Crotonia flagellata ( Balogh and Csiszár, 1963 )

Lochyńska, Malgorzata, 2010, The ontogeny description of two Neotropical species of Crotonia (Acari: Oribatida: Crotonioidea), Journal of Natural History 44 (15 - 16), pp. 969-992 : 976-987

Crotonia flagellata ( Balogh and Csiszár, 1963)

Material examined

The description of C. flagellata ( Balogh and Csiszár, 1963) is based on the extracted material borrowed from Prof. W. Niedbala and from Drs W. Magowski, L. Kaczmarek and D. Diduszko (Department of Animal Taxonomy and Ecology, A. Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland). All the specimens studied come from eight samples from Argentina, Chile and San Croix Island, in which 42 specimens were found: 17 immatures and 26 adults.

All specimens of C. flagellata are stored in the collection of the Department of Animal Taxonomy and Ecology, A. Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland.

Locality data

Argentina. PAT-001: Tierra del Fuego, Ushuaia [54°48′ S; 68°32′ W; 541 m above sea level (a.s.l.)], route on Cerro Guanaco, beside upper timberline, litter from the mountain forest with Nothofagus pumilio . 17 January 2006. W. Magowski coll. (two juveniles). PAT-006: Tierra del Fuego, Ushuaia, Glaciar Martial, beside the route ,

deciduous litter from the forest with Nothofagus betuloides . 18 January 2006. L. Kaczmarek and D. Diduszko coll. (one juvenile, two adults).

Chile. PAT-024: Los Lagos, Valdivia, Curinanco (39°43′ S; 73°23′ W; 24 m a.s.l.), epiphyte, moss and fern from young seaside forest with Nothofagus sp. 3 February 2006. W. Magowski coll. (one adult). PAT-025: Los Lagos, Valdivia, Curinanco (39°43′ S; 73°23′W; 24 m a.s.l.), ferns, moss and upper litter from young seaside forest with Nothofagus sp. 3 February 2006. W. Magowski coll. (three juveniles, seven adults). PAT-026: Los Lagos, Valdivia, Curinanco (39°43′ S; 73°23′ W; 24 m a.s.l.), detritus and litter from young seaside forest with Nothofagus sp. 3 February 2006. W. Magowski coll. (nine juveniles, nine adults). PAT-035: Los Lagos, Puerto Montt, Alerce Andino, Laguna Sargazo, detritus and litter from mixed mountain forest with Fitzroya cuppressoides . 5 February 2006. W. Magowski coll. (one juvenile).

San Croix Island. 104: USA, Virgin Islands, Butler Bay sugar factory ruin, litter under tamarind ( Tamarindus indica L.) in ruins; 30 September 1987. M.A. Ivie coll. (one juvenile, two adults) .

Description

Larva ( Figures 10 , 11 ). Body length: 445 µm, body width: 175 µm; colour: white. Body slightly covered with dirt. Prodorsum with median incision. Rostrum rounded. Two ridges of thickened cuticle run between bothridia and lamellar apophyses. Surface with knobs; small folds occur posteriorly. Setae ro slightly bent, half as long as the distance between their tubercles. Setae le barbed, in sheath, bent, slightly longer than distance between tops of their apophyses. Setae in twice as long as distance between tops of their apophyses. Small sensillus completely contained within bothridium. Setation of subcapitulum hardly visible (not studied). Notogaster narrowed posteriorly, surface with knobs. With 10 pairs of long and barbed notogastral setae (setae c 2, d 1 and e 1 absent, seta f 1 present), all set on large apophyses, except setae d 2, h 2 and h 3 which are smooth, three times longer than ro, set on small tubercles. Setae c 3 as long as in, setae c 1 and f 2 (the longest) – twice as long. Setae d 3 slightly longer than c 3, located very close to its apophyses. Setae e 2 and h 1 one and half times longer than in. Setae f 1 almost as long as in, situated beside bases of h 1 apophyses. Oval opening of opisthosomal gland (gla) situated above f 2 apophyses. Pairs of epimeres separated. Epimeral setation: 2-1-2. Lack of genital plates, anal and adanal setae. All legs monodactylous (setation not studied).

Protonymph ( Figure 12 ). Body length: 380 µm, body width: 140 µm (specimen has collapsed during examination); colour: light brown. Body covered with dirt, particularly on posterior setae. Prodorsum shape similar to that of larva. Setae ro half as long as distance between their bases. Setae le slightly longer than in larva; setae in longer than double distance between tops of their apophyses. Sensillus well developed, completely contained within bothridium. Setation of subcapitulum hardly visible (not studied). Notogaster shape similar to that of larva; surface with folds and knobs. With 13 pairs of barbed notogastral setae, shorter than larval. The longest setae: c 1, e 2 and f 2 as long as in. Setae c 3 – two-thirds length of in (c 3 and d 3 apophyses almost connected). Setae d 2 and p not visible. Setae f 1, h 1 and h 3 as long as c 3; f 1 and h 1 apophyses connected. The shortest setae h 2 half as long as c 3, smooth and sharp set on the largest apophyses. Oval opening of opisthosomal gland (gla) situated above f 2 apophyses. Pairs of epimeres separated. Epimeral setation: 3-1-2-2. One pair of genital setae. Aggenital, anal and adanal setae lacking. All legs monodactylous (setation not studied).

Deutonymph ( Figures 13 , 14 ). Body length: 895 µm, body width: 430 µm; colour: light brown. Body covered with dirt, particularly on posterior setae. Prodorsum shape, setae ro, le and in similar to protonymphal. Sensillus well developed, completely contained within bothridium. Setation of subcapitulum hardly visible (not studied). Notogastral plate covered with folds and knobs. With 13 pairs of barbed notogastral setae, similar to protonymphal. The longest setae e 2 one and one-third longer than in. Setae c 1, f 2 and p 2 slightly shorter than in, setae c 3 – shorter than c 1 (d 3 apophyses located close to c 3). The shortest setae d 2 three times longer than ro, set on small tubercles. Sharp setae h 2 slightly longer than d 2, setae p 3 – longer than h 2. Other setae as long as in. Oval opening of opisthosomal gland (gla) situated above f 2 apophyses. Pairs of epimeres separated. Epimeral setation: 3-1-2-3. Anogenital region with four pairs of genital, one pair of aggenital and three pairs of adanal setae. Anal setae lacking. All legs monodactylous (setation not studied).

Tritonymphs ( Figures 15 , 16 ). Body length: 1190–1240 µm, body width: 585–640 µm; colour: light brown. Prodorsum and posterior part of notogaster covered with dirt. Prodorsum shape, setae le and in similar to deutonymphal. Setae ro as long as the distance between their tubercles. Sensillus well developed, completely contained within bothridium. Setation of subcapitulum hardly visible (not studied). Centrum of notogastral plate covered with folds and knobs, lateral part with knobs. With 13 pairs of barbed notogastral setae, similar to deutonymphal. The longest setae f 2 one and half times longer than in; setae c 1, f 1, h 1 as long as in; setae c 3, d 3 and f 2 slightly shorter than in (d 3 apophyses located close to c 3). The shortest setae h 2 twice as long as ro, d 2 – onethird as long as ro. Setae p 3 slightly longer than d 2. Oval opening of opisthosomal gland (gla) situated above f 2 apophyses. Pairs of epimeres separated. Epimeral setation: 3-2-3-3. Anogenital region with six pairs of genital, two pairs of aggenital, three pairs of anal and adanal setae. All legs monodactylous (setation not studied).

Adults ( Figures 17 , 18 ). Females: body length: 1290–1320 µm, body width: 750– 820 µm (n = 3). Male: body length: 1090 µm, body width: 550 µm; colour: dark brown. Body covered with dirt, particularly on posterior setae. Prodorsum shape, setae ro, le and in similar to tritonymphal. Sensillus well developed, completely contained within bothridium. Setation of subcapitulum hardly visible (not studied). Central part of notogaster plain, lateral part covered with knobs. With 13 pairs of barbed notogastral setae, set on tubercles. The longest setae c 1 as long as le. Setae d 3 half as long and c 3 third as long as c 1 (d 3 apophyses located close to c 3). The shortest setae d 2 as long as ro. Other setae twice as long as ro. Setae p not visible. Oval opening of opisthosomal gland (gla) situated above f 2 tubercles. Pairs of epimeres separated. Epimeral setation: 4-2-2-2 (hardly visible). Anogenital region with seven pairs of genital, two pairs of aggenital, three pairs of anal and adanal setae. All legs tridactylous (setation not studied).

Remarks

During the ontogeny examination, an adult C. flagellata ( Balogh and Csiszár, 1963) was redescribed. The holotype description is incomplete and incomprehensive, with only general features described. Studied specimens were similar to the holotype. Nevertheless, the author, like Wallwork (1978), noted fewer genital setae – seven pairs (10 or 11 pairs in the holotype). Moreover, the author presented a new record of C. flagellata distribution – San Croix Island. So far this species has been recorded only in Argentina ( Balogh and Csiszár 1963) and Chile ( Wallwork 1978; Balogh and Balogh 2002).

Figures

Figure 10. Crotonia flagellata (Balogh and Csiszár, 1963), larva. (A) Dorsal view; (B) ventral view.

Figure 11. Crotonia flagellata (Balogh and Csiszár, 1963), larva. (A) Dorsal view – specimen before cleaning; (B) dorsal view – specimen after cleaning; (C) seta c3; (D) seta d2; (E) antherocentral part of notogaster; (F) posterior part of notogaster; (G) structure of seta e2.

Figure 12. Crotonia flagellata (Balogh and Csiszár, 1963), protonymph. (A) Dorsal view (collapsed specimen, setae d2 not visible); (B) ventral view (collapsed specimen, setae p not visible).

Figure 13. Crotonia flagellata (Balogh and Csiszár, 1963), deutonymph. (A) Dorsal view; (B) setae p2 and p3.

Figure 14. Crotonia flagellata (Balogh and Csiszár, 1963), deutonymph. (A) Dorsal view – specimen after cleaning; (B) setae c; (C) setae e2 and f2; (D) structure of seta h3.

Figure 15. Crotonia flagellata (Balogh and Csiszár, 1963), tritonymph. (A) Dorsal view; (B) ventral view.

Figure 16. Crotonia flagellata (Balogh and Csiszár, 1963), tritonymph. (A) General view – specimen before cleaning; (B) dorsal view – specimen before cleaning; (C) dorsal view – specimen after cleaning; (D) setae c and d; (E) posterior part of notogaster.

Figure 17. Crotonia flagellata (Balogh and Csiszár, 1963), adult. (A) Dorsal view (setae e2 missing); (B) ventral view.

Figure 18. Crotonia flagellata (Balogh and Csiszár, 1963), adult. (A) Dorsal view – specimen before cleaning; (B) dorsal view – specimen after cleaning; (C) central view – specimen after cleaning; (D) setae c and d3; (E) setae d; (F) seta f2; (G) posterior part of notogaster, dorsal view; (H) posterior part of notogaster, ventral view; (I) tarsus IV with three claws.