shield scutiform with three pairs of pre-anal setae (Fig. 17). Anal pores small, distinct, rounded, the distance between them longer than the distance between bases of PrA2. All ventral setae smooth, fine, pointed. Setae V1, MV1, MV2 and PV on the integument surrounding the ventrianal shield. Peritremes long, reaching anterior to the bases of D1 (Fig. 16). Chelicerae normal in relation to body size. Fixed digit with 8–9 denticules, movable digit with two small teeth (Figs 19, 20). Spermatheca bell-shaped with thin-walled funnel, atrium c-shaped and small, cervix absent (Figs 21, 22). Large metapodal plate asymmetrical in form, sharply narrowed posteriorly; smaller platelet slightly curved (Figs 23, 24). Posterior part of peritrematal shield curved, broadened towards beak-shaped tip (Fig. 18). Leg IV with three smooth pointed macrosetae. Macroseta on basitarsus IV longer than macrosetae on genu and tibia (Fig. 25). No macrosetae on other legs, except femur IV with elongate seta (Fig. 26). Genu II with eight short setae, no macroseta (Fig. 27). Measurements given in Table 1.

Male. Dorsal shield oval (Fig. 28) with seven pairs of solenostomes (it, iv, id, isc, il, is, ic) and 17 pairs of smooth, pointed setae. Dorsal setal pattern similar to female. Setae AS and PS off dorsal shield. Ventrianal shield with six pairs of pre-anal setae and one pair of rounded anal pores, with weak transverse striations in its anterior part (Fig. 29). Spermatodactyl as in Fig. 30. Leg IV with three macrosetae, the longer on basitarsus. Other legs without macrosetae. Measurements: dorsal shield length 370, width 270; ventrianal shield length 153, width 200; tarsus IV length 138.

Etymology. Neoseiulus grumantensis, sp. nov. is named after the old Russian name for Spitsbergen (Grumant).

Notes. Neoseiulus grumantensis is similar to N. magnanalis but differs by having longer peritremes, widely placed anal pores; greater number of teeth (8–9) on the fixed digit of the chelicera and two teeth on the movable digit; three macrosetae on leg IV, and metapodal plates asymmetrical and sharply narrowed posteriorly. In N. magnanalis the peritremes extend only to the bases of seta AM1; the distance between the anal pores is shorter than the distance between the bases of PrA2; there are five teeth on the fixed digit of the chelicera and no teeth on the movable digit; and only one macroseta on leg IV).

The new species differs from another closely related species, N. apkutik, by having following features: dorsal setae ML, PL1–PL3 longer; dorsal shield thin, sparsely reticulated (entire dorsal shield in N. apkutik distinctly reticulated); smaller anal pores, other form of metapodal plates; thin-wall funnel of spermatheca, and some small characters. The description and illustrations are based on the holotype and paratype specimens. Type material is deposited at the Institute of Zoology NAS of Ukraine, Kiev. No information is available about the biology or food habits of N. grumantensis.