A new species of Paragigagnathus Amitai and Grinberg (Mesostigmata: Phytoseiidae) from Iran

Alireza Arjmandi-Nezhad,Sultan Ravan,Alireza Saboori,Serge Kreiter

doi:10.24349/8dra-mc90

Abstract

Paragigagnathus sistaniensis Kreiter, Arjmandi-Nezhad and Saboori n. sp. belongs to the tribe Neoseiulini, subfamily Amblyseiinae, is described and illustrated, based on females and males. The new species was collected from foliage of tamarisk trees in Sistan region, Sistan and Baluchestan province, southeastern Iran.

Highlights

The family Phytoseiidae is widespread, present on all continents except Antarctica, and it consists of about 2,500 valid species in 94 genera and three subfamilies (Demite et al 2021)
This study aims to describe a new species, Paragigagnathus sistaniensis Kreiter, ArjmandiNezhad and Saboori n. sp. based on the material collected from Tamarix sp. (Tamaricaceae) and Haloxylon sp. (Amaranthaceae) in southeastern Iran
All of dorsal setae set on prominent tubercles, except j1; dorsal setae short, setiform and subequal in length, J5 and Z5 serrate; setae ST3 and ST4 set on soft cuticle; movable digit of chelicera with one tooth, fixed digit of chelicera with two teeth; macroseta present on leg IV; anterior margin of ventrianal shield straight, with three pairs of preanal setae and preanal pores

Summary

Introduction

The family Phytoseiidae is widespread, present on all continents except Antarctica, and it consists of about 2,500 valid species in 94 genera and three subfamilies (Demite et al 2021) They are active predators on phytophagous mites and small insects, like thrips and whiteflies, on cultivated plants and plants of the natural vegetation. The province of Sistan and Baluchestan (25°03′–31°27′ N, 58°50′–63°21′ E) is the second largest province in Iran with an area of 187, 502 km. The province of Sistan and Baluchestan (25°03′–31°27′ N, 58°50′–63°21′ E) is the second largest province in Iran with an area of 187, 502 km2 It is in the southeast of the country, bordering South Khorasan province in the north, Kerman province and Hormozgan province in the west, the Gulf of Oman in the south, and Afghanistan and Pakistan in the east. The province of Sistan and Baluchestan is one of uninvestigated provinces of Iran with regard to phytoseiid mite fauna. Iran is part of the Irano-Anatolian hotspot of biodiversity with great floristic and faunistic diversities (Esmaeili et al 2017)

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