Systematic revision of the genera Geckobiella Hirst, 1917 and Hirstiella Berlese, 1920 (Acari: Prostigmata: Pterygosomatidae) with description of a new genus for American species parasites on geckos formerly placed in Hirstiella
Author
Paredes-León, Ricardo
Author
Klompen, Hans
Author
Pérez, Tila M.
text
Zootaxa
2012
3510
1
40
journal article
10.5281/zenodo.282509
fa676e46-f615-4a54-91bf-d097ea18f64c
1175-5326
282509
Geckobiella pyriformis
(Newell and Ryckman)
new combination
Hirstiella pyriformis
Newell and Ryckman, 1964
: 164
.
Diagnosis. Female.
Prodorsal shield pyriform (anterior margin not sharply defined) with 1 pair of setae (
sci
) (
Fig. 2
E). Tarsus III with residual alveolus or minute pore.
Male.
Well-defined prodorsal shield absent. Trochanter IV without setae (1 seta present in female); genua IV with a large, hollow ensiform seta (
v’
) and tibia with 1 solid spine-like seta (
v”
), both covered with short, spinose ornamentation (
Newell & Ryckman 1964
).
Type
.
HOLOTYPE
depositary unknown; female, male and deutonymphal
PARATYPES
(
USNMC
and
AMNH
).
Type
locality.
San Esteban Island, Gulf of California, Baja California,
Mexico
.
Type
host.
Sauromalus varius
Dickerson.
Material examined.
15 female
,
4 male
, 1 deutonymphal
PARATYPES
ex
Sauromalus varius
,
MEXICO
, Baja California, San Esteban Island,
28° 20’ N
, -
112° 37’ W
,
23 May 1963
, coll. R. E. Ryckman, A. E. Ryckman and C. P. Christianson (
USNMC
).
5 females
,
5 males
ex
Ctenosaura hemilopha
,
MEXICO
, Sonora, Hermosillo, Centro Ecológico de Sonora,
11 March 1986
, coll. G. Lara (
CNAC
007033–42).
Remarks.
This species appears to be a specific ectoparasite of
Iguanidae
lizards (see
Table 2
).
Baker
(1998)
reports this species from
USA
based on
paratypes
deposited at the Natural History Museum, London, but in the original description
Newell and Ryckman (1964)
mentioned this species only from Baja California,
México
. This confusion must be due to the fact that the microscope slides are labeled as Loma Linda, California,
USA
. However,
Newell and Ryckman (1964)
mentioned that the description was based from mites collected in a laboratory colony of
Sauromalus varius
at Loma Linda University, but that the lizards originated from San Esteban Island.