Revision of South African chiggers (Acariformes: Trombiculidae) originated from the collection of R. F. Lawrence, with redescriptions of nine species
Author
Stekolnikov, Alexandr A.
Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Universitetskaya Emb. 1, Saint Petersburg 199034, Russia
text
Zootaxa
2024
2024-08-08
5493
1
1
35
http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5360.3.8
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.5493.1.1
1175-5326
13269183
5F877253-B72C-4401-9933-072A9C93B65B
Schoengastia mabuyana
Lawrence, 1949
(
Figs. 15B
,
16
)
Schoengastia mabuyana
Lawrence, 1949: 423
, fig. 11;
Wharton & Fuller 1952: 88
;
Vercammen-Grandjean 1958b: 658
, pl. 9;
Stekolnikov 2018: 82
.
Schoengastia
(
Schoengastia
)
mabuyana
:
Zumpt 1961: 157
;
Vercammen-Grandjean 1965b: 82
.
FIGURE 15.
Schoengastia gerrhosauri
Lawrence, 1949
, paratype NHM 1957-8-12-36 (
A
),
Schoengastia mabuyana
Lawrence, 1949
, paratype NM 26422 (
B
),
Microtrombicula
(
Microtrombicula
)
zumpti
Vercammen-Grandjean, 1965
, specimen NM 5871/1 (
C
),
Neotrombicula
(
Anamasticula
)
rhodesiana
(
Lawrence, 1949
)
, holotype (
D
). Dorsal aspect of idiosoma (
A, B
), scutum (
C, D
). Scale bars: 50 µm.
Diagnosis.
SIF = ???-?-3-3111.?000; fPp = N/N/NNN; AL> PL >> AM; fD = 2H-9-6-6-4+4; DS = 31; V = 22; NDV = 53; scutum pentagonal, with greatly projected rounded posterior margin; sensillary bases anterior to level of PLs; Ip = 698–729. Standard measurements are in
Table 6
.
Redescription
(
two paratypes
). IDIOSOMA (
Figs. 15B
,
16A–F
). Eyes 2 + 2, in ocular plate; 31 dorsal idiosomal setae, including one pair of humeral setae, moderately barbed, 9 setae in 1
st
posthumeral row (C excluding humeral setae), by 6 setae in next two rows (D and E), four setae in 4
th
row (F) plus 4 caudal setae; 4 sternal setae; 22 ventral setae; NDV = 53.
GNATHOSOMA. Cheliceral blade with tricuspid cap and row of four dorsal teeth; palpal claw with three prongs; setae on palpal femur, genu, and tibia nude; other structures visible indistinctly.
SCUTUM (
Figs. 15B
,
16F
). Pentagonal, moderately covered with small puncta, anterior and lateral scutal margins almost straight, posterior margin greatly projected, rounded; AM slightly posterior to level of ALs; sensillary (trichobothrial) bases anterior to level of PLs (PSB – P-PL = 3–9); AM and PLs uniform with dorsal idiosomal setae, ALs covered with much longer thin barbs; AL> PL >> AM; sensilla (trichobothria) globose, covered with wide scalelike setules.
LEGS (
Fig. 16G–I
).All 7-segmented, with 1 pair of claws and claw-like empodium. Leg I: coxa with 1 branched seta (1B); trochanter 1B; basifemur 1B; telofemur 5B; genu 4B, 3 genualae (
σ
), microgenuala (
κ
) not observed; tibia 8B, 2 tibialae (
φ
), microtibiala (
κ
) not observed; tarsus 21B, tarsala (
ω
), microtarsala (
ε
) far distal to tarsala, subterminala (
ζ
), parasubterminala (
z
), pretarsala (
ζ
). Leg II: coxa 1B; trochanter 1B; basifemur 2B; telofemur 4B; genu 3B, genuala (
σ
); tibia 6B, 2 tibialae (
φ
); tarsus 16B, tarsala (
ω
), microtarsala (
ε
) behind tarsala, pretarsala (
ζ
). Leg III: coxa 1B; trochanter 1B; basifemur 2B; telofemur 3B; genu 3B, genuala (
σ
); tibia 6B, tibiala (
φ
); tarsus with only 11 setae visible.
Distribution and hosts.
This species was described from (1) Chishawasha,
Southern Rhodesia
(currently
Zimbabwe
), ex
Trachylepis striata
(syn.
Mabuya striata
); (2)
Bulawayo
,
Southern Rhodesia
(currently
Zimbabwe
), ex
Trachylepis margaritifera
(Peters)
(syn.
Mabuya quinquetaeniata margaritifer
); (3) Ubombo, Zululand (currently
KwaZulu-Natal Prov.
,
South Africa
), ex
T. striata
; (4) Zululand (locality unknown), ex
T. varia
(syn.
Mabuya varia
).
Material examined.
Two paratypes
, larvae,
SAM 8713
(slides 2 and 3; NM 26422 and 26423), ex
M. striata
, Chishawasha, S.
Rhodesia
, collector and date unknown (
Fig. 1
,
25–26
)
.
Remarks.
Schoengastia mabuyana
differs from
S. monticola
and
S. scincicola
in a narrower scutum (AW 50 vs. 53–61 and PW 66–68 vs. 77–94), shorter legs (Ip 698–729 vs. 823–895 and TaIIIL 74 vs. 79–83), and wider setules of sensilla. Examination of new materials would add more diagnostic characters.