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Resurrection of the genus Nonocaligus Habeeb with redefinition of

Nonocaligus and Mullederia Wood (Acari: Stigmaeidae)

Article  in  Systematic and Applied Acarology · October 2016

DOI: 10.11158/saa.21.11.1

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Systematic & Applied Acarology 21(11): 1447–1449 (2016) ISSN 1362-1971 (print)
http://doi.org/10.11158/saa.21.11.1 ISSN 2056-6069 (online)

Correspondence http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:C4E247B0-B017-410F-A1F4-F317E5DE2AE7

Resurrection of the genus Nonocaligus Habeeb with redefinition of

Nonocaligus and Mullederia Wood (Acari: Stigmaeidae)
QING-HAI FAN1 & EDDIE A. UECKERMANN2
1
Plant Health & Environment Laboratory, Ministry for Primary Industries, Auckland, New Zealand. E-mail: qing-
hai.fan@mpi.govt.nz
2
Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, Potchefstroom Campus, North-West University, Private Bag X6001,
Potchefstroom, 2520, South Africa. E-mail: edalbert@lantic.net

Habeeb (1966) proposed a genus, Nonocaligus, with the South African species Ledermuelleria
neomaculata Meyer & Ryke, 1959 as type species which was previously included in Mullederia with
Ledermuelleria lineolata Meyer and Ryke, 1959 and Mullederia arborea Wood, 1964 by Wood
(1964). Habeeb (1966) separated Nonocaligus from Mullederia based on the number of eyes and the
development of pad-like empodium on each tarsus. Meyer (1969) rejected Habeeb's (1966) idea
because she found that L. neomaculata had the same number of eyes and pad-like empodium as in
Mullederia, and synonymized Nonocaligus with Mullederia.
We noticed some more distinguishing features between L. neomaculata and the known species
of Mullederia except another South African species M. centrata (Meyer, 1969; Meyer &
Ueckermann, 1989). After re-examining the type specimens of L. neomaculata and M. centrata we
feel that it is necessary to resurrect the generic status of Nonocaligus with L. neomaculata as its type
and move M. centrata to Nonocaligus.

Redefinition of Nonocaligus Habeeb, 1966

Nonocaligus Habeeb, 1966: 1; type species: Ledermuelleria neomaculata Meyer & Ryke, 1960; Wainstein &
Kuznetsov, 1978: 154.
Mullederia Wood, 1964: 579 (part); type species, Mullederia arborea Wood, 1964: 1; Summers, 1966: 233;
Wood, 1967: 136; Meyer, 1969: 264; Tseng, 1982: 38; Wang, 1986: 187; Ueckermann & Meyer, 1987:
372; Meyer & Ueckermann, 1989: 44; Rimando & Corpuz-Raros, 1996: 143; Matioli et al., 2002: 100;
Fan & Zhang, 2005: 79.

Adult. Idiosoma nearly round in dorsoventral view. Chelicerae separate. Palptibial claw subequal to
palptarsus; accessory claw status unclear (type specimen is not in ideal condition); terminal
eupathidia on palptarsus basally fused and terminally split into 3 small prongs; counts of setae and
solenidia from palptrochanter to palptarsus: 0, 3, 2, 2 + 1 claw + 1 accessory claw(?), 4 + 1ω + 1
subterminal spine-like eupathidium + 3 eupathidia (basally fused). Subcapitulum with 2 pairs of
subcapitular setae, m laterad of pharynx, n posteriorad of m. Prodorsum and dorsal hysterosoma
covered with a single shield, which bears 4 pairs of prodorsal setae (vi, ve, sci and sce), a pair of eyes,
a pair of pob and 7 pairs of hysterosomal setae (c1, c2, d1, d2, e1, e2, and f1); setae d1 very small;
humeral shields fused with dorsal shield. Suranal shield (H) entire and ventral, bearing 2 pairs of
setae (h1 and h2). Ventral opisthosoma with 2 pairs of aggenital setae; genitoanal valves with 3 pairs
of pseudanal setae, genital setae absent. Leg tarsal claws absent, membranous arolium developed;
empodial shafts branching into 2–3 pairs of tenent hairs; counts of setae and solenidia on legs I–IV:

© Systematic & Applied Acarology Society 1447

coxae (excluding 1a, 3a and 4a) 2 + 1 elcI, 1, 2, 1–2; trochanters 1, 1, 1, 0–1; femora 5, 5, 2, 2; genua
1 + 1κ, 0, 0, 0; tibiae 5 + 1φp, 5 + 1φp, 5 + 1φp, 5 + 1φp; tarsi 12 +1ω, 8 + 1ω, 7 + 1ω, 7 (12 +2ω, 8
+ 2ω, 7+ 2ω, 7+ 2ω in male).
Remarks. Nonocaligus is similar to Mullederia Wood, 1964 but it can be readily distinguished
according to the characters in Table 1.

TABLE 1. Characters for distinguishing Nonocaligus from Mullederia.

Nonocaligus Mullederia
Empodial claws absent present
Number of empodial tenent hairs 2–3 pairs 3 pairs

Nonocaligus currently comprises two species, N. neomaculata (Meyer & Ryke, 1960) comb.
nov., from an unidentified shrub in Grabouw, Western Cape Province, South Africa and
Nonocaligus centrata (Meyer, 1969) comb. nov., from Cyathea dregei (as Cyanthea [sic] dregei)
(Cyatheaceae) in Mariepskop, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa.

Key to known species of Nonocaligus

1. Dorsal setae sci and c1 about as long as sce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N. neomaculata (Meyer & Ryke, 1959)
– Setae sci and c1 about half length of sce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N. centrata (Meyer, 1969)

Revised definition of Mullederia Wood

Mullederia Wood, 1964: 579 (part); type species, Mullederia arborea Wood, 1964: 1; Summers, 1966: 233;
Wood, 1967: 136; Meyer, 1969: 264; Tseng, 1982: 38; Wang, 1986: 187; Ueckermann & Meyer, 1987:
372; Meyer & Ueckermann, 1989: 44; Rimando & Corpuz-Raros, 1996: 143; Matioli et al., 2002: 100;
Fan & Zhang, 2005: 79.

Mullederia can be defined as that on page 79 in Fan & Zhang (2005) except the following changes:
hysterosoma with 6 or 7 pairs of setae (setae d1 may be present). Ventral opisthosoma with 1–2 pairs
of aggenital setae. Leg tarsal claws slender, basal 1/2–2/3 enclosed with membranous arolium; each
empodial shaft with 3 pairs of tenant hairs; counts of setae and solenidia on legs I–IV: coxae
(excluding 1a, 3a and 4a) 1–2 + 1 elcI, 0–1, 0–2, 0–2; trochanters 1, 1, 1, 0–1; femora 5–6, 5, 2, 1–
2; genua 1–2 + 1κ, 0–1, 0, 0; tibiae 5 + 1φp, 5 + 1φp, 5 + 1φp, 5 + 0–1φp; tarsi 11–12 + 1ω, 8–9 +
1ω, 7 + 1ω, 7 + 0–1ω (each tarsus with an additional solenidion in male).
Remarks. This genus current comprises 6 species. Ledermuelleria parryorum Gupta, 1991 has
the typical characters of the genus Mullederia as defined above and is moved to Mullederia, renamed
as Mullederia parryorum (Gupta, 1991) by Fan et al. (2016). The species, M. makilingae Rimando
& Corpuz-Raros, 1996, is not included here and moved to the genus Indostigmaeus Gupta & Ghosh,
1980 (Fan et al. 2016).
We re-examined 6 paratype females of M. sichuanensis (Sichuan: Mt. Emei, ex Holboellia sp.,
1979.vi.11, Wang, H.-F.) and found that coxae III and IV each with 2 setae rather than 1; tarsi I–IV
with 12 + 1ω, 9 + 1ω, 7 + 1ω, 7 rather than 12 + 1ω (as 13), 8 + 1ω (as 9), 6, 6; each empodial shaft
with 3 tenent hairs rather than 2 as in Wang 1986.

1448 SYSTEMATIC & APPLIED ACAROLOGY VOL. 21

 Key to known species of Mullederia (females)*

1. Trochanter IV with 1 seta; genu II nude; tibia IV with 5 setae but without solenidion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
– Trochanter IV without setae; genu II with 1 seta; tibia IV with 5 setae and 1 solenidion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2. Coxae I–IV with 1, 0, 0, 0; tarsi I–II with 11+1ω, 8+1ω; Philippines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . M. filipina Rimando & Corpuz-Raros, 1996
– Coxae I–IV with 2, 1, 2, 2; tarsi I–II with 12+1ω, 9+1ω; China . . . . . . . . . . . M. sichuanensis Wang, 1986
3. Setae c2 and f1 obviously unequal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
– Setae c2 and f1 subequal; New Zealand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . M. arborea Wood, 1964
4. Setae c2 about 0.5× as long as f1; f1 and h1 subequal; New Zealand. . . . M. procurrens Fan & Zhang, 2005
– Setae c2 longer than f1, c2: f1=1.3–1.6; f1 shorter than h1, f1: h1=0.6; New Zealand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . M. scutellaris Fan & Zhang, 2005
* Remarks. Mullederia parryorum (Gupta, 1991) is not included in this key as specific information was not
provided in the original description.

Acknowledgements

The senior author is grateful to Prof. Hui-Fu Wang and Dr. Jun Chen for loaning type specimens of
Mullederia sichuanensis.

References

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Submitted: 27 Sep. 2016; accepted by Zhi-Qiang Zhang: 3 Oct. 2016; published: 17 Oct. 2016

2016 FAN & UECKERMANN: RESURRECTION OF THE GENUS NONOCALIGUS 1449

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