Parachipteria punctata ( Nicolet, 1855 )

Bayartogtokh, B. & Ryabinin, N. A., 2012, The Soil Mite Family Achipteriidae (Acari: Oribatida) In Mongolia And The Russian Far East, Acarologia 52 (2), pp. 135-156 : 149-151

Parachipteria punctata ( Nicolet, 1855)

( Fig. 8 )

Oribata punctatus: Nicolet, 1855: 434 .

Notaspis punctatus: Sellnick, 1928: 8 ; Willmann, 1931: 183, figs. 315-317; Balogh, 1943: 97, tab. 17, fig. 11; Tuxen, 1943: 333.

Achipteria punctatum: Forsslund, 1944: 102 ; Schweizer, 1956: 335, fig. 296.

Notaspis italicus: sensu Willmann, 1931: 183 (non Oudemans).

Parachipteria punctata: van der Hammen, 1952: 107 , figs. 10a, d-f, 11a, e; Bulanova-Zachvatkina, 1956: 217, fig. 295; Sellnick, 1960: 54; Shaldybina, 1975: 342, fig. 856; Marshall et al., 1987: 328; Beck and Woas, 1991: 79 , fig. 18; PØrez-Iaeigo, 1993: 126; Subías, 2004: 169; Weigmann, 2006: 357 , fig. 190A, B; Bayartogtokh, 2007: 360, fig. 285; 2010: 330, fig. 84O.

Diagnosis — With character states of Parachipteria (see Balogh and Balogh, 1992 and Weigmann, 2006 for generic diagnosis); total length 475 – 605 µm, dorsal and ventral plates with strong granular cerotegument; lamellae fused medially, lamellar cusp with large lateral dens; sensillus with club-shaped head, smooth; notogastral porose areas small, poorly visible; coxisternal setal formula 3-1- 3-2; tutorium narrow, slightly widening anteriorly in long, narrow cusp pointed distally; pedotectum I with distinct anterior tooth.

Measurements — Body length: 563 – 605 (586) µm, length of notogaster 452 – 496 (469) µm, width of notogaster 392 – 441 (418) µm.

Integument — Body color dark brown, strongly sclerotized species with minute microtubercles on prodorsum, notogaster and podosomal region. Granular cerotegument strongly developed at base prodorsum, notogaster, subcapitular mentum, and ventral plate.

Dorsal aspect — Rostrum rounded or slightly concave in dorsal view, but conspicuously projected and curved ventrally in lateral view. Rostral seta long, barbed, curving medially, and extending well beyond tip of rostrum. Lamellae fused medially, with large cusp; lateral dens of cusp large, pointed distally. Lamellar seta nearly as long as ro, moderately thick, but smooth, inserted medially on ventral side of lamellar cusp. Interlamellar seta long, fairly thick, smooth, slightly extending anteriorly beyond tip of lamella ( Fig. 8A and B ). Exobothridial seta minute, hardly discernable. Sensillus with slightly expanded club-shaped head about half total length, smooth ( Fig. 8F ). Notogaster slightly longer than wide, ratio 1.1:1, robust in lateral view; anterior margin rounded, posterior margin broadly rounded. Lenticular region weakly visible and lacking true lenticulus. Notogastral setae medium long, thin, smooth; setae c and la conspicuously longer than other setae. Porose areas nearly round in shape, Aa and A1 slightly larger than two others; lyrifissures im not evident, ih, ips and ip well developed ( Fig. 8A and C ). Lateral edge of pteromorph with granules.

Lateral aspect — Tutorium narrow, appearing pointed in dorsal aspect, but slightly widening anteriorly in long, narrow cusp pointed distally ( Fig. 8D ). Genal tooth sharply pointed distally, with genal notch extending posterior to insertion of seta ro. Pedotectum I well developed, fully covering acetabulum I, with distinct anterior tooth ( Fig. 8E ); pedotectum II small, ear-shaped, covering less than a quarter of acetabulum II.

Ventral aspect — Subcapitular mentum with granular cerotegument; setae h, m and a medium long, smooth. Capitular angle of coxisternum not projecting. Chelicera chelate-dentate. Axillary saccule absent from base of palp. Epimeral setae relatively long, thin, apparently smooth, formula 3-1-3- 2, seta 4c not evident. Six pairs of genital, one pair of aggenital, two pairs of anal and three pairs of adanal setae thin, smooth. Lyrifissure iad adjacent and parallel to anal aperture.

Legs — Each tarsus with large empodial claw and thin, longer lateral claws serrated dorsally. Formula of setation, including famulus: I (1-5-3-4-20), II (1-5-3-4-15), III (2-3-1-3-15), IV (1-2-2-3-12), formula of solenidia I (1-2-2), II (1-1-2), III (1-1-0), IV (0-1-0).

Material examined — Twenty-three specimens (nine males and 14 females): Sevsuul valley , Eastern shore of the Lake Hövsgöl, District Khankh , Province Hövsgöl, lichens growing on the bark of larch tree trunk in a cool temperate larch forest ( Larix sibiricus Ledebour, 1833 ), 51°16’N, 100°74’E, elevation 1680 m, 8 July 2007, Col. B. Bayartogtokh.

Remarks — The body size of the Mongolian specimens were relatively larger than those of the European specimens. The other character states of specimens examined here accord well with those studied by van der Hammen (1952), Beck and Woas (1991), PØrez-Iaeigo (1993), Weigmann (2006) from Europe, and some supplementary characteristics are provided here.

Figures

FIGURE 8: Parachipteria punctata (Nicolet, 1855): A – Dorsal view of idiosoma, legs omitted; B – Dorso-frontal view of prodorsum; C – Posterior view of opisthosoma; D – Tutorium, right, lateral view; E – Pedotectum I, right, lateral view; F – Sensillus and bothridium, lateral view.