Suctobelbella (Flagrosuctobelba) plumosa Chinone, 2003

Bayartogtokh, Badamdorj & Bae, Yang-Seop, 2024, New findings of oribatid mites of the genus Suctobelbella (Acari: Oribatida: Suctobelbidae) from Korea, Zootaxa 5556 (1), pp. 226-241 : 231-236

Suctobelbella (Flagrosuctobelba) plumosa Chinone, 2003

( Figures 5 , 6 )

Suctobelbella plumosa Chinone, 2003, p. 80 , fig. 49.

Suctobelbella (Flagrosuctobelba) plumosa : Subías 2008, p. 251.

Measurements. Body length 176 μm, width of notogaster 113 μm, length of notogaster 105 μm.

Supplementary description. Body colour yellowish brown, body surface nearly smooth, anterior part of prodorsum and interbothridial region with few tubercles. Lateral side of prodorsum partially covered by granular cerotegument. Rostrum rounded centrally, with 4-5 large teeth laterally. Tectopedial field relatively short, but very wide, irregular oval; median prodorsal tubercle subquadrangular, with distinct anterior and posterior projections. Lamellar seta medium long; interlamellar seta represented by its alveolus; exobothridial seta not evident. Bothridial seta long, nearly setiform, slightly expanded medially, and pectinated in distal half. Interbothridial tubercle large, irregularly rounded or subtriangular; postbothridial tubercle small, rounded. Notogaster almost round, very slightly longer than wide, anterior margin almost straight. Medial humeral tubercle large, lateral tubercle small, opposite to postbothridial and interbothridial tubercles, respectively. Notogastral setae lm, lp, h 1, h 2 and h 3 thick, pectinated, while seta la thick, but smooth, setae c, p 1 and p 2 thin, smooth. Lyrifissures ia, im, ih, ips and opisthonotal gland opening clearly developed. Subcapitulum longer than wide, subcapitular setae medium long, subequal in size. Apodemes apo.2, apo.sj and apo.4 strongly developed, without medial cavity; epimeral setae short, setiform. Five pairs of genital setae; all anogenital setae medium long, subequal in length; seta ad 1 inserted posterolateral to anal aperture. Distance ad 3 – ad 3 much shorter than ag–ag. Leg setal formula: I (1-5-2-4-20), II (1-5-2-4-13), III (2-3-1-3- 13), IV (1-2-2-3-10); formula of solenidia: I (1-2-2), II (1-1-2), III (1-1-0], IV (0-1-0].

Material examined. One specimen (female): Gotjawal Park , Seoguipo-shi, Jeju-do, Korea, soil under broad-leaved trees, 25 July 2023, Coll. Y.S. Bae.

Distribution and habitat ecology. Currently, this species is known only from Japan and Korea, and it is an inhabitant of the litter and soil of various forests composed by the deciduous as well as coniferous trees, i.e., oak, alder, beech, cedar, chestnut, pine, and camphor trees (see Chinone 2003).

Remarks. The character states of the present material accord well with those of the specimens studied by Chinone (2003). We found only a few slight differences, such as the interbothridial tubercle in the Japanese material is rhomboid or subquadrangular (irregularly rounded or subtriangular in Korean specimens); relatively narrow, cone-shaped medial humeral tubercle (wide, irregularly rounded or subtriangular in Korean specimens), and much longer subcapitular setae (short in Korean specimens). We consider these differences as intraspecific variations of different populations.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Line drawing images of Suctobelbella (Flagrosuctobelba) plumosa Chinone, 2003. A—Dorsal view (legs except basal part not illustrated); B—Ventral view (legs not illustrated); C—Lateral view of rostrum.

FIGURE 6. Compound microscopic images of Suctobelbella (Flagrosuctobelba) plumosa Chinone, 2003. A—Dorsal view; B—Ventral view; C—Lateral view.