Phyllhermannia leonilae, Colloff, 2011

Colloff, Matthew J., 2011, 2770, Zootaxa 2770, pp. 1-60 : 34-35

Phyllhermannia leonilae sp. nov.

( Figs. 20, 34l)

Dimensions. Holotype female length 606 µm breadth 342 µm. Ratio of length of prodorsum to total length: 0.31 (holotype).

Female. Prodorsum: rostrum rounded, without inverted V-shaped ridge; rostral seta (ro) minute (8 µm), straight, spiniform, smooth ( Fig. 20a). Lamellar seta (le) 25 µm, curved, barbed, slightly phylliform, on flat tubercle on lateral margin of prodorsum. Transverse lamellar ridge absent. With lateral ridge between base of lamellar seta and acetabulum of leg I inflated laterally. Surface of prodorsum porose, smooth. Interlamellar setae (in) long (48 µm), phylliform, finely barbed, rounded apically, on smooth inverted V-shaped interbothridial ridge. Bothridial seta (bs) elongate, 111 µm, evenly thick, apex blunt, smooth. Exobothridial seta (ex) 11 µm long. Interbothridial region densely porose. Median condyles present with scattered tubercles between them; with paired longitudinal ridges on posterior prodorsum connected with dorsosejugal suture.

Notogaster: ratio of length to breadth 1.2. Dorsosejugal suture smooth. Notogaster smooth, with sparse tubercles between median and lateral files ( Fig. 20a). Setae flat, phylliform, straight or slightly curved, barbed, rounded or truncated apically; not overlapping; p series shorter (19–25 µm) than others (33–51µm). Setae of c series directed posteriorly, c 2 closer to c 3 than c 1. Distance between bases of setae c 1 0.9 × that between bases of d 1. Distance between d 2 1.1 × that between d 1; distance between bases of e 1 1.1 × that between those of f 1. Lyrifissurae im acute.

Coxisternum: Lateral margins of rostrum and epimeres I slightly tuberculate; posteriolateral margin of epimere I spur-shaped ( Fig. 20b). Anterior sternal apodeme straight, smooth. Apodeme III transverse, broader than other apodemata, with curved median ridge. Tubercles absent from epimere III. Posterior margin of epimere IV with line of well-developed tubercles, but ridge of tubercles anterior of genital plate absent. Epimere IV with sclerotised projection laterally. Epimeral setal formula 3-1-4-5. Setae 1a, 2a and 4b very short, sub-equal (11–15 µm); 1b, 1c and 3a longer (20–24 µm). Setae 3b, 4a and 4c longer (46–54 µm), 3c 67 µm, 3d, 3e and 4d 70–76 µm; 4e longest of epimeral setae (105 µm). Setae on epimeral plate III on medial part of plate. Lateral setae of epimeral plate IV on posterior part of plate.

Anogenital region: Posterior and lateral regions of genital plates surrounded by smooth cuticle, more heavily sclerotised than rest of plate ( Fig. 20b). Each genital plate 105 µm long, 54 µm broad with six short (7–11 µm), thin setae in median file; g 1 not displaced laterally. With three setae in lateral file, subequal in length (15–18 µm). Aggenital setae sub-equal in length to genital setae in median file. Pre-anal organ pointed. Each anal plate 149 µm long, 41 µm broad, with two short (7–10 µm) setae on anterior and central part of plate. Adanal setae sub-equal in length (13–16 µm).

Legs: Femur I 162 µm long, with small posteriolateral process proximally; medial process absent ( Fig. 34l). Cuticle lightly alveolate, interspersed with small tubercles. Setae d and l ” straight, squat, slightly phylliform, barbed apically, bluntly pointed, sub-equal in length (22 µm); seta l ' on prominent tubercle, curved, barbed and rounded apically, much longer (50 µm) and thinner than others. Seta v ' 24 µm long.

Material examined. Holotype female, MTB-031, soil and moss on burnt rocky slope, Eucalyptus forest, Mount Buffalo National Park , Victoria. 36 o 42'39”S 146 o 50'06”E, 620 m., coll. J. Błoszyk & S. Konwerski, 16.vii.2007 . Holotype deposited in the Australian National Insect Collection, CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, Canberra .

Etymology. Phyllhermannia leonilae is named in honour of Dr Leonila Corpuz-Raros, in recognition of her contribution to the taxonomy and systematics of mites of the Philippines.

Remarks. Phyllhermannia leonilae can be differentiated from other member of the genus based on the following combination of characters: 1) the extremely short rostral setae; 2) the bothridial seta with a blunt, smooth tip; 3) the longitudinal prodorsal-dorsosejugal ridges; 4) the smooth notogastral plate with scattered tubercles, not arranged in a network; 5) the phylliform, completely barbed, notogastral setae; rounded or truncated apically; 6) the distance sbetween the bases of the notogastral setae in the median files are sub-equal; 7) the smooth lateral margins of epimere I; 8) the epimeral setal formula 3-1-4-5; 9) the smooth perigenital region; 10) the short genital setae in the lateral file, with g 4 no longer than the others; 11) femur I with setae d and l ” straight, squat, barbed and bluntly-pointed apically and seta l ' curved, barbed and rounded apically.

Phyllhermannia leonilae is morphologically most similar to P. sauli and P. namadjiensis (cf. below). It shares with P. tanjili the epimeral setal formula 3-1-4-5.