Notophthiracarus quasipedanos Niedbała, 2024

Niedbała, Wojciech & Magowski, Wojciech Ł., 2024, New species of ptyctimous mites (Acari, Oribatida) from the Peruvian Andes, Zootaxa 5448 (3), pp. 401-416 : 411

Notophthiracarus quasipedanos Niedbała sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:30F2D04E-FE67-43F7-A5A7-465F641629CE

( Fig. 1B , 6 )

Description. Measurements of holotype: prodorsum: length 253, width 174, height 91, setae: tr 43, in 35, le 23, ro 30, ex 18; notogaster: length 454, width 308, height 318, setae: c 1 71, c 1 / c 1 - d 1 =0.7, cp 33, h 1 101, ps 1 96, ps 2 63, ps 3 38, ps 4 44; genitoaggenital plate 126×86, anoadanal plate 131×76. Measurements of paratypes: prodorsum: length 260-360, height 94–101; notogaster: length 490–560, height 318–404.

Medium-sized species. Colour light brown. Surface of body covered with deep, regular concavities.

Prodorsum with small median crista. Lateral carinae long, distinct, exceeding the sinus. Sigillar fields long and narrow. Posterior furrows absent. Distinct ridges present above bothridia. Trichobothria short with narrow stalk and fusiform, smooth head pointed distally. Interlamellar and lamellar setae similar in shape to each other and to dorsal notogastral setae but shorter, thick, covered with small spines in distal half. Rostral setae spiniform, coarse rough; tr> in> ro> le> ex.

Notogaster with 15 pairs of rather short (c 1 <c 1 - d 1), setae, dorsal longer than lateral ones, strong, thick, blunt distally, covered with distinct spines in distal half. Setae c 1-3 located far from notogaster anterior margin so that c 3 more remote than c 1; and c 2 farthest of all three from said margin. Vestigial setae f 1 not visible. Two pairs of lyrifissures ia and im present, lyrifissures ia situated contiguous to setae cp.

Venter. Setae h of mentum slightly shorter than distance between them. Formula of genital setae: 9(4+2): 3. Anoadanal plates each with five setae, anal setae thick, rough, the longest; setae ad 3 shorter, spiniform, smooth; ad 1 and ad 2 vestigial.

Legs. Setation complete. Setae d on femora I long, remote from distal end of its segment, setae l ʺ located proximaly to v ʺ.

Type material. Holotype and 9 paratypes: South America , Andes , Central Peru, Huánuco Department, Huánuco Province, Chinchao District , NW Tunel de Carpish , 09°42’58’’S, 75°05’33’’W, 2770 m a.s.l., upper soil and leaf litter in primary mountain forest, Winkler extraction (sample 1.1), 14. IV. 2016, leg. S. Friedrich, F. Wachtel and D. Hauth.

Etymology. The prefix quasi in Latin means “near” and refers to the similarity of the new species to Notophthiracarus pedanos Niedbała, 2003 from Costa Rica.

Diagnosis. The new species is most similar to N. pedanos by the shape of trichobothria, length of sigillar fields, short interlamellar and lamellar setae, formula of genital setae 9(4+2): 3, vestigial form of setae ad 1 and ad 2, length and arrangement of setae on femora I. However, it differs by the presence of deep cancavities of body surface (finely dimpled in N. pedanos ), shape of setae not spiniform, covered with distinct spines (vs. spiniform, coarse), presence of lateral carinae of prodorsum (vs. absence of the carinae), setae cp near contiguous with lyrifissurae ia (versus cp and ia clearly separate), setae h of mentum shorter than their mutual distance (versus longer).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Representatives of newly reported species of box mites from Peruvian Andes– habitus. A—Austrophthiracarus pachiteaensis sp. nov.; B—Notophthiracarus quasipedanos sp. nov. Scale bars 100 µm (A, B).

FIGURE6. Notophthiracarusquasipedanos sp.nov.A—prodorsum,lateral view;B—prodorsum,dorsal view; C—opisthosoma, lateral view; D—mentum of subcapitulum; E—right genitoaggenital plate; F—right anoadanal plate G—trochanter and femur of leg I. Scale bars 100 µm (C), 50 µm (A, B, E, F), 25 µm (D, G).