Protoribates cattienensis Ermilov & Anichkin, 2011

Chen, Shujing Xu Yannan & Chen, Jun, 2020, New species and records of oribatid mites of the genus Protoribates (Acari Oribatida, Haplozetidae) from China, Zootaxa 4772 (3), pp. 469-511 : 500-503

Protoribates cattienensis Ermilov & Anichkin, 2011

( Figs 23–24 )

Protoribates cattienensis Ermilov & Anichkin, 2011b: 49–53 , figs 4–5; Ermilov & Liao, 2018: 1019.

Supplementary description. Body length 390–460, width 170–225. Body color brown. Body surface punctate. Prodorsum. Rostrum slightly truncate. Lamellae located dorsolaterally, slightly longer than half of prodorsum.

Rostral setae (18–20) setiform, thin, smooth. Lamellar setae short (8–10), setiform, thin, smooth, inserted medially to lamellar ends. Interlamellar setae slightly thicker and longer than rostral setae (28–32), setiform, barbed. Bothridial setae (90–95) long, setiform, or with slightly unilaterally dilated, apically pointed, barbed head. Dorsophragmata comparatively long, longitudinally elongated, directed posteromedially.

Notogaster. Anterior notogastral margin convex medially, fine. Pteromorphs with distinct hinges. Ten pairs of notogastral setae short (8–16), thin, smooth. Three pairs of rounded porose areas, Aa larger (8–9) than A1 and A2 (4–6), porose areas A3 absent. Distance between porose areas A1–A1 subequal to A2–A2. Lyrifissures and opisthonotal gland openings clearly visible.

Gnathosoma . Subcapitulum longer than wide (95–111 × 62–71). Subcapitular setae (a, 13–16; h, 8–10; m, 13), setiform, h barbed; m thinnest.

Epimeral and lateral podosomal regions. Epimeral setal formula: 3-1-3-2(3?). Epimeral setae short (6–10), setiform, thin, smooth (setae 4c not clear to see). Circumpedal carinae of medium size, directed to pedotecta II, but not reaching it.

Anogenital region. Five pairs of genital (g 1, 13–16; g 2 –g 5, 6–8), one pair of aggenital (6), two pairs of anal (8– 13) and three pairs of adanal (ad 1, ad 2, 14–18; ad 3, 8–13) setae setiform, thin, smooth. Adanal setae ad 1 in posterior, ad 2 in lateral, ad 3 in anterior positions. Adanal lyrifissures located close and parallel to anal aperture.

Legs. Monodactylous.

Material examined. Seven females (on permanent slides, Anhui-91-5, Anhui-91-6): China, Anhui, Ningguo, litter, 1991, collected by Zongying Wang. Three females (one in alcohol and two on permanent slide, CYN-18-165): China, Sichuan, Pengzhou, Longmenshan Town, Jiufeng Villa , 31°29′64.76″N, 103°85′28.13″E, 1280 m a.s.l., litter under Metasequoia sp., 15.VIII.2018, collected by Yannan Chen.

Distribution. China (Anhui, Sichuan, Taiwan), Vietnam.

Remarks. The main diagnostic characters of the species are the extremely short lamellar setae and its insertion medially to the lamellar ends. In having these characters, it is very similar to P. geonjiensis Choi, 1994 . The species differs from the latter by the bothridial setae setiform (specimens in Sichuan) or with slightly narrow lanceolate distal part (specimens in Anhui) (vs. bothridial setae with evident unilaterally dilated head).

The specimens we examined differs from the original description ( Ermilov & Anichkin, 2011b) in the larger and wider body size (390–460 × 170–225 vs. 315–348 × 140–166), longer bothridial setae (90–95 vs. 57–65) and notogastral setae (8–16 vs. 6–8). The bothridial setae we examined shows two forms, one setiform, the other with slightly narrow lanceolate distal part. The other characters are the same. We don’t think these differences warrant considering them as different species.

P. cattienensis Ermilov & Anichkin, 2011 and P. geonjiensis Choi, 1994 are similar to the species of the genus Perxylobates Hammer, 1972 in the comparatively narrow body size, lamellar setae le inserted medially to lamellar ends and comparatively long dorsophragmata. They differ from the latter by the presence of the anterior notogastral margin (absent in the species of Perxylobates ), but the margin is fine. We think the species Protoribates cattienensis Ermilov & Anichkin, 2011 and Protoribates geonjiensis Choi, 1994 may belong to the genus Perxylobates Hammer, 1972 , but additional research is necessary.

Figures

FIGURE 23. Protoribates cattienensis Ermilov & Anichkin, 2011, adult. A. dorsal view; B. bothridial setae. Scale bars: A=50 μm, B=25 μm.

FIGURE 24. Protoribates cattienensis Ermilov & Anichkin, 2011, adult. A. ventral view. Scale bar 50 μm.