Neofedrizzia leonilae Rosario and Hunter

Seeman, Owen D., 2007, Revision of the Fedrizziidae (Acari: Mesostigmata: Fedrizzioidea), Zootaxa 1480, pp. 1-55 : 44-46

Neofedrizzia leonilae Rosario and Hunter

( Fig. 50 )

Neofedrizzia leonilae Rosario and Hunter, 1984: 199 .

Type specimens. Paratypes, PHILIPPINE IS: F, Mt Makiling, Los Baños, Laguna, 8.iv.1971, A. Sayavoc, ex passalid beetle ( OSAL 0034876). M, same data except coll. G.D. Salinas Jr, ex bark of rotten log ( OSAL 0034877). In Ohio State University Acarology Laboratory Collection.

Diagnosis. Both sexes: idiosoma 718–780 long; anterior hyaline projection does not extend past CxI; exopodal patterning between CxII–III faintly striped; pedofossae III and IV absent; seta h1 with 9 barbs; distal spine-like process on palp femur thick, ca. 10 long; one non-filamentous excrescence ribbon-like, the other a short serrated blade; femur III and IV with small lamellae. Female: sternal shield smooth; seta st 1 18–32 shorter than to as long as base of tritosternum; setae st2-4 <10 long; sternogynial shield smooth, anterior margin straight. Male: tetartosternum absent, sternal processes not articulated with sternoventral shield, symmetrical, directed anteriorly, tips separate from each other; sternoventral shield (anterior of genital opening) smooth; seta st1 ca. 20 long, placed on anterior margin of sternoventral shield; genital opening placed between CxII–III, not flanked by pores.

Redescription. Female: Idiosoma 760 long, 560 wide; anterior hyaline projection with 1 pair of barbed setae 45 long. Tritosternum base 40 long, 30 wide. Tetartosternum reticulate, sternal shield smooth; tetartosternum crown-shaped; st1 barbed, 20 long, st2 8 long, st3 8 long, st4 5. Sternogynial shield 118 long, 108 wide, smooth, no pores and 3 setae flanking each side of shield. Ventral shield smooth medially and in intercoxal region, weakly reticulate laterally; 1 pair large semi-circular pores posteromedially of Cx IV, 1 pair of eye-like pores, 5–6 pairs of small round pores, and 6–7 pairs of small (<5 long) setae. Ventrianal shield 145 long, 335 wide, smooth to weakly reticulate, paranal setae 50 long, other setae minute; anterolateral corner of ventrianal shield not, or weakly, fused with ventral shield. Marginal shields weakly reticulate. Pedofossae III absent, CxIV-marginal suture weak, terminates well before edge of marginal shield.

Legs. TrI with seta pv1 slightly thicker than seta av1. FeI with seta pv3 longer and slightly thicker than setae pv1 and pv2. FeII with ventral lamella, seta pv1 30 long, setiform, seta pv2 25 long, setiform, seta ad1 barbed and thickened. GeII with setae ad3, pd3 thickened. FeIII with small lamella distal to av1; seta pv1 barbed, not spine-like, only slightly thickened; seta pd1 barbed, slightly thickened. GeIII and TiIII with pd setae slightly thickened. FeIV with lamella, expanded distal to av1, seta pv1 barbed, slightly thickened, seta pd2 just distal to ad2; seta ad2 thickened. TaII–IV with seta av2 and av3 spine-like, av2 subequal in length to seta av3.

Gnathosoma . Seta h1 curved, with 8–9 barbs, 55 long, distance between h1–h1 8; h2 with several small barbs, 45 long; h3 10 long, posterolaterad h2; palpcoxal seta 15 long. Corniculi on small tubercles. Palp, seta av1 on trochanter with> 6 long barbs, 43–45 long; av2 with few or no barbs, 45 long; palp femur with distal spine 10 long. Chelicera, fixed digit 135 long, movable digit 38 long; chelicerae otherwise obscured.

Male: Idiosoma 770 long, 620 wide. Tritosternum base broad, 48 long, 48 wide. Sternal processes not articulated with sternoventral shield, symmetrical, projecting from sternal shield, 38 long, with rounded ends, the internal margins bearing setae st1, 18–20 long. Sternal shield anterior of genital opening smooth. Seta st2 smooth, blade-like, 25 long, st3 18 long. Genital opening 50 long, 53 wide, without large pores laterad the opening. Large lamellae on Cx I. Gnathosoma . Seta h3 posterolaterad h1, level with h2.

Remarks. The original description of this species shows the female sternogynial shield flanked by relatively broad latigynial shields that each have three pairs of minute setae. However, these setae are not on the latigynial shield, but instead are on the ventral shield and flank the sternogynial shield. The latigynial shields lie beneath this shield (i.e. are internal) and do not bear setae, as in all Fedrizziidae . The male presternal area is also misrepresented: setae st1 are omitted – these are placed in the medial angle of the presternal processes ( Fig. 50 ). The sternal processes are also misinterpreted: the “tetartosternum” (which is fused to the sternoventral shield, yet lines of fusion are visible) is shown with a pair of anteriorly directed processes that arise from the interior surface of the sternoventral shield. These processes do not lie beneath the shield, but arise from its exterior surface.

Rosario & Hunter (1984) noted that this species resembles N. cynota and N. tani , but did not compare the species with its most strikingly similar species, N. vitzthumi . These species can be distinguished by the width of the idiosoma (560 in N. leonilae vs 510 in N. vitzthumi ), the length of the anterior dorsal setae (45 vs 20– 28), the length of setae st1 (20 vs 28–30) and st2 (8 vs 15), and the number of pores flanking the sternogynial shield (0 vs 2–3 pairs). Seta pv1 on FeIV also appears thicker in N. vitzthumi , but this small difference is difficult to quantify. A further difference is that stp3, on the sternogynial shield, have their centres 25–28 from the lateral margin of the sternogynial shield in N. leonilae but 15–18 from the lateral margin in N. vitzthumi . Thus, I have retained N. vitzthumi and N. leonilae as distinct species.

Figures

FIGURE 50. Neofedrizzia leonilae Rosario & Hunter, presternal area of male. Scale bar = 50.