Torrenticola karambita Fisher & Dowling

Fisher, J. Ray, Fisher, Danielle M., Skvarla, Michael J., Nelson, Whitney A. & Dowling, Ashley P. G., 2017, Revision of torrent mites (Parasitengona, Torrenticolidae, Torrenticola) of the United States and Canada: 90 descriptions, molecular phylogenetics, and a key to species, ZooKeys 701, pp. 1-496 : 1

Torrenticola karambita Fisher & Dowling sp. n.

Material examined.

HOLOTYPE (♀): from USA, Tennessee, Sevier County, Great Smokey Mountains National Park, Sugarlands Nature Trail (35°40'47"N, 83°31'51"W), 10 Sep 2010, by IM Smith, IMS100125, DNA 1758.

PARATYPES (1 ♀; 3 ♂): 1 ♂ (ALLOTYPE) from Sevier County, Great Smokey Mountains National Park, Sugarlands Nature Trail (35°40'47"N, 83°31'51"W), 10 Sep 2010, by IM Smith, IMS100125, DNA 1846 • 1 ♀ and 2 ♂ from Sevier County, Great Smokey Mountains National Park, Sugarlands Nature Trail (35°40'47"N, 83°31'51"W), 10 Sep 2010, by IM Smith, IMS100125

Type deposition.

Holotype (♀), allotype (♂), and some paratypes (1 ♂) deposited in the CNC; other paratypes (1 ♀; 1 ♂) deposited in the ACUA.

Diagnosis.

Torrenticola karambita is similar to other members of the Erectirostra Group ( T. erectirostra and T. robisoni ) in having an upturned rostrum that is wide when viewed ventrally. T. karambita can be differentiated from T. erectirostra and T. robisoni by lacking coloration ( T. erectirostra has purplish dorsal coloration) and a slightly stockier rostrum (length/width ♀ = 1.57-1.62 in T. karambita , 1.72-2.09 in others; ♂ = 1.6-1.95 in T. karambita , 2.0-2.2 in T. erectirostra ).

Description.

Female (Figure 109) (n = 2) (holotype measurements in parentheses when available) with characters of the genus with following specifications.

Dorsum - (690-725 (690) long; 490-500 (490) wide) ovoid and colorless. Anterio-medial platelets (145-162.5 (145) long; 65-75 (65) wide). Anterio-lateral platelets (217.5-220 (217.5) long; 80-82.5 (82.5) wide) free from dorsal plate. Dgl-4 much closer to the edge of the dorsum than to the muscle scars (distance between Dgl-4 340-360 (340)). Dorsal plate proportions: dorsum length/width 1.41-1.45 (1.41); dorsal width/distance between Dgl-4 1.39-1.44 (1.44); anterio-medial platelet length/width 2.17-2.23 (2.23); anterio-lateral platelet length/width 2.64-2.75 (2.64); anterio-lateral/anterio-medial length 1.35-1.50 (1.50).

Gnathosoma - Subcapitulum (325-350 (325) long (ventral); 229-254 (229) long (dorsal); 135-135 (135) tall) colorless. Rostrum (110-117.5 (110) long; 70-72.5 (70) wide) wide and unturned with dentation. Chelicerae (320-329 (321) long) with curved fangs (40-52 (41) long). Subcapitular proportions: ventral length/height 2.41-2.59 (2.41); rostrum length/width 1.57-1.62 (1.57). Pedipalps short and stocky (especially tibiae) with short tuberculate ventral extensions on femora and genua. Palpomeres: trochanter (52.5-55 (52.5) long); femur (101.25-105 (101.25) long); genu (65-67.5 (67.5) long); tibia (55-57.5 (55) long; 30-30 (30) wide); tarsus (17.5-17.5 (17.5) long). Palpomere proportions: femur/genu 1.50-1.62 (1.50); tibia/femur 0.54-0.55 (0.54); tibia length/width 1.83-1.92 (1.83).

Venter - (850-850 (850) long; 595-607 (607) wide) colorless. Gnathosomal bay (170-172.5 (172.5) long; 125-130 (130) wide). Cxgl-4 far from apex. Medial suture (15-17.5 (15) long). Genital plates (195-197.5 (195) long; 165-175 (165) wide). Additional measurements: Cx-1 (336-348 (336) long (total); 159-175 (174) long (medial)); Cx-3 (415-441 (415) wide); anterior venter (202.5-222.5 (202.5) long). Ventral proportions: gnathosomal bay length/width 1.33-1.36 (1.33); anterior venter/genital field length 1.04-1.13 (1.04); anterior venter length/genital field width 1.23-1.27 (1.23); anterior venter/medial suture 12.71-13.50 (13.50).

Male (Figure 110) (n = 3) (allotypic measurements in parentheses when available) with characters of the genus with following specifications.

Dorsum- (610-655 (610) long; 410-440 (420) wide) ovoid and colorless. Anterio-medial platelets (133.75-145 (133.75) long; 65-67.5 (65) wide). Anterio-lateral platelets (205-217.5 (207.5) long; 75-77.5 (75) wide) free from dorsal plate. Dgl-4 much closer to the edge of the dorsum than to the muscle scars (distance between Dgl-4 290-330 (290)). Dorsal plate proportions: dorsum length/width 1.44-1.60 (1.45); dorsal width/distance between Dgl-4 1.33-1.45 (1.45); anterio-medial platelet length/width 2.06-2.19 (2.06); anterio-lateral platelet length/width 2.65-2.81 (2.77); anterio-lateral/anterio-medial length 1.44-1.55 (1.55).

Gnathosoma - Subcapitulum (285-290 (290) long (ventral); 202-210 (202) long (dorsal); 108.75-115 (112.5) tall) colorless. Rostrum (97.5-102.5 (97.5) long; 52.5-60 (60) wide) wide and unturned with dentation. Chelicerae (268-269 (269) long) with curved fangs (43-52 (47) long). Subcapitular proportions: ventral length/height 2.48-2.67 (2.58); rostrum length/width 1.63-1.95 (1.63). Pedipalps short and stocky (especially tibiae) with short tuberculate ventral extensions on femora and genua. Palpomeres: trochanter (47.5-48.75 (47.5) long); femur (87.5-95 (95) long); genu (57.5-62.5 (62.5) long); tibia (55-57.5 (57.5) long; 27.5-27.5 (27.5) wide); tarsus (15-17.5 (17.5) long). Palpomere proportions: femur/genu 1.44-1.52 (1.52); tibia/femur 0.61-0.63 (0.61); tibia length/width 2.00-2.09 (2.09).

Venter - (760-785 (760) long; 490-521 (512) wide) colorless. Gnathosomal bay (165-175 (165) long; 105-107.5 (107.5) wide). Cxgl-4 far from apex. Medial suture (70-77.5 (77.5) long). Genital plates (156.25-167.5 (157.5) long; 120-125 (125) wide). Additional measurements: Cx-1 (284-320 (284) long (total); 115-154 (116) long (medial)); Cx-3 (366-373 (372) wide); anterior venter (247.5-248.75 (248.75) long). Ventral proportions: gnathosomal bay length/width 1.53-1.67 (1.53); anterior venter/genital field length 1.48-1.58 (1.58); anterior venter length/genital field width 1.99-2.06 (1.99); anterior venter/medial suture 3.19-3.54 (3.21).

Immatures unknown.

Etymology.

Specific epithet ( karambita ) refers to the upturned rostrum that has dentation on both sides in females, which resembles a karambit-small, recurved knives used in the Filipino martial arts practiced by JRF. The karambit is thought to have originated with the Minangkabau people of West Sumatra based upon a similarity to a tiger’s claws.

Distribution.

Known only from Great Smokey Mountains National Park, Sevier County, Tennessee (Figure 108).

Remarks.

Torrenticola karambita groups with other members of the Raptor Complex with high support in all analyses and specimens are less than 2% different in COI sequence from each other. In the combined analysis, T. karambita groups with two other species that share the modified subcapitulum with upturned rostrum: T. erectirostra and T. robisoni . These species are greater than 9% different from each other. Based upon overall similarity, distribution, and phylogenetic position, these species are placed within the Erectirostra Identification Group.

This species hypothesis is supported by low COI divergence within the species (0-2%), high divergence between species (3-15%), and the morphological characters outlined in the diagnosis.