Tripiloppia frigida, Ermilov, Sergey G. & Minor, Maria A., 2015

Ermilov, Sergey G. & Minor, Maria A., 2015, New Oppiidae (Acari, Oribatida) from New Zealand, Zootaxa 4007 (2), pp. 181-194 : 182-185

Tripiloppia frigida sp. nov.

( Figures 1 –9)

Diagnosis. Body size: 415–448 × 215–249. Rostrum tripartite, with medial tooth and two narrow incisions. Lamellar setae the shortest on prodorsum, inserted on costulae; interlamellar setae the longest. Bothridial setae lanceolate, with 3 to 4 short cilia unilaterally. Costulae almost parallel, slightly convergent anteriorly. Anterior notogastral border with trapezoid protrusion. Humeral cristae and tubercles not visible. Notogastral setae la inserted antero-laterally to lm. Five pairs of genital setae.

Description. Measurements. Body length: 448 (holotype, female), 415–448 (6 paratypes: 2 females, 4 males); notogaster width: 240 (holotype), 215–249 (6 paratypes).

Integument. Body color light brownish. Body surface smooth, but dorso-lateral and lateral sides of basal part of prodorsum with tuberculate (diameter tubercles up to 4) and microgranulate cerotegument. Subcapitular genae punctate.

Prodorsum. Rostrum tripartite, with conical, rounded distally medial tooth and two narrow incisions. Rostral (ro, 30–32), lamellar (le, 16) and exobothridial (ex, 41–49) setae setiform, thin, smooth. Lamellar setae inserted on costulae. Interlamellar setae (in, 61–65) thicker, barbed. Bothridial setae (ss, 77–90) narrowly lanceolate, with thin, straight apex and 3 to 4 short cilia unilaterally. Costulae well developed, shorter than half of prodorsum, almost parallel, slightly convergent anteriorly. Longitudinal rows of muscle sigillae not found anteriad of or between bothridia. One pair of small interbothridial tubercles present postero-medially to the insertios of interlamellar setae. Postbothridial tubercles present, usually double.

Notogaster. Anterior border with one pair of short cristae and a trapezoid protrusion, which has two small, antero-lateral tubercles. Humeral cristae and tubercles not visible. Ten pairs of notogastral setae of medium size; c (49–57) barbed, other shorter (la, lm, lp, h 1– h 3, p 1, 45–49; p 2, p 3, 36–41), smooth. Setae la inserted antero-laterally to lm. Lyrifissures ia, im, ip, ih, ips and opisthonotal gland openings (gla) well visible.

Gnathosoma . Subcapitulum longer than wide (98–106 × 61–69). Subcapitular setae setiform, smooth; m (28– 32) longer than h (20–22) and a (12). Two pairs of adoral setae (or 1, or 2, 4) spiniform. Palps (53) with setation 0–2– 1–3–8(+ω); their solenidion longer than half of palptarsus, thickened, blunt-ended, pressed to the surface, attached distally to proximal part of seta ul". Chelicerae (94–98) with 2 setiform setae; cha (28–32) slightly barbed, longer than smooth chb (8–12). Trägårdh’s organ (Tg) tapered.

Epimeral and lateral podosomal regions. Apodemes (1, 2, sejugal, 4) well visible. Epimeral setae setiform, smooth; medial setae 1a, 2a, 3a (14–16) shorter than others (20–22). Pedotecta I (Pd I) represented by small laminae. Discidia (dis) slightly developed, rounded.

Anogenital region. Five pairs of genital (g 1– g 5, 14–16), 3 pairs of aggenital (ag, 20), 3 pairs of adanal (ad 1– ad 3, 24–28) and 2 pairs of anal (an 1, an 2, 20) setae setiform, smooth. Adanal lyrifissures (iad) distinct, located very close to anal aperture.

Legs. Claw of each leg smooth, with small ventro-basal tubercle. Formulas of leg setation and solenidia: I (1– 5–2–4–20) [1–2–2], II (1–5–2–4–16) [1–1–2], III (2–3–1–3–15) [1–1–0], IV (1–2–2–3–12) [0–1–0]; homology of setae and solenidia indicated in Table 1. Setae p setiform on tarsi I, and very short, conical on tarsi II–IV. Famuli (ɛ) setiform, thin, straight, inserted posteriorly to solenidia ω1 and setae ft".

Material examined. Holotype (female) and six paratypes (two females and four males): New Zealand, South Island, Central Otago, Pisa Range, 44°52'11''S, 169°10'9''E, 1797 m a.s.l., in soil and debris under Dracophyllum muscoides cushion, 18 February 2014, collected by M. Minor.

Type deposition. The holotype and two paratypes are deposited in the New Zealand National Arthropod Collection, Auckland, New Zealand; two paratypes are deposited in the collection of the Senckenberg Institution, Frankfurt, Germany; two paratypes are deposited in the collection of the Tyumen State University Museum of Zoology, Tyumen, Russia.

Etymology. The specific name frigida refers to the cold environment of alpine cushion fields where this species was found.

Remarks. Tripiloppia frigida sp. nov. is morphologically most similar to T. dalenii Hammer, 1968 from New Zealand in having short cilia on bothridial head and parallel, slightly convergent costulae. However, the new species differs from the latter by the lanceolate bothridial setae (vs. without developed head), five pairs of genital setae (vs. four pairs) and trapezoid anterior notogastral protrusion (vs. without protrusion).

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 2. Tripiloppia frigida sp. nov., adult: 1 — dorsal view; 2 — ventral view (legs except trochanters not illustrated). Scale bar 100 Μm.