Neoribates aurantiacus (Oudemans, 1914)

Bayartogtokh, Badamdorj & Bae, Yang-Seop, 2024, New findings of poronotic oribatid mites (Acari: Oribatida) from Korea, Zootaxa 5405 (2), pp. 151-184 : 174-175

Neoribates aurantiacus (Oudemans, 1914)

( Figures 18 & 20A, B )

Measurements. Body length 539–564 μm, width 373–390 μm, length of notogaster 456–473 µm.

Supplementary description. Body colour reddish to deep reddish-brown. Surface of body with relatively thick cerotegument, notogaster and ventral plate microtuberculate. Lamella well developed, slightly arched line between bothridium and insertion of lamellar seta in dorsal view. Sublamellar ridge well developed, short, visible only in lateral view. Rostral seta 78 μm, lamellar seta 102 μm, interlamellar seta 116 μm in length, all these setae finely barbed. Bothridial seta 84 μm long, with thin stalk and slightly expanded fusiform head pointed distally. Notogaster narrowed anteriorly, anterior margin complete; ten pairs of insertion pores of notogastral setae present; four pairs of small sacculi. Only five pairs of epimeral setae developed, other setae not evident. Four pairs of genital, one pair of aggenital, two pairs of anal and three pairs of adanal setae thin, smooth. Legs heterotridactylous.

Material examined. One male and one female: Mts. Seoraksan , Sockcho, Gangwon Province, Korea, from a mixed forest, soil and litter under oak trees ( Quercus mongolicus ), N38°12’41”, E128°29’10”, 739 m a.s.l., 21 October 2021, Coll. B. Bayartogtokh.

Distribution. Holarctic and Oriental regions.

Remarks. The characters of the Korean specimens studied here accord well with those of European and Asian materials studied by Aoki (1966), Mahunka (1996), Bayartogtokh and Weigmann (2005), Weigmann (2006). Aoki (1966) mentioned that Japanese specimens have four pairs of genital setae as in the Korean specimens studied here, while Mahunka (1996), Bayartogtokh and Weigmann (2005) observed five pairs of genital setae. Also, Bayartogtokh and Weigmann (2005) noticed nine pairs, while Mahunka (1996) found 10 pairs of epimeral setae. These might be considered as variations in different populations.

Figures

FIGURE 18. Line drawing images of Neoribates aurantiacus (Oudemans, 1914). A—Dorsal view; B—Ventral view of body.

FIGURE 20. Compound microscopic images of two species. A & B—Dorsal and ventral views of Neoribates aurantiacus (Oudemans, 1914), respectively; C & D—Dorsal and lateral views of Zygoribatula glabra (Michael, 1890), respectively.