Sternoppia pocsiana, Mahunka, 2006

Mahunka, S., 2006, Oribatid Mites (Acari: Oribatida) From Venezuela, Ii. New Or Rare Species From Montane Forests, Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 52 (3), pp. 271-286 : 276-278

Sternoppia pocsiana sp. n.

( Figs 10–14 )

Diagnosis: Rostrum incised. Prodorsum well sclerotised, with long costulae. Sensillus with 4 simple and short branches. Notogastral setae simple, short. Epimeral region well framed, with characteristic plates. All epimeral setae long and conspicuously ciliate or plumose. In contrast, genital and anal setae shorter, but the aggenital and adanal ones are very long.

Material examined: Holotype: Estado Mérida. Parque Nacional Sierra de la Culata , 12 km N of Mérida town. Mossy cloud forest at 2100 m alt. 4 March 1997. (Coll. S. & T. PÓCS) (9726). Six paratypes from the same sample. Holotype (1709-HO-05) and 5 paratypes (1709-PO-05): HNHM and 1 paratypes: MHNG .

Measurements: Length of body: 775–850 µm, width of body: 474–550 µm.

Prodorsum: Rostral apex with a deep, U-shaped incisure ( Fig. 11 ). Prodorsal surface with a pair of long costulae, in front of them one pair of horseshoe-shaped formations ( Fig. 10 ) and at the base of the rostral setae a thin, but distinct, arched transverse line present. Costulae reaching anterior to the insertion of the lamellar setae; rostral and lamellar setae nearly equal in length, interlamellar ones longer, all three pairs thin and well ciliate. Exobothridial setae also thin and smooth ( Fig. 13 ). Sensilli very long, slightly dilated distally, with 4 simple distal branches, sometimes bearing some minute spines.

Notogaster: Nine pairs of simple notogastral setae present, setae c 2 represented only by their alveoli. All other notogastral setae thin and simple, hardly ciliate. Setae p in postero-marginal position, somewhat shorter than the others.

Lateral part of podosoma: Well-sclerotised, a longitudinal laths observable as if a continuation of the pedotectum 1, behind the insertion of the exobothridial setae. Above the pedotectum 1 a conspicuous field consist of parallel lines ( Fig. 14 ). Acetabula IV located far from acetabula III.

Ventral parts ( Fig. 12 ): Setae h and all the other setae – except penicillate setae 4a – with very long but sparse cilia. Two epimeral plates touching medially, their postero-median end sharply pointed and they eind, far from the genital opening. Genital opening much smaller than anal one, anterior genital setae longer than the others. All adanal setae located on the ventral plate in adanal position. Lyrifissures iad in adanal position, hardly observable.

Legs: Of the normal form, chaetome characteristic for the genus Sternoppia .

Remarks: On the basis of the simple sensilli the new species is well distinguishable from all congeners. A similar simple sensillus is known only in Sternoppia (Synoppia) quadriseta (BALOGH et MAHUNKA, 1969) 4, however the latter has 2 pairs of very long notogastral setae, all other setae short, but in the new species 7 pairs are much longer than the others. The other species of the genus Sternoppia have ramifying branches of their sensilli.

Etymology: I dedicate the new species to my friends Prof. Dr. T. PÓCS and his wife SACY

PÓCS, for their joint and intensive collecting work all over the world.

Figures

Figs 10–14. Sternoppia pocsiana sp.n.: 10 =body in dorsal view, 11 =rostral apex in frontalview, 12 = body in ventralview, 13 = lateral part of the podosomain lateral view,14 =lateral view of the body