Spinossisuropoda tanzanica, Hirschmann, 1979

Kontschán, Jenő & Starý, Josef, 2013, New Uropodine mites from Tanzania (Acari: Mesostigmata), Zootaxa 3683 (3), pp. 267-279 : 272-274

Spinossisuropoda tanzanica sp. nov.

( Figs 15–25 )

Material examined. Holotype. Female. Tanzania, Uluguru Mts., Bunduki village , 26 November 2010, 1592 m, mid-altitude afromontane deciduous forest , litter sifting 21, coll. V. Grebennikov ( HNHM). Paratypes. Two females ( MHNG), two females ( ISB), one female and one male in alcohol and one female and one male on slide ( HNHM) locality and date same as for holotype.

Description. Female. Length of idiosoma 890–920 µm, width 750–780 µm (n=7). Idiosoma pear-shaped, posterior margin rounded.

Dorsal idiosoma ( Fig. 15 ). Marginal and dorsal shields fused anteriorly. Dorsal shield covered by small oval pits and bearing short (ca. 40–45 µm) needle-like setae. Marginal shield posteriorly reduced, covered by small oval pits and bearing 25–26 long (ca. 180–320 µm), basally wide and apically narrow setae.

Ventral idiosoma ( Fig. 16 ). Sternal region with five pairs of smooth needle-like setae. Seta St1 (ca. 48 µm) inserted near anterior margin of genital shield; St2 (ca. 55 µm), St3 and St4 (ca. 95 µm) at the level of coxae III, St5 (ca. 110 µm) situated near basal edges of genital shield. Surface of sternal shield with some oval pits anterior to genital shield and between coxae III and IV. Ventral shield with five pairs of long (75–130 µm), smooth and needlelike setae. One pair of adgenital setae similar in shape and length to ventral setae, second pair of adgenital setae and unpaired postanal seta absent. Surface of ventral shield covered by small oval pits posterior to coxae IV and by large oval pits near basal margin of genital shield. Pedofossae absent. Genital shield linguliform, situated between coxae III and IV, with a rounded anterior edge and straight posterior edge. Posterior surface of genital shield covered by oval pits, anterior margin of genital shield with a crown-like process. Peritremes hook-shaped. Tritosternum ( Fig. 17 ) with narrow base, laciniae divided four smooth branches.

Gnathosoma ( Fig. 17 ). Corniculi small, smooth and horn-like, internal malae marginally pilose and longer than corniculi. Hypostomal setae h1 situated near anterior margin of gnathosoma, long (ca. 95 µm), smooth, lanceolate and apically pointed. Setae h2 short (ca. 56 µm), smooth and spine-like, situated near basis of h1. Setae h3 (ca. 74 µm), and h4 (ca. 65 µm) marginally pilose. Fixed digit of chelicera longer than movable digit, bearing a small tooth. Chelicera without an internal sclerotised node ( Fig. 19 ). Trochanter of palp bearing one long pilose seta and one short smooth ventral seta, other setae on palp smooth ( Fig. 17 ). Epistome marginally serrate, apically pilose ( Fig. 18 ).

Legs ( Figs 20–23 ). Leg I without ambulacral claws, all legs bearing needle-like, phylliform marginally pilose and bulbiform setae on ventral part of coxae of leg II, trochanters of leg I–II and femora and genua of all legs.

Male. Length of idiosoma 950–970 μm, width 890–920 μm (n = 2). Shape of idiosoma, ornamentation, and chaetotaxy of dorsum as in female. Sternal setae smooth and needle-like, St1 (ca. 20 µm) situated near anterior margin of sternal shield ( Figs 24–25 ), St2 (ca. 72 µm) at level of posterior margin of coxae II, St3 (ca. 68 µm) at level of central area of coxae III, St4, St5 and St6 situated near anteriolateral part of genital shield, St4 and St5 short (ca. 75–80 µm), St6 very long (ca. 150 µm). St7 short (ca. 65 µm) at level of posterior margin of coxae IV. Surface of sternal shield mostly smooth, several oval pits situated neat coxae III and IV. Genital shield oval and situated between coxae IV ( Fig. 24 ). Ventral setae and ornamentation similar to those of female.

Etymology. The name of the new species refers to the country where it was collected.

Remarks. The new species differs from the previously described Spinosissuropda species in the following characters: shape of apical process of genital shield of female, dorsal ornamentation and location of St1, as detailed in the following key.

Figures

FIGURES 15 – 19. Spinosissuropoda tanzanica sp. nov., holotype, female. 15. Body in dorsal view. 16. Body in ventral view. 17. Tritosternum, ventral view of gnathosoma and palp. 18. Epistome. 19. Chelicera.

FIGURES 20 – 25. Spinosissuropoda tanzanica sp. nov., holotype, female. 20. Leg I. 21. Leg II. 22. Leg III. 23. Leg IV. 24. Intercoxal area of male paratype. 25. Variability of position of the setae St 1 in another male paratype.