Euphthiracarus (Parapocsia) medius Niedbała, 2014

Niedbała, Wojciech & Ermilov, Sergey G., 2014, Ptyctimous mites (Acari, Oribatida) from the Joint Russian-Vietnamese Biological Expedition (October 2013 – April 2014), Zootaxa 3884 (2), pp. 156-168 : 160-161

Euphthiracarus (Parapocsia) medius Niedbała sp. nov.

( Fig. 2A–D )

Description. Measurements of holotype. Prodorsum: length 223, width 159, height 104. Prodorsal setae: sensillus 81, in 94, le 86, ro 116, ex 18. Notogaster: length 379, width 232, height 263. Notogastral setae: c 1, h 1, p 1 63, c 3 35, d 1 51. Plates: genitoaggenital 119 × 68, anoadanal 164 × 38.

Integument. Colour rust-like. Surface of body punctate.

Prodorsum with two pairs of lateral carinae almost parallel and almost equal in length, relatively wide apart. Sensilli rigid, rod-like, without head, covered sparsely with small spines in distal half. Interlamellar setae bacilliform, erect, covered with small spines in distal half. Lamellar and rostral setae semi-erect; rostral also covered with small spines in distal half, lamellar setae longest, roughened. Distance between le and ro considerably shorter than between setae in and ro. Exobothridial setae fine.

Notogaster with relatively short (c 1 /c 1– d 1=0.5) setae, sparsely covered with small spines in distal half, dorsal setae longer than laterals, only setae d 1 as short as lateral setae. Setae of row c remote from anterior border, setae c 1 and c 2 more than c3. Openings of lateral opisthonotal glands and lyrifissures visible.

Ventral region. Setae h of mentum longer than distance between them. Nine pairs of genital setae with formula 6:3. Two pairs of equal in length aggenital setae. Anal setae an 1 and an 2 flexible and longer than an 3 and adanal setae. Lyrifissures iad located between ad 3 and an 3.

Legs heterotridactylous. Chaetome of legs not examined because the only available specimen (holotype) could not be dissected.

Material examined. Holotype: locality 4.

Comparison. The new species is very similar to Euphthiracarus (Pocsia) sarawaki Niedbała, 2000 from Malaysia, but it is readily distinguishable from the latter by the absence of anogenital cleft, distanced lamellar setae from the rostral setae (versus inserted almost in one transversal line), barbed sensilli (versus roughened sensilli), longer lamellar setae than interlamellar (versus longer interlamellar setae), dorsal setae (with exception d 1) longer than lateral setae (versus setae c 2 and cp longer than others), progenital region smooth (versus progenital region anteriorly serrate), anal setae an 1 and an 2 longer than adanal setae (versus anal setae shorter than adanal setae), setae ad 3 inserted nearer an 2 setae than an 3 setae (versus setae ad 3 inserted nearer an 3 setae than an 2 setae).

Etymology. The specific epithet medius is Latin for “intermediate, middle” and alludes to the intermediate taxonomic position of the new species between species of the subgenera Euphthiracarus (Euphthiracarus) and Euphthiracarus (Pocsia) .

Figures

FIGURE 2 A – D. Euphthiracarus (Parapocsia) medius Niedbała sp. nov.: A, prodorsum, dorsal view; B, prodorsum, lateral view; C, opisthosoma, lateral view; D, left genitoaggenital and anoadanal plates.