Notophthiracarus otagoensis Niedbała, 2016

Niedbała, W. & Ermilov, S. G., 2016, Checklist of ptyctimous mites (Acari, Oribatida) of New Zealand with descriptions of three new species, Acarologia 56 (2), pp. 203-211 : 208-210

Notophthiracarus otagoensis Niedbała n. sp.

( Figure 3 )

Measurement of holotype — Prodorsum: length 303, width 212, height 111. Setae of prodorsum: rostral 56, lamellar 28, interlamellar 177, sensilli 38, exobothridial 40. Notogaster: length 596, width 384, height 343. Setae of notogaster: c 1 152, c 1 / c 1 - d 1 =1.2, d 1 and h 1 114, ps 1 104. Genitoaggenital plate 144 × 94, anoadanal plate 253 × 104. Length of ano-adanal setae: anal 76, ad 1 131, ad 2 111, ad 3 91.

Measurements of all paratypes — Prodorsum: length 252 – 325, height 101 – 121. Notogaster: length 465 – 687, height 303 – 454.

Integument — Colour brown. Microsculpure of integument punctuated, only anterior part of prodorsum slightly foveolate.

Prodorsum — With posterior furrows and sigillar fields feebly marked. Lateral carinae well marked. Sensilli short, more or less regular clublike with head covered with small spines. Interlamellar setae rigid, erect covered with small spines in whole length, similar to notogastral setae. Lamellar setae spiniform, smooth. Rostral setae longer, spiniform, rough. Exobothridial setae formed like a needle similar in length to sensilli; in> ro> ex> ss> le.

Notogaster — With 15 pairs of medium size, c 1> c 1 - d 1, but other setae shorter. Setae rigid covered with small spines in whole length. Setae c 3 situated close to anterior margin, setae c 1 slightly remote, setae c 2 far from anterior margin. Vestigial setae f 1 situated posteriorly of h 1 setae. Three pairs of lyrifissures (ia, im and ips) present.

Ventral region — Setae h of mentum longer than distance between them. Arrangement of genital setae 4: 5. Anoadanal plates with 5 pairs of flexible setae, adanal setae ciliated and longer than rough anal setae.

Chaetome of legs — Complete. Formulas of leg setation and solenidia: I (1-4-2-5-17) [2-1-3], II (1-3- 2-3-12) [1-1-2], III (2-2-1-2-10) [1-1-0], IV (2-1-1-2-10) [0-1-0]. Setae d on femora I long, considerably remote from distal end of article.

Material examined — Holotype and 139 paratypes: New Zealand, South Island, 45°3’41”S, 168°48’40”E, 1831 m a.s.l., Central Otago, The Remarkables, in the soil and debris under Dracophyllum muscoides cushion, 19.II.2014 (leg. M. Minor ).

Type deposition — The holotype (ethanol) and two paratypes are deposited in the New Zealand National Arthropod Collection, Auckland, New Zealand ; 137 paratypes (ethanol) are deposited in the collection of the Department of Animal Taxonomy and Ecology , Adam Mickiewicz University, Pozna ´n, Poland .

Etymology — The specific epithet refers to the Central Otago Region of South Island.

Comparison — The new species is characterized by the presence of long ad 3 setae of anoadanal plate, longer than anal setae. Some species from the Australasian region with these long setae have a long sensillus without a rounded head. The similar species are: Notophthiracarus hammeni Niedbala, 1987 from New South Wales (see Niedbała 1987), N. abstemius Niedbała and Colloff, 1997 (see Niedbała and Colloff 1997). Notophthiracarus hammeni has rigid and longer rostral setae, absence of lateral carinae of prodorsum and lyrifissures ips of notogaster. Notophthiracarus abstemius has adanal setae ad 3 slightly shorter than anal setae, setae d of femora I situated in proximal half of article, vestigial setae f 1 situated anterior of setae h 1 and lateral carinae of prodorsum and lyrifissures ips absent.

Figures

FIGURE 3: Notophthiracarus otagoensis Niedbała n. sp. (holotype): A – prodorsum, dorsal view; B – prodorsum, lateral view; C – sensillus, lateral view; D – mentum of subcapitulum; E – opisthosoma, lateral view; F – left genitoaggenital plate; G – left anoadanal plate; H – trochanter and femur of leg I. Scale bars (A, B, D-H) 100 µm, scale bars (C) 25 µm.