Protophthiracarus paratripartitus Niedbała, 2015

Niedbała, Wojciech & Ermilov, Sergey G., 2015, New species and records of ptyctimous mites (Acari, Oribatida) from Cuba, Zootaxa 4052 (1), pp. 135-142 : 138-141

Protophthiracarus paratripartitus Niedbała sp. nov.

( Fig. 3A–G )

Description. Measurements of holotype. Prodorsum: length 333, width 252, height 136; setae: ss 58, in 66, le 30, ro 63, ex 25; notogaster: length 737, width 454, height 394; setae: c 1 144, c 1/ c 1– d 1=0.65, h 1 139, ps 1 134; genitoaggenital plate 182 × 151; anoadanal plate 247 × 177.

Integument. Colour brown. Surface of body covered with deep concavities.

Prodorsum with long, strong humped median crista and two weaker lateral cristae. Lateral carinae distinct but short. Posterior furrows well marked. Sigillar fields visible only from dorsal view; median narrow, enlarged towards rostral setae, laterals shorter than median field. Sensilli club-like, fairly long, with long, thick stalk and dilated head, covered with small spines. Interlamellar setae rather short, procumbent, spiniform, rough. Lamellar setae short spiniform, smooth. Rostral setae thick, rough, directed inwards. Exobothridial setae shortest. Relation of lengths: in> ro> ss> le> ex.

Notogaster with 15 pairs of rigid, rather, thick, short (c 1<c 1– d 1) setae, covered with small spines in distal half and rather obtuse distally, except c 3 and ps 4 shortest, spiniform, smooth. Setae c 3 situated near anterior margin, c 1 slightly remote, c 2 far from margin. Vestigial setae f 1 slightly posterior of setae h 1. Setae f 2 on left side well developed, similar to setae c 3 and ps 4; on right side f 2 is vestigial. Four pairs of lyrifissures ia, im, ip, ips present.

Ventral region. Setae h of mentum considerably longer than distance between them. Genitoaggenital plates with 9 pairs of setae with formula: 4:5. Anoadanal plates each with 5 setae; setae ad 1 and anal setae long, attenuate, ad 1 longest; setae ad 2 and ad 3 short, smooth, similar in length to notogastral setae c 3 and ps 4.

Legs. Chaetome of setae and solenidia of “complete type ”. Setae d on femora I remote from distal end of article and curved distally.

Material examined. Holotype from Locality 2.

Etymology. The prefix para is Latin meaning “near” and refers to the similarity of the new species to Protophthiracarus tripartitus Niedbała & Schatz, 1996 .

Comparison. The new species is morphologically similar to Protophthiracarus tripartitus Niedbała & Schatz, 1996 from Belize by the presence of three lobes of dorsal cristae of prodorsum, similarity of shape of interlamellar and lamellar setae and setae ad 2 and ad 3 being the shortest on anoadanal plates and some similarity of sensilli. It is distinguishable by the shape of longer notogastral setae, mostly rigid, thick and covered with spines (versus majority of setae short, spiniform); different formula of genital setae 4:5 (versus 6(4+2):3).

Figures

FIGURE 3 A – G. Protophthiracarus paratripartitus Niedbała sp. nov. (holotype); measurements: prodorsum: length 333, width 252, height 136; notogaster: length 737, width 454, height 394. A, prodorsum, dorsal view; B, prodorsum, lateral view; C, opisthosoma, lateral view; D, mentum of subcapitulum; E, left genitoaggenital plate, F, left anoadanal plate; G, trochanter and femur of leg I.