Epidamaeus conjungenus, Xie, Lixia, Yang, Maofa & Huang, Rong, 2011

Xie, Lixia, Yang, Maofa & Huang, Rong, 2011, A new species of the genus Epidamaeus (Acari, Oribatida, Damaeidae) from China, ZooKeys 119, pp. 29-36 : 31-33

Epidamaeus conjungenus sp. n. Fig. 1

Material examined.

Holotype (female in Oudemans’ fluid), China: Luoyang city, Mt. Baiyun (34°23'25.18"N, 111°01'23.15"E), Henan province, from litter, 2100 m a.s.l., 16 Aug. 2008, coll. Li-xia Xie. Paratypes. Five adults (2 males, 3 females), with same data as holotype.

Etymology.

The specific name “conjunctus” is from Latin, and refers to the conjunct ridge.

Diagnosis.

Prodorsal tubercles Da, Ba, Bp present. Sensillus smooth, short, with conspicuous bars. Sa triangular, long and acuminate. Sp small, triangular. Enantiophysis E2 and V present. Vp bearing seta 3b. The setae of notogaster acuminate, radially directed. Leg setation as follows, femora 7-6-4-4; genua 4-4-3-2; tibiae 4-4-3-3; tarsi 21-18-18-15.

Dimensions.

Body length 913 (holotype), 913- 932 (mean 924, 6 paratypes); body width 605 (holotype), 602- 623 (mean 610, 6 paratypes). Males slightly smaller than females: body length of males holotype and 2 paratypes) 886- 902 (mean 894), body width of males 584- 592 (mean 588); body length of females (4 paratypes) 906- 914(mean 910), body width of females (4 paratypes) 596- 624 (mean 610).

Integument. Microtuberculate on all enantiophyses and apophyses, rostrum, lateral prodorsum and around leg acetabula. Cerotegument granules, thick, dense on most of body and legs, except digital part of tarsi. Notogaster with exuvial scalps, legs segments and lateral part of body with dense fungus micelles and adherent debris.

Prodorsum. Tubercles Da and Bp well developed, broadly rounded; Ba represented as high ridge. Propodolateral apophysis (P) absent. A ridge presents the side of prodorsum. Setae ro (175-183 μm) and le (216-221 μm) long, smooth, with conspicuous barbs; mutual distance of pairs le slightly less than that of ro (1.0:1.1). Interlamellar setae (96-104 μm), dark brown, with small barbs. Exobothridial setae (94-98 μm) smooth, relatively tenuous, attenuate. Sensillus (225-232 μm), with conspicuous barbs, undulating attenuate. Comparative length of prodorsal setae: ex <in <ro <le <ss.

Notogaster. Almost circular, slightly longer than wide. Anterior and posterior margins broadly rounded in dorsal view. Spinae adnatae large, directed anterolaterad in dorsal view, distance between their bases approximately equal to that between tubercles Bp. Notogastral setae of c-, l- and h-series inserted on distinct tubercles. Setae relatively smooth, brown, acuminate. Comparative length: lm <lp <la = h3 <h2 <h1= c1 = c2. The respective lengths: 88-94μm, 107-110 μm, 137-142 μm, 147-154 μm and 167-172 μm. Setae c1, c2 and la directed anterodorsad, other setae radially directed. A conjoint ridge connected to base of all notogastral setae. Mutual distance of setae c2 twice that of c1. Pseudanal setae undulating attenuate, the proximal half with obvious, thorn-like barbs, the distal half smooth. Comparative length: ps1> ps2> ps3.

Ventral region. Epimere I with medial pit and associated groove. Enantiophyses E2 and V well developed, broadly triangular in ventral view. Tubercle Vp bearing epimeral seta 3b. Parastigmatic tubercle Sa long, acuminate and triangular. Sp triangular, distinct in ventral view. Length of lateral aspect Sp twice as broad as Sa. Discidium acuminate, smaller than Sp, directed posterolaterad. Ventral setae faintly barbed. Setae 3c, 4d very long, flagelliform. Epimeral setation: 3-1-3-4. Anogenital region normal, seta ad3 close to anal valves. Fissure iad minute, represented by small, inconspicuous pore in lateral corner of valve. Anal aperture appreciably equal to genital aperture.

Gnathosoma. Infracapitular mentum slightly wider than long, without noticeable microtubercles. Hypostomal setae a, h and m thin, slightly barbed; seta a relatively short. Chelicera rather strong, fixed and movable digits with three blunt teeth; setae cha and chb conspicuously barbed. Palpal setation: 0-2-1-3-8 including solenidion ω.

Legs. Relative lengths (I-IV): 1: 0.84: 0.95: 1.1. Leg IV 1.1 times ventral body length; Femur IV 1.44 times length of trochanter IV. Formulae of leg setation and solenidia: I (1-7- 4- 4- 21) [1-2-2], II (1-6-4-4-18) [1-1-2], III (2-4-3-3-18) [1-1-0], IV (1-4-3-3-15) [0-1-0]; Each solenidion on genu I - III coupled with a respective seta d, seta d longer than solenidion on genu I-III. Solenidion φ 1 on tibia I flagelliform, and 2.2 times longer than φ 2.

Distribution.

Known only from the type locality.

Remarks.

Epidamaeus conjungenus sp. n. can be readily distinguished from most of known species of Epidamaeus by the coterminous ridge connected to the base of the notogastral setae. Pseudanal setae undulating attenuate, the proximal half with obvious, thorn-like barbs, the distal half smooth. Parastigmatic tubercle Sa very long, acuminate, Discidium(di) acuminate. The strong Spinae adnatae (Sa). The Prodorsum of this new species is somewhat similar to Epidamaeus verrucatus described by>Enami and Fujikawa (1989), but the setae of notogaster of new species are smooth, and lack of Propodolateral apophysis (P) and present tubercles Da and Bp.