Zerconopsis michaeli Evans & Hyatt, 1960

Makarova, O. L., Marchenko, I. I. & Lindquist, E. E., 2024, Siberian mites of the genus Zerconopsis Hull, 1918 (Mesostigmata, Ascidae): description of a new species, re-description of Z. michaeli Evans & Hyatt, 1960, and key for species identification, Zootaxa 5496 (1), pp. 1-34 : 16

Zerconopsis michaeli Evans & Hyatt, 1960

Zerconopsis sinuata Ishikawa, 1979 sensu Marchenko, 2002: 38.

( Figs 31–75 )

Material examined— 315 females, 59 males, 6 deutonymphs, 2 protonymph, one larva

Diagnosis. Adult female: dorsal shield strongly sclerotised, without lateral incisions between setae s 6 and S 1, with characteristic ornamentation combining the anterolateral honeycomb-like pitted areas, longitudinal row of angular tubercles in central podonotal region, roundish contours composed from small pits in opisthonotal region, and sigillar bulge between setae J 3; anterior shield margin turned down ventrally; posterior shield margin coarsely crenate; shield bearing four pairs of smooth paddle-shaped setae ( s 4, s 5, Z 3, Z 5); paravertical setae z 1 tiny; caudal J 5 of middle size, ciliated basally; most other setae smooth, with attenuated tip and often with narrow lateral membrane, inserted on tubercles; marginal setae r 2, r 5, R 1–4 inserted on lateral soft cuticle, r 3 on shield margin closely below s4; sternal shield almost smooth; epigynal shield reticulated and punctate posteriorly, leaving setae st 5 and paragenital poroids on soft cuticle; ventrianal shield transversely oval, with semicircular sclerotic ridge posteriad anal opening and clear reticulation in anterior part formed by small pits, bearing four pairs of opisthogastric setae ( JV 2– JV 5) in addition to small needle-like para-anal setae and large paddle-shaped post-anal seta; gnathotectum with three projections, lateral tines attenuate and dentate laterally, longer middle projection apically dilated and deeply divided into 5–7 branches; cheliceral shaft two-segmented, fixed digit with large medial tooth, dentate posteriorly and numerous tiny denticles frame ventral groove of digit anteriorly; tarsus I without apical pedicel, tibia and genu I each with 11 setae, av -2 absent in both segments; leg III genu with eight setae, pv -1 present. Adult male: all dorsal marginal setae ( r 2, r 3, r 5, R 1– R 4) inserted on shield margin; sigillar bulge located medially between setae J 1 and J 2 (not between J 3 as in female); sternitigenital shield separated from endopodal strips along coxae III–IV; ventrianal shield anterolaterally reticulated by lines and pits, with eight pairs of opisthogastric setae ( JV 1– JV 5, ZV 1– ZV 3); spermatodactyl spoon-like, projecting ahead of movable digit tip by its width; tarsus II without dimorphically modified setae.

Material. USA: 2 females, California, Plumas County, 16 miles (ca 28 km) NW Chester, 7.IX 1994, elev. ca 2000 m, ex. bracket fungi on Abies log, leg. E.E. Lindquist. RUSSIA: KURIL ISLANDS, 2 females, Shikotan Island, 43°53’ N, 146°50’ E, under Alnus sp. , litter, 30.X 1986, leg. S.L. Kalabin; 1 female, Kunashir Island, 43°49’ N, 145°2’ E, mixed forest, litter, 9.VII 1989, leg. I.I. Volonikhina (= Marchenko); SAKHALIN ISLAND, 30 females, 1 male, Krillon Peninsula, environs of Kirillovo village, 46°51’ N, 142°34’ E, mixed forest with Larix sp. , Alnus sp. , Abies sachalinensis , in litter, 15–26. VI 1991, leg. I.I. Volonikhina; 19 females, 8 males, environs of Nevelsk, 46°40’ N, 141°51’ E, broadleaf forest, litter, 31.VII 1991, leg. I.I. Volonikhina; 2 females, 1 male, Susunaisky Ridge, Chekhov Mt., 47°00’ N, 141°51’ E, Betula sp. forest with bamboo Sasa sp. , litter, 9.VIII 1990, leg. I.I. Volonikhina; 4 females, Aniva District, environs of Ogonki village, 46°46’ N, 142°50’ E, forest with Ulm sp., Alnus sp. and bamboo Sasa sp. , litter, 24. VI 1989, leg. I.I. Volonikhina; 107 females, 4 males, environs of Tunaicha Lake, 46°44’ N, 143°07’ E, Abies sachalinensis with Ledum palustre , in moss and litter, 9.VII 1990, leg. I.I. Volonikhina; KHABAROVSK REGION, 23 females, 5 males, Bikin District, environs of Boytsovo, 46°59’ N, 134°52’ E, broadleaf forest, litter, 5.IX 1991, leg. I.I. Volonikhina; 4 females, 1 male, Bolshoi Khekhtsir Ridge, 48°15’ N, 134°51’ E, mixed forest with Pinus koraiensis , litter, 29.VIII 1991, leg. I.I. Volonikhina; 4 females, Nanaisky District, environs of Slavyanka village, 49°27’ N, 136°48’ E, mixed forest with Pinus koraiensis , litter, 25.VIII 1991, leg. I.I. Volonikhina; AMUR REGION, 4 females, Amurskaya Oblast, Zeysky Nature Reserve, Tukuringra ridge, 53°57’ N, 127°22’ E, Betula sp. with Ledum palustre , litter, 15.VII 2012, leg. V. V. Dubatolov; PRIMORSKY KRAI, 2 females, Khasansky District, mixed forest with Pinus koraiensis , litter, 21.VII 1978, leg. V. V. Nikolsky; NORTH OSSETIA, 1 female, 1 male, Tsey Ravine, 42.788990°N, 43.906460°E, 1865 m a.s.l., beech forest, litter, 29.VII 2021, leg. A.B. Babenko, M.D. Antipova; 3 females, 1 male, Alagir city vicinity, Khetaga Wood, 43.061296°N, 44.293855°E, rotten trunk, 06.I 2022, leg. O.L. Makarova; MOSCOW REGION, 1 female, 1 male, 1 protonymph, 1 larva, Moscow city, Pokrovsko-Streshnevo Park, Alnus glutinosa forest, ex Fomitopsis pinicola fruit body, 20.VIII 2020, leg. O.L. Makarova; 4 females, 4 males, 5 deutonymphs, 1 protonymph, Shakhovskoj District, Burtsevo village vicinity, ex Trametes hirsutus on rotten birch, 1.XI 2021, leg. O.L. Makarova; 3 females, 1 male, Istrinskiy District, Novorakovo village environs, mixed forest, ex Fomitopsis pinicola on dead birch, 14.VIII 2018, leg. O.L. Makarova; TVER’ REGION, 1 female, Central Forest State Nature Biosphere Reserve, spruce forest, ex Fomitopsis pinicola fruit body on dead spruce, 16. VI 2020, leg. A.I. Alexandrova; KRASNODAR REGION, 1 male, Sochi City surroundings, Krasnaya Polyana vicinity, 1500 m a.s.l., Abies forest, 43.65931° N, 40.25321° E, ex Fomitopsis pinicola from Abies log, 1.XI 2023, E. and R. Lukashevich; ABKHASIA: 1 female, Saken, 1200 m a.s.l., mixed forest near the lake, litter, June 1985, leg. Z.M. Tarba; 1 female, Pitsunda vicinity, foliage litter near spring bank, 29.VIII 1990, leg. S.A. Bugrov; AZERBAIJAN: Hyrcan State Reserve, 38°38′ N, 48 43′ E, 92 females, 30 males, hill slope, deciduous broad-leaved forest, litter, 5. II 1982, leg. O.L. Makarova; 2 females, Alnus forest, litter, 29.I 1982, leg. O.L. Makarova; TURKEY: 2 females, Samsun Province, cultivated mushrooms in glass-house, June 2017, leg. V. Tekbas; DENMARK, 1 female, 1 deutonymph, Zealand, Tisvildeleje, 56°4′ N, 12°4′ E, deciduous forest, ex Fomitopsis pinicola , 23.X 2005, leg. O.L. Makarova.

Figures

FIGURES 31–34. Zerconopsis michaeli Evans et Hyatt, 1960; micrograph habitus images. 31, 32. female; 33. male; 34. deutonymph. 31, 33, 34. dorsal view; 32. ventral view. Scale 100 μm.

FIGURES 35–41. Zerconopsis michaeli Evans et Hyatt, 1960, female. 35, 37. idiosomal dorsum; 36. variations of dorsal shield seta j1; 38. subcapitulum and proximal palpal segments; 39. palpal femur and genu; 40. gnathotectum; 41. some dorsal shield setae. Scale: 35, 37 50 μm; 36, 39 20 μm; 38, 40, 41 25 μm.

FIGURES 42–51. Zerconopsis michaeli Evans et Hyatt, 1960, female. 42. idiosomal ventrum; 43. dorsal setae z6, Z3 and nearby gland openings; 44. chelicera, antiaxial view; 45. tarsus II; 46. cheliceral digits, antiaxial view; 47. apical sensillum s on tarsus I; 48. tritosternum; 49–51. variation of sternal shield form. Scale: 42 100 μm; 43 20 μm; 44–46, 48 25 μm; 47 10 μm; 49–51 50 μm.

FIGURES 52–62. Zerconopsis michaeli Evans et Hyatt, 1960. 52, 53. female; 54–62. male. 52. leg I (without tarsus); 53. genu and tibia IV; 54. gnathotectum; 55. sternitigenital shield; 56. ventrianal shield; 57. distal part of tarsus IV; 58. some setae of dorsal shield; 59. pharynx with paralabra; 60. tritosternum; 61. chelicera, antiaxial view; 62. cheliceral digits, ventral view. Scale: 52 50 μm; 53, 57, 58, 60 20 μm; 54–56, 59, 61, 62. 25 μm.

FIGURES 63–69. Zerconopsis michaeli Evans et Hyatt, 1960. 63–65. deutonymph; 66–69. protonymph; 63. podonotal region; 64. idiosomal ventrum; 65. gnathotectum; 66. idiosomal dorsum; 67. gnathotectum; 68. anal shield; 69. idiosomal ventrum. Scale: 63, 64, 69 50 μm; 65, 67 10 μm; 66 25 μm; 68 20 μm.

FIGURES 70–73. Zerconopsis michaeli Evans et Hyatt, 1960, larva. 70. idiosomal dorsum; 71. gnathotectum; 72. leg II without tarsus; 73. idiosomal ventrum. Scale: 70 25 μm; 71 10 μm; 72, 73 50 μm.

FIGURE 74. Zerconopsis michaeli Evans et Hyatt, 1960. World distribution records (according to: Evans & Hyatt, 1960; Scarborough, 1968; Karg, 1971; Arutyunyan, 1996; Ma, 2004; Gwiazdowicz, 2007; Kontschán, 2007; Bei et al., 2009; Fenďa & Kalúz, 2009; Plumari, 2009; Kazemi & Rajaer, 2013; Kontschán & Ujvari, 2013; Huhta, 2016; Mohammad-Dustar-Sharaf et al., 2016; Karami et al., 2017; Meehan, 2018; Gdulla et al., 2021a, b; Seniczak et al., 2021; and 23 new original records). Records of Z. michaeli-like mite in Alberta, Canada (Meehan, 2018; as “Zerconopsis sp. 2”) marked by “?” can refer to a new North American species close to Zerconopsis sinuata Ishikawa, 1969 (E.E.L., new data).

FIGURE 75. Slide with holotype of Zerconopsis michaeli Evans et Hyatt, 1960 kept in the A.D. Michael Collection (Natural History Museum, London). Photo by D. Telnov.