Bulbolaelaps neomidae Mašán 2025, sp. nov.

Bulbolaelaps neomidae sp. nov. (Figs 2–13) Diagnosis Idiosoma suboval to broadly oval, soft integument clearly striated. Dorsal setae mostly long, rod-shaped, sparsely barbed, apically claviform and relatively long; setae s1, r2 (in females) and j1 and r3 (in deutonymphs) outside podonotal shield, on soft integument. Ventral setae mostly smooth and needle-like; Jv5, Zv3 and pa similar to setae on dorsal surface. Shield surface mostly with reticulate to reticulate-punctate pattern in adults or strong punctation (dorsal shields) or specific longitudinal rugosity (sternal shield) in deutonymphs, genital shield smooth. Sternal shield of female subrectangular, without endopodal lateral parts; sternal setae st1–st4 thin and distally attenuated, st3 with adjacent bases and st4 on soft integument. Ventrianal shield with four pairs of opisthogastric setae (Jv1–Jv3, Zv2), relatively narrow and slightly progressively narrowed posteriorly. Peritremes of adults short, reaching level between setae r2 and r3. Deutosternum with five rows of denticles, of which four anterior rows unidentate; distal margin of subtriangular epistome densely fimbriated. Movable cheliceral digit with strong terminal hook and three teeth in females and deutonymphs; fixed digit shortened, shorter than movable digit; male spermatodactyl robust, horn-like, moderately curved and shorter than movable digit. Genu IV and tibia IV without elongate dorsal setae. Male legs II spurred, as in Fig. 10D. Description Female (Figs 2A, 3–6, 7B–D, 8A, 8C, 9A, 9B, 10C, 13B). Dorsal idiosoma (Figs 2A, 3). Idiosoma weakly sclerotized, 725–980 μm long, 500–675 μm wide (n = 10), dorso-ventrally flattened, elongate, suboval, covered by two dorsal shields except for the narrow lateral and posterior parts. Podonotal shield (Figs 4A, 4C) 330–390 μm long, 400–500 μm wide, subpentagonal, not capturing insertions of all podonotal setae, with four medial scleronodules at level of s5; anterolateral margins free of anterior parts of peritrematal shields, with anterior margin usually straight between setae z1 and short lateral notches between z1 and j2; lateral margins convex and posterior margin straight or very slightly convex; faintly indicated reticulation on surface near margins and very fine punctation and rugosity on medial and posteromedial surfaces. Arrangement of 22 pairs of anterodorsal setae as follows: j1–j6, z1–z6, s2–s6, r4 and r5 on podonotal shield (of which j1, z1, s2, s3, s6, r4 and r5 on or near lateral margins of shield); r3 on extreme margins of peritrematal shields; s1 and r2 on soft integument; all these setae rod-shaped, sparsely barbed, apically claviform and relatively long (Fig. 4D); setae with medial placement shorter than those on lateral margins of the podonotal shield. Opisthonotal shield 390–450 μm long, 430–520 μm wide, bowl-shaped, widest at the level between R1 and R2, with straight anterior and convex lateral margins and well-rounded posterior margin, sometimes slightly concave between setae Z5; the shield with faint reticulate and punctate pattern in anterior and medial parts, fine rugosity approximately between setae J1–J4 and J1‘–J4‘, and smooth in its posteriormost part; J5 and Z4 are distinctly shorter and S5 distinctly longer than the other setae on the opisthonotum; 20 pairs of opisthonotal setae similar to those on podonotum (except for smooth, whip-like and pointed S5), of which only R1 is located on the soft integument outside shield. Lengths of selected dorsal setae as follows: j1 33–44 μm, j2 60–68 μm, j3 65–82 μm, j4 and j5 50–63 μm, j6 60–72 μm, z1 44–55 μm, z2 85–98 μm, z5 54–66 μm, s3, r4 and r5 85–110 μm, s6 110–137 μm, r3 106–125 μm, J1 62–93 μm, J2–J4 72–100 μm, J5 37–54 μm, Z1 and Z2 84–105 μm, Z4 38–58 μm, Z5 90–135 μm, S2 and S3 92–110 μm, S4 72–85 μm, S5 295–353 μm, R1–R5 86–115 μm. Ventral idiosoma (Figs 5, 6A, 6B). Tritosternum with narrow base and two barbed laciniae. Presternal plates transversely striate and separately connected to anterolateral margins of sternal shield. Sternal shield subrectangular, 142–166 μm long, 108–129 μm wide, widest at level of iv2, with more indicated fine reticulation on medial surface than in its posterior part; lateral margins straight and without endopodal components between coxae II and III, posterior margin straight to slightly convex; surface with three pairs of setae (st1–st3) and three pairs of slit-like lyrifissures (iv1–iv3), of which two posterior pairs usually located on outer or inner margin of shield; setae st4 inserted in soft integument near posterolateral corners of shield, similar in length and thickness to those on sternal shield. Poststernal area usually with two crescent-shaped sclerites. Epigynal shield elongate, 200–240 μm long, narrowest in anterior part at level of well-developed medial constriction between coxae IV (89–113 μm), widest in posterior part at level of posterolateral corners (163–206 μm), with smooth surface and a pair of setae on posterolateral margins; anterior hyaline part short, not reaching sternal shield, with slightly convex margin (Fig. 7C); posterior margin usually slightly concave; genital lyrifissures (iv5) located on soft integument near posterolateral corners of shield. Postgenital area with four very narrow and transverse sclerites. Ventrianal shield elongate, 255– 325 μm long, 150–190 μm at the widest anterior part, becoming slightly narrower towards posterior margin, slightly concave anteriorly and well rounded posteriorly, with four pairs of opisthogastric setae (Jv1–Jv3, Zv2) in addition to three circumanal setae; circumanal area with weakly indicated reticulation, other parts mostly smooth or with fine transverse lines; adanal setae about 1.5 as long as somewhat thickened postanal seta (ad 69–82 μm, pa 44–58 μm); cribrum well developed, usually with four rows of denticles. Peritrematal shields narrow and reticulate; anterior ends not fused with podonotal shield, free or connected by weakly sclerotized and reticulate scutal element in region of idiosomal apex (Figs 4A, 4C); poststigmatic parts tapered posteriorly and fused with parapodal platelets posterior to coxae IV; peritremes thin, shortened, with anterior tips between setae r2 and r3 (Fig. 4C). Endopodal platelets II–III and III–IV absent or rudimentary. Exopodal platelets between legs I–IV fused into a narrow strips, each of them free from peritrematal shield. A pair of long and narrow metapodal plates present, 75–98 μm long, as in Figs 5 and 6C–E. Soft integument conspicuously and densely striate, with three pairs of setae (Jv5, Zv1, Zv3) in opisthogastric region. Most ventrally located setae needle-like, thin and usually with well-attenuated apical part; Jv5 rod-like, barbed and with well-developed claviform tip, Zv3 and barbed postanal seta needle-like, both with small claviform tip. Lengths of sternal and opisthogastric setae as follows: st1 35–46 μm, st2 and st3 42–53 μm, st4 47–59 μm, st5 39–49 μm, Jv1–Jv3, Zv1 and Zv2 36–53 μm, Zv3 90–105 μm, Jv5 110–135 μm. Sperm induction structures (Fig. 7D). Insufficiently sclerotized to be satisfactorily identified and observed in all specimens. This system probably relates to the spherical structures on the inner margins of coxae IV, as suspected in members of the related genus Insectolaelaps (Figs 21C, 31C). Gnathosoma (Figs 8A, 8C, 9A, 9B, 13B). Gnathosoma relatively small compared to size of idiosoma. Corniculi weakly sclerotized, relatively small, apically forked, convergent to each other and enclosed in hyaline membranous sheath, as in male in Fig. 4B. Deutosternal furrow conspicuously narrowed over entire length, with four rows, each bearing only one denticle; fifth row distinctly widened beyond lateral margins of deutosternal furrow, almost semicircular, multidenticulate and interrupted medially by furrow; subcapitulum with three pairs of short transverse lines between rostral setae h3 and pc (Figs 8A, 8C); internal malae apically pointed, with fimbriated outer margins and protruding far beyond corniculi. Rostral setae smooth, thin and needle-like, h1 and h2 shorter than h3 and pc (h1 24–33 μm, h2 18–23 μm, h3 49–58 μm, pc 41–50 μm), distances between bases of h1–h3 approximately equal. Epistome subtriangular, apically narrowed and pointed, with a cluster of lance-like processes in lateral and ventral subapical parts (Fig. 13B). Middle article of chelicerae 110–118 μm long, with relatively short digits; movable digit 25–35 μm long, distinctly longer than fixed digit, with long, sharp and strongly curved terminal hook and three recurved teeth; fixed digit slightly shortened, 18–22 μm long, with indistinct terminal hook, very small subterminal tooth and columnar base bearing minute pilus dentilis at apex (Figs 9A, 9B); dorsal seta short, barely observable. Palpus with the following setation: trochanter, femur, tibia and tarsus with 2, 5, 6, 7 and 14 setae, respectively; ventral palptrochanter with cushion-shaped (or petal-like) swollen membranous projection (sometimes preventing some hypostomal structures from being recognized and observed), 45–55 μm long and 25–40 μm wide (Fig. 8A); palptarsus with two-tined apotele. Legs (Figs 2A, 10C). All legs shorter than idiosoma, with well-developed praetarsus and ambulacral apparatus including pulvillus and two claws; legs I with pulvillus and claws slightly smaller than on other legs, longer or similar in length to legs IV; anterior margin of coxae II with sharp spine; legs I 515–575 μm, legs II 420–470 μm, legs III 390–440 μm, legs IV 515–570 μm long. Chaetotaxy of the legs: leg I—coxa (2), trochanter 1-1/3-1 (6), femur 2-3/1, 2/3-2 (13), genu 2-3/2, 2/1-2 (12), tibia 2-3/2, 2/1-2 (12); leg II—coxa (2), trochanter 1-0/3-1 (5), femur 2-3/1, 2/2-1 (11), genu 2-3/1, 2/1-2 (11), tibia 2-2/1, 2/1-2 (10); leg III—coxa (2), trochanter 1-1/3-0 (5), femur 1-2/1, 1/0-1 (6), genu 2-2/1, 2/1-1 (9), tibia 2-1/1, 2/1-1 (8); leg IV—coxa (1), trochanter 1-1/3-0 (5), femur 1-2/1, 1/0-1 (6), genu 1-2