Typhlodromus (Typhlodromus) ballotae Tixier, Kretier & Allam, new species

Typhlodromus (Typhlodromus) ballotae Tixier, Kretier & Allam, new species

Specimens examined: Holotype: Colof Guerbouss on Ballota acetabula (Lamiaceae) on May, 16 2003. Eleven paratype females from the same plant species and same location and one paratype female collected at Gorges of Zegzel on the same date on Ballota sp. (Lamiaceae). Deposited in the Montpellier SupAgro—INRA Acarology collection. Two paratype females in the University of Meknes.

Description of the adult female (n = 14) (Figs 22–26)

Diagnosis. Dorsal shield lightly reticulated with three pairs of solenostomes (gd2, gd6, gd9). Dorsal setae long and smooth. Peritreme relatively short reaching level between setae z2 and z3. Ventri-anal shield usually quadrate but variable in shape with four pairs of pre-anal setae and no pre-anal pores. In some specimens, the ventri-anal shield is truncated on one side and only bears three setae. Chelicerae with two teeth on fixed digit and no teeth on movable digit. Calyx of spermatheca pocular with the atrium well differentiated and neck cervix and atrium. Genu II with eight setae. Leg IV with a macroseta on basitarsus.

Dorsum (Fig. 22) . Dorsal shield 326 (300–335) long and 148 (140–160) wide, basally reticulated, with three solenostomes (gd2, gd6, gd9), four pairs of poroids, 17 pairs of dorsal setae and two pairs of sub-lateral setae: j1 21 (20–23), j3 39 (33–43), j4 24 (23–25), j5 25 (23–28), j6 27 (23–30), J2 35 (30–38), J5 7 (5–8), z2 23 (28–25), z3 40 (38–45), z4 41 (38–45), z5 26 (25–30), Z4 46 (43–50), Z5 64 (60–73), s4 50 (43–58), s6 52 (50–55), S2 51 (48–55), S4 49 (48–53), r3 41 (38–45), R1 38 (35–43). All setae smooth. Peritreme extending between z2 and z3 (Fig. 22).

Venter (Fig. 23) . All shields lightly reticulated. Sternal shield with two pairs of setae and two pairs of lyrifissures; two pairs of sternal setae and lyrifissures on small metasternal plates; posterior margin ill-defined. Distances between ST1 – ST3 60 (58–63), ST2 – ST2 58 (55–63), ST5–ST5 60 (58–65). Sternal setae long. Two pairs of metapodal plates 22 (25–28) long, 3 (3–4) wide for the largest and 14 (13–15) long, 1 wide for the smallest.

Ventri-anal shield with four pairs of pre-anal setae, JV1, JV2, JV3 and ZV2, and no pre-anal pores. In some specimens, the ventri-anal shield is truncated on one side and only three setae are inserted on it (Fig. 26). Membrane surrounding ventri-anal shield with four pairs of setae ZV1, ZV3, JV4 and JV5, and six pairs of round to oblong poroids; ventri-anal shield 108 (110–113) long, 87 (70–95) wide at anterior corners, and 76 (73–88) wide at level of anus. JV5 52 (48–58) long.

Legs. Legs IV with a macroseta on the basitarsus, ST IV 39 (35–40). Chaetotactic formula of genu II: eight setae, 2 2/1, 2/0 1; genu III: seven setae, 1 2/1, 2/0 1. Length of leg I: 319 (308–325), II: 240 (235–240), III: 238, IV: 335 (325–338).

Chelicera (Fig. 24) . Fixed digit 25 long with two teeth; and movable digit 28 long with no teeth. Pilus dentilis slightly visible.

Spermatheca (Fig. 25) . Spermatheca pocular (Denmark et al., 1999), with a cervix elongate 17 (15–18) long and 6 (5–8) wide, with an atrium well differentiated and a neck between the basis of the cervix and the atrium.

Etymology. The name ballotae refers to the host plant on which the new species was found.

Remarks. This species is similar to T. (T.) pyri and T. (T.) tubifer in bearing three solenostomes on the dorsal shield, no pores on the ventri-anal shield and eight setae on the genu II. However, it differs in several idiosomal seta dimensions and chelicera dentition. Table 4 shows the difference between these two species and T. (T.) ballotae. For many setae (s4, s6, S4), the difference between the new species and the others are much higher than 14 µm, proposed by Tixier (2013) to be the threshold between intra- and inter-specific variations for seta lengths. This upper surface of ventri-anal shield is quite variable in shape and seems to have been cut, deformed in several specimens. Such distortions make the number of setae on the ventri-anal shield variable (three or four). Such intraspecific variations have been already observed in other species as for instance, Galendromus (Mugidromus) sulamericanus by Demite et al. (2008) and Eharius tuttlei Kolodochka by Kolodochka (1995).