Acrotritia paradikra, Niedbała & Starý, 2014

Niedbała, Wojciech & Starý, Josef, 2014, New species of the superfamily Euphthiracaroidea (Acari: Oribatida) from Madagascar and Tanzania, Journal of Natural History 49 (27), pp. 1689-1702 : 1695-1697

Acrotritia paradikra sp. nov.

( Figure 3 )

Material examined

Holotype and 13 paratypes deposited at DATE from locus typicus: MAG-019, Madagascar, Ankarafantsika National Park , 25 April 2011, 16°17 ′ 32,9 ″ S, 46°48 ′ 38,1 ″ E, 75 m asl, sifting sample of forest litter, Winkler apparatus extraction, leg. L. S. Rahanitriniaina and R. Raveloson, three paratypes deposited at DATE from the locality: MAG-007, Madagascar, Ranomafana National Park , 16–18 November 2010, 21°14 ′ 51 ″ S, 47°24 ′ 13 ″ E, 1079 m asl, leaf litter sifting, leg. P. Baňař, six paratypes deposited at DATE from the locality: MAG-010, Madagascar, Ankarafantsika National Park , 25 April 2011, 16°17 ′ 37,9 ″ S, 46°48 ′ 43,2 ″ E, altitude 92 m asl, sifting sample of forest leaf litter, Winkler apparatus extraction, leg. L.S. Rahanitriniaina and R. Raveloson, five paratypes deposited at DATE from the locality: MAG-011, Madagascar, Ankarafantsika National Park , 23 April 2011, 16°18 ′ 05,9 ″ S, 46°49 ′ 06,4 ″ E, 71 m asl, sifting sample of forest litter, Winkler apparatus extraction, leg. L.S. Rahanitriniaina and R. Raveloson, 16 paratypes deposited at ISB from the locality: MAG-015, Madagascar, Ankarafantsika National Park , 23 April 2011, 16°18 ′ 10,7 ″ S, 46°48 ′ 47,1 ″ E, 81 m asl, sifting sample of forest litter, Winkler apparatus extraction, leg. L.S. Rahanitriniaina and R. Raveloson, 19 paratypes at NHMG from the locality: MAG-018, Madagascar, Ankarafantsika National Park , 25 April 2011, 16°18 ′ 46,7 ″ S, 46°48 ′ 57,9 ″ E, 88 m asl, sifting sample of forest litter, Winkler apparatus extraction, leg. L.S. Rahanitriniaina and R. Raveloson, eight paratypes deposited at NHMG from the locality: MAG-043, Madagascar, Ankarafantsika National Park, 22 April 2011, 16°18 ′ 46.6 ″ S, 46°48 ′ 58.8 ″ E, 89 m asl, sifting sample of forest litter, Winkler apparatus extraction, leg. L.S. Rahanitriniaina and R. Raveloson, and four paratypes deposited at NHMG from the locality: MAG-049, Madagascar, Ankarafantsika National Park, 25 April 2011, 16°18 ′ 47.0 ″ S, 46°48 ′ 57.1 ″ E, altitude 79 m asl, sifting sample of forest litter, Winkler apparatus extraction, leg. L.S. Rahanitriniaina and R. Raveloson.

Measurements of holotype

Prodorsum: length 278, height 101, width 192, sensillus 58, length of prodorsal setae: interlamellar (in) 142, lamellar (le) 86, rostral (ro) 71, exobothridial (ex) 23; notogaster: length 576, height 424, width 394, length of notogastral setae: c 1 91, h 1 83, p 1 96; c 1 / c 1 – d 1 = 0.6; length of genitoaggenital plate 202, length of anoadanal plate 283.

Description

Colour yellow, surface of body punctate.

Prodorsum with two pairs of distinct lateral carinae; inferior carina long, placed between bothridium and lateral border of prodorsum, superior carina short not parallel, located in anterior part of prodorsum, convergent to middle part of inferior carina. Sensilli fusiform with spinose head. Prodorsal setae with exception of exobothridial (ex) one erect, interlamellar (in) and lamellar (le) setae spinose in distal half, rostral (ro) setae rough. Distance between lamellar (le) setae larger than between rostral (ro) setae.

Notogastral setae rather short, spinose in distal half, their mutual length c 1 <c 1 – d 1. Setae c 1 – 3 remote from anterior border of notogaster, setae c 3 less than other. Openings of the latero-opisthosomal glands, lyrifissures and vestigial setae present and positioned typically. On the left side in holotype vestigial seta f 1 developed as short, filiform seta.

Ventral region. Setae h of mentum longer than distance between them. Nine pairs of minute genital and two pair of minute aggenital setae present. Three pairs of rough anal and three pairs of adanal setae present. Anal setae an 1 and an 2 shorter than adanal setae, anal setae an 3 minute. Lyrifissures iad located between anal an 3 and adanal setae ad 3.

Chaetome of legs (without tarsi): I: 1-3-5(2)-5(1), II: 1-3-3(1)-4(1), III: 2-2-2(1)- 3(1), IV: 2-1-2-2(1). Tarsi I bidactylous, tarsi II–IV tridactylous all tarsi heterodactylous.

Etymology

The prefix ‘ para’ is Latin meaning ‘near’ and refers to some resemblance to the Neotropical species Acrotritia dikra ( Niedbała et Schatz 1996) .

Comparison

The new species is similar to Acrotritia dikra Niedbała et Schatz, 1996 in the shape of lateral carinae of prodorsum. These two similar species distinguish by the shape of sensilli, setiform in Acrotritia dikra Niedbała et Schatz, 1996 and fusiform in new species. Some other similar species are distinguishable by the shape of lateral carinae of prodorsum and by monodactylous tarsi ( Niedbała and Schatz 1996).

Figures

Figure 3. Acrotritia paradikra sp. nov., holotype: (A) prodorsum, lateral view; (B) prodorsum, dorsal view; (C) opisthosoma, lateral view; (D) mentum of subcapitulum.