Proctophyllodes valchukae, Mironov, Sergey V., Dabert, Jacek & Dabert, Miroslawa, 2012

Mironov, Sergey V., Dabert, Jacek & Dabert, Miroslawa, 2012, A new feather mite species of the genus Proctophyllodes Robin, 1877 (Astigmata: Proctophyllodidae) from the Long-tailed Tit Aegithalos caudatus (Passeriformes: Aegithalidae) — morphological description with DNA barcode data, Zootaxa 3253, pp. 54-61 : 55-58

Proctophyllodes valchukae sp. n.

( Figs. 1–3 )

Type material. Male holotype (ZISP-4702), 7 male and 10 female paratypes ex Aegithalos caudatus (L.) (Aegithelidae), Russia, Primoriye, Partizanskii District, Novolitovsk, 9 km N, 42º51’40”N; 132º53’5.5”E, 8 October 2008, leg. S.V. Mironov. Holotype, 4 male and 4 female paratypes—ZISP, remaining paratypes— AMUMD.

DNA vouchers. Male paratype: AMUMD 016, GenBank Acc. JN936875 ( COI), JN936876 (D2), 4 female paratypes: AMUMD 001-4, GenBank Acc. JN936871 -74 ( COI).

Description. Male ( Figs. 1 A, B) (holotype, measurements for 5 paratypes in parentheses): gnathosoma length 44 (42–47), greatest width 36 (35–38). Idiosoma length 276 (270–280), width 146 (135–150). Prodorsal shield: setae vi rudimentary (scarcely distinct), anterior-lateral extensions acute, lateral margins entire, posterior margin slightly concave, posterior angles rounded, greatest length 77 (72–80), greatest width 102 (100–108), surface of shield without lacunae. Distances between scapular setae: se-se 57 (50–60). Scapular shields narrow. Humeral shields well developed, fused with epimerites III, encompassing setae cp. Setae c 2 in antero-mesal angle of humeral shield. Subhumeral setae c3 lanceolate, 13 (12–14) long, 3.5 (3.5–4) wide. Hysteronotal shield: anterior margin straight or slightly concave, anterior angles acute, length 179 (170–185), width at anterior margin 97 (95– 100), median part with small sparsely disposed pit-like lacunae. Supranal concavity opened terminally, anterior end extending beyond level of setae e2, length from bases of setae ps1 46 (45–52). Posterior margin of opisthosoma between setae h2 slightly convex. Terminal lamellae tongue-shaped, straight, not overlapping, with pennate venation; length of lamellae 52 (50–55), maximal width 18 (16–20). Setae ps1 as long as distance between them. Distances between hysteronotal setae: c2:d2 55 (53–60), d2: e2 75 (71–80), e2:h3 45 (44–50), d1:d2 18 (16–20), e1: e2 31 (25–32), h1:h2 15 (15–20), h2:h2 55 (51–56), h3:h3 31 (30–34), ps2: ps2 66 (65–70).

Epimerites I fused into a narrow U with weak connection, without lateral extensions. Setae 3a situated distinctly posterior to inner tips of epimerites IIIa. Genital arch of moderate size, 31 (30–32) in length, 24 (24–26) in width, its base situated at midlevel of trochanters IV, apex extending to midlevel between trochanters III and IV. Aedeagus sword-shaped, directed backward from genital arch apex, extending to midlevel between setae g and ps3, 51 (47–52) in length, 4 (4–4.5) in width at base; genital sheath poorly sclerotized, approximately as long as two thirds of aedeagus ( Fig. 2 A). Setae 4a at midlevel of genital arch. Paragenital and pregenital apodemes absent, genital papillae not connected. Opisthogastric shield represented by two pairs of sclerites: anterior (genital) sclerites longitudinal, with anterior ends adjoining to tips of genital arch, with posterior ends acute and slightly divergent; posterior (adanal) sclerites oblique, with anterior ends directed antero-medially and bearing setae ps3. Bases of setae g and ps 3 in trapezoidal arrangement, setae g filiform, setae ps3 narrowly lanceolate, distances between these setae: g:g 9 (8–9), g:ps3 18 (18–20), ps3:ps3 27 (26–32). Distance from genital arch apex to level of setae ps1 112 (110–115). Anal suckers cylindrical, 17 (15–18) in length, 13 (12–13) in width, corolla with 15–18 small teeth. Postero-lateral areas of ventral opisthosoma with 3–4 well pronounced bow-shaped striae.

Femora I, II with narrow ventral crests. Tarsus IV 27 (25–27) long, seta d at midlevel of this segment ( Fig. 2 C). Genual solenidion σIII situated approximately at midlevel of segment ( Fig. 2 B). Length of genual solenidia: σ 1 I 29 (26–29), σIII 12 (11–13).

Female ( Figs. 3 A, B) (range for 5 paratypes): Gnathosoma shaped as in males, length 60–66, width 54–56. Length of idiosoma 425–455, width 190–208. Prodorsal shield shaped as in males, except for straight posterior margin, length 98–105, width 93–107. Distances between scapular setae se 86–90. Scapular shields narrow. Humeral shields fused with epimerites III, encompassing bases of setae cp, setae c2 at anterior margin of this shield. Subhumeral setae c3 lanceolate, 13–16 long, 3.4–4 wide. Lobar region of opisthosoma distinctly separated from remaining part of hysterosoma, hysteronotal shield split into anterior and lobar parts by narrow transverse furrow. Anterior hysteronotal shield roughly rectangular, with anterior margin straight or shallowly concave, with posterior margin slightly sinuous, surface with poorly expressed small sparsely disposed lacunae, greatest length 235–245, width at anterior margin 120–135. Distance between hysteronotal and lobar shields 5–8. Lobar shield 70– 85 in length, 90–95 in width at level of extensions bearing setae h2. Opisthosomal lobes straight, slightly attenuate apically, nearly twice longer than wide; terminal cleft U-shaped, parallel-sided, length 40–47 in length, 20–22 in width at level of setae ps1. Setae h1 on posterior margin of hysteronotal shields. Setae ps1 on lateral margins of terminal cleft. Setae h2 with spindle-like basal enlargement and with long filiform distal part; setae h 3 16–24 long, about 1/6 of terminal appendages. Distance between dorsal setae: c2:d2 68–72, d2:e2 118–122, e2:h2 70–74, h2:h3 35–40, d1:d 2 17–20, e1: e2 42–48, h1:h 2 30–32, h2:ps 1 9–11, h1:h1 38–44, h2:h2 80–83.

Epimerites shaped as in males. Epigynum short bow-shaped, with thickened lateral parts, not extending to level of genital papillae, length 28–33, width 68–74. Apodemes of oviporus thin. Copulatory opening situated immediately posterior to anal opening and covered with heavily sclerotized semicircular plate-like extension ( Fig. 2 D). Translobar apodemes wide, connected to each other anterior to terminal cleft. Genital setae g anterior to level of setae 3b. Setae ps2 at level of posterior end of anal opening, widely separated from each other.

Femora I, II with ventral crest as in male. Solenidion σ of genu III situated at midlevel of segment or slightly distal to it. Length of genual solenidia: σ 1 I 37 –40, σIII 15–17.

Differential diagnosis. The new species Proctophyllodes valchukae sp. n. belongs to the tricetratus species group, of which males are mainly characterized by having a relatively short aedeagus (not extending to the bases of terminal lamellae) and the reduced sclerotization of the central part of the opisthogastric shield ( Atyeo & Braasch 1966). Because the opisthogastric shield varies in this group, being represented by one or two pairs of sclerites, or one unpaired genital fragment and two adanal fragments, this species group might be artificial. Within this group, the new species is close to P. stachyris Atyeo et Braasch, 1966 from the Greay-headed Babbler, Stachyris poliocephala (Temminck, 1836) ( Timaliidae ), by having relatively small tongue-shaped terminal lamellae and an opisthogastric shield split into two pairs of sclerites.

Proctophyllodes valchukae sp. n. differs from that species by the following features: in males, the aedeagus (in normal position) extends approximately to the midlevel between setae g and ps3, and the terminal lamellae are distinctly longer (52–55); in females, the terminal cleft is parallel-sided and the anterior end of this cleft lacks strong sclerotization. In males of P. stachyris , the aedeagus (in normal position) scarcely extends to the level of setae g, and the terminal lamellae are about 30 long; in females, the terminal cleft is V-shaped, and the cuticular wall around the anterior end of this terminal cleft is strongly thickened and heavily sclerotized.

DNA barcode. We sequenced a 613-bp fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene (DNA barcode region chosen by the Consortium for the Barcode of Life, http://barcoding.si.edu) and 788-bp of the nuclear 28S rDNA, containing D2 region ( Sonnenberg et al. 2007) for one male paratype (Acc. JN936875 , JN936876 ) and 4 female paratypes (Acc. JN936871 -4). The average genetic distance (K2P) within the P. valchukae COI sequences was 0.72% (SE 0.25). Because most of the nucleotide substitutions were synonymous, they resulted only in one amino acid change (substitution of glycine 189 with serine). No intraspecific variability in the P. valchukae D2 region of 28S rDNA was detected.

Etymology. The new species is named in honour of Dr. Olga P. Valchuk (Institute of Biology and Soil Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladivostok), the head of the bird banding station of the Amur-Ussurian Centre for Biodiversity of Birds.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Proctophyllodes valchukae sp. n., male. A—dorsal view, B—ventral view.

FIGURE 2. Proctophyllodes valchukae sp. n., details. A—ventral view of male opisthosoma, B—leg I of male, C—Tibia and tarsus IV of male, D—spermatheca and spermaducts. Abbreviations: as—adanal fragment of opisthogastric shield, ga—genital arch, gs—genital fragment of opisthogastric shield, sa—sheath of aedeagus.

FIGURE 3. Proctophyllodes valchukae sp. n., female. A—dorsal view, B— ventral view.