A species being worthy of its name: Intraspecific variations on the gnathosomal characters in topotypic heteromorphic males of Cheylostigmaeus variatus (Acari: Stigmaeidae)

Year 2019, Volume: 1 Issue: 2, 65 - 70, 31.07.2019

Salih Doğan , Sibel Doğan , Qing-hai Fan

Abstract

Cheylostigmaeus variatus (Acari: Stigmaeidae) is only known
from Turkey. It has been called variatus,
due to showing variations in the shapes of lamellae and dorsal cheliceral
surfaces in the heteromorphic males. During the present work, we found five
topotypic heteromorphic male specimens among mite specimens in the grassy soil
and moss collected from the type locality, Ekşisu Marsh in Erzincan province,
Turkey. These topotype specimens of the species including holotype and paratype
were examined. During the examination, we observed variations in the shapes of
lamellae, dorsal cheliceral surfaces and apophyses on the internal and external
surfaces of palp femur. We consider that the differences observed in the
heteromorphic male specimens are intraspecific variations, that it is true to
its epithet name and that there is not enough evidences to justify a new
species. This hypothesis may be supported by the rearing of a population of the
species or molecular evidence.

Keywords

Gnathosoma, heteromorphic, intraspecific, mite, morphology, variation

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