Afroleius deformatoides, Coetzee, 2013

Coetzee, L., 2013, New Species Of The Genus Afroleius Mahunka, 1984 (Acari, Oribatida, Mycobatidae) From South Africa, Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 59 (4), pp. 307-319 : 315-318

Afroleius deformatoides sp. n.

(Figs 15–17)

Diagnosis – Dorsalsurfaceandventralplatefoveate; epimeralsurface partlyfoveate; octotaxicsystemconsistingofporoseareas; inlateralview notogasterindented, ventralplateconvex; bothridialsetaclavate, stalkshort; bothridialopeningwide, directedanteriorly; rostralsetaminute; lamellarseta long, smooth, curvingmedially; interlamellarsetaminute; notogastralsetae veryshort; tarsusIwithoutdorsaldens; dorsaldensontarsusIIreducedto smallpoint.

Dimensions – Holotype (female): Length 374 μm, width 279 μm. Paratypes: Females (n = 2): Length 363 μm (362–364 μm), width 281 μm (279–282 μm). Males (n = 2): Length 331 μm (325–338 μm), width 247 μm (238–256 μm).

Prodorsum (Figs 15 & 16) – Rostrumroundedindorsalview; prodorsalsurfacefo- veate; lamellawide, extendingoverlateralmarginofprodorsum, surfacefinelypunctate; rostralseta (ventrallyvisible) minute (~ 5 μm), insertedatanteriorapexoftutorium; lamellarsetalong (~ 66 μm), smooth, curvedmedially; interlamellarsetaminute (~ 8 μm); bothridiumlarge, openingwide, directedanteriorly; headofbothridialsetaclavate, granular, surfacesmooth; prodorsalprofileinlateralviewdecliningsharplyfromlamellarapexto- wardsrostrum, withnarrowridgesfromlamellarapextowardsrostralseta (seeremarks).

Notogaster (Figs 15 & 16) – Tenpairsofminutenotogastralsetae (~ 8 μm) present; entiresurfacefoveate; indorsalviewanteriorlywithhighelevation, mediallyslightlyele- vated, laterallywithdeepdepressioninregionof im; postero- lateralmarginslightlyundulate; fourpairsofporoseareas, canalsoftenclearlyvisible; poroseareasA1 andA2 situated closetogether, nearsetah 3; opisthosomalgland gla small.

Podosomaandgnathosoma (Figs 16 & 17) – Surfaceofmentumwithfineridgesand punctae; genalnotchabsentbutsmallridgepresentextendingfromgenalbordertowards anteriorendoftutorium; axillarysacculeofmediumlength, epimeralsetaeminute; epimeralsurfaceanteriorlyfoveate, posteriorlyfinelypunctate; epimeralsetae 1c, 3c and 4c absent; tutoriumnarrow; anteriorsurfacebelowtutoriumfinelygranulate; pedotectum Ilarge, wide, surfacefoveate, inventralviewwithdeepnotchatpointoffusionwith epimereI; pedotectumIIsmall.

Ventralplate (Fig. 17) – Ventralplatehighlyconvex; surfaceofgenitalplatesstriated, analplatesfaintlyfoveate, ventralplatewithlargefoveae; aggenitalsetaepresent; preanal organlong, narrow; postanalporoseareaabsent.

Legs – Setalformula (trochantertotarsus, famulusincluded): LegI 1–5–3–4–20; Leg II 1–4–3–4–15; LegIII 2–2–1–3–15; LegIV 0–2–2–3–12; Solenidialformula (genutotarsus): Leg I 1–2–2; Leg II 1–1–2; Leg III 1–1–0; Leg IV 0–0–0.

Legs similar to A. deformis Mahunka, 1984 (see COETZEE 2007); dorsal integument of tarsi I, II and IV and tibiae I, II and IV thick. Leg I: Antiaxial fastigial seta short and thin; famulusveryshort; distalendofgenuantiaxiallywithdorsalandventralcusps. LegII: Tarsuswithsmallpointondorsalsideproximaltotectalsetae; distalendofgenuantiaxiallywithdorsalandventralcusps. LegIII: Lesssclerotizedthanotherlegs. LegIV: Dorsal surfaceoftarsusandtibiaslightlyuneven; tarsusantiaxiallywithdiagonaltectumrunning from ft” toproximo- ventralbaseofsegment; femurventrallywithwideflange; Solenidion ΦontibiaIVabsent, solenidialcanalpresent.

Thelimitednumberofspecimensavailableforstudyprohibiteddissectionofmate- rialfordetailedsketchesoflegs.

Materialexamined – Theholotype (female) ( NMB 2905.4 ) ( Fig. 18 ) andfourpara- types (twofemales, twomales) ( NMB 2905.4 , NMB 2904 . 4, 2902.5) – RoyalNatalNational Park 28°40’S 28°55’E, 14 December 1982 (C. M. Engelbrecht), soilandlitterinforested gorgesoneasternslopesofthenorthernDrakensbergmountainrange .

Etymology – Thesuffix –oidesmeaning “like” or “similarto” referstothesuperficial

resemblanceofthenewspeciesto A. deformis .

Remarks – Thisspeciesisverysimilartothetypespeciesofthegenus, Afroleiusdeformis Mahunka, 1984 intheunusualindentedshapeofthenoto- gasterandconvexshapeoftheventralplate. Itdiffersfrom A. deformis in havingporoseareasinsteadoftheunusuallyshapedsacculipresentin A.

Figs 15–17. Afroleius deformatoides sp. n.: 15 = dorsal aspect, 16 = lateral aspect, 17 = ventral aspect. Scalebarμm.

deformis , centralpartofthenotogasterfoveate (smoothin A. deformis ) andthe presenceofaggenitalsetae (absentin A. deformis ). Theridgesextendingfrom thelamellarapicestowardstherostralsetaareinmyviewnothomologous toprolamellae, butmaybetheresultoftheunusualshapeoftheprodorsum. Theseridgesarealsopresentin A. deformis . Thenewspeciesisalsosmaller than A. deformis . The average length and width of A. deformis is 392 μm × 323 μm, while in the new species it is 353 μm × 271 μm. A. deformis is an inhabit- antoflowlyingforestedareasinthesouthandeastofthecountry, while A. deformatoides sp. n. hassofaronlybeenfoundinthehighaltitudeforested gorgesoftheDrakensbergmountainrange.

Figures

Fig. 18. Known distribution of A. crassus sp. n. (circle); A. decurvatus sp. n. (triangle) and A. deformatoides sp. n. (cross) in South Africa.