Neophysobates zealandicus, Ermilov & Minor, 2015

Ermilov, S. G. & Minor, M. A., 2015, Two new species of Neophysobates (Acari, Oribatida, Tegoribatidae) from New Zealand, Acarologia 55 (3), pp. 285-295 : 286-290

Neophysobates zealandicus n. sp.

( Figures 1-3 )

Diagnosis — Body size: 233 – 254 × 143 – 172. Rostral seta thickened, heavily barbed. Lamellar seta thin, smooth. Bothridial seta clavate, stalk simple, head rounded distally, slightly barbed. Tutorium with free, knife-like tip. Four pairs of notogastral porose areas. Six (rarely five) pairs of genital setae. Aggenital setae present. Legs monodactylous.

Description: Measurements — Body length: 241 (holotype: male), 233 – 254 (five paratypes: two females and three males); body width: 164 (holotype), 143 – 172 (five paratypes). Without sexual dimorphism.

Integument — Body color light brown to brown. Body surface smooth, but notogaster covered by cerotegumental microgranules (their diameter up to 2, well visible under high magnification in dissected specimens). Tutorium and pedotectum I partially striate.

Prodorsum — Rostrum rounded. Lamella (lam) covering almost all prodorsum, but pedotectum I (Pd I) partially visible in dorsal view. Rostral seta (ro, 10 – 12) thickened, heavily barbed. Lamellar seta (le, 10 – 12) setiform, thin, smooth. Bothridial seta (bs, 57 – 69 – including portion within bothridia) clavate. Stalk thin, smooth. Head elongated, rounded distally, slightly barbed. Tutorium (tu) long, of medium width, with one knife-like tooth anteriorly. Exobothridial seta and its alveolus not found.

Notogaster — Anterior margin straight. Pteromorph broadly rounded, without teeth or incisions. Hinge (hi) clearly developed. Dorsophragmata of medium size, fused into narrowly tringular structure. Four pairs (in all specimens) of rounded porose areas: Aa (8 – 12) larger than A1 (6 – 8) and A2, A3 (both 6). Ten pairs of short (4), thin, smooth notogastral setae. Lyrifissures ia, im, ip, ih and ips and opisthonotal gland opening (gla) distinct.

Gnathosoma — Subcapitulum longer than wide (61 – 65 × 49 – 57). Subcapitular setae setiform, smooth, a and m (both 8) slightly longer and thicker than h (6). Two pairs of thin, smooth adoral setae (or 1, or 2, 8). Axillary saccule (sac) slightly elon-

Roman letters refer to normal setae, Greek letters to solenidia (except ɛ = famulus). Single prime (') marks setae on anterior and double prime ('') setae on posterior side of the given leg segment. Parentheses refer to a pair of setae.

gated. Palp (length 41 – 45) with setation 0-2-1-3- 9(+ ω). Solenidion straight. Chelicera (length 61 – 65) with two barbed setae; cha (20) longer than chb (12 – 14). Trägårdh’s organ (Tg) long, tapered.

Lateral podosomal and epimeral regions — Genal tooth (gt) narrowly triangular, long, reaching rostrum. Pedotectum I large, rounded anteriorly, pedotectum II (Pd II) small, scale-like in lateral view. Epimeral setal formula: 3-1-2-2; all setae short (4), thin, smooth. Custodium (cus) strong, directed anteriorly to the pedotectum II. Discidium (dis) triangular. Circumpedal carina (cp) distinct.

Anogenital region — Six (rarely five) pairs of genital and one pair of aggenital (ag) setae minute (4). Two pairs of anal (an 1, an 2) and two pairs of adanal (ad 1, ad 2) setae slightly longer (6), thin, smooth. Lyrifissure iad short, about 1/7-1/8 length of anal plates, located in paraanal position.

Legs — All legs monodactylous. Formulas of leg setation and solenidia: I (1-4-3-3-18) [1-2-2], II (1-4- 3-4-15) [1-1-2], III (2-2-1-3-15) [1-1-0], IV (1-2-1-2-11) [0-1-0]; homology of setae and solenidia indicated in Table 1 . Seta pv” on tarsi II elongated, thickened, with two strong ventral spines.

Material examined — Holotype (male) and five paratypes (two females and three males): New Zealand, South Island, Central Otago, Pisa Range , 44°52’11”S, 169°10’9”E, 1797 m a.s.l., in soil and debris under Dracophyllum muscoides cushion plant, 18 February 2014, collected by M. Minor.

Type deposition — The holotype (alcohol) and two paratypes (alcohol) are deposited in the New Zealand National Arthropod Collection, Auckland, New Zealand ; two paratypes (alcohol) are deposited in the collection of the Senckenberg Institution , Frankfurt, Germany ; one paratype (alcohol) is deposited in the collection of the Tyumen State University Museum of Zoology , Tyumen, Russia .

Etymology — The specific name " zealandicus " refers to the country of origin, New Zealand.

Comparison — Neophysobates zealandicus n. sp. is similar to N. monodactylus Hammer, 1966 also from New Zealand (see Hammer 1967) in having monodactylous legs, four pairs of notogastral porose areas, thickened rostral seta, and tutorium with free knife-like tip. However, it differs from the latter by the presence of simple bothridial stalk (vs. with strong mid-length swelling), bothridial head rounded distally (vs. pointed), short adanal lyrifissure (vs. comparatively long) and seta pv” on tarsus II thickened, with attenuated tip (vs. short, thick, thorn-like).

Figures

FIGURE 1: Neophysobates zealandicus n. sp.: A – dorsal view; B – ventral view (gnathosoma and legs not illustrated); C – posterior view. Scale bar 50 µm.

FIGURE 2: Neophysobates zealandicus n. sp.: A – antero-medial part of prodorsum, dorso-frontal view; B – anterior part of body, lateral view; C – subcapitulum, ventral view; D – palp; E – chelicera (Tg was damaged during dissection), left, paraxial view. Scale bar (A, B) 50 µm, scale bar (C, E) 20 µm, scale bar (D) 10 µm.

FIGURE 3: Neophysobates zealandicus n. sp.: A – leg I, right, paraxial view; B – femur and genu of leg II, right, paraxial view; C – trochanter, femur and genu of leg III, left, antiaxial view; D – leg IV, left, antiaxial view. Scale bar 20 µm.