Jugatala

Bayartogtokh, B. & Schatz, H., 2008, Trichoribates and Jugatala (Acari: Oribatida: Ceratozetidae) from the Central and Southern Alps, with notes on their distribution, Zootaxa 1948, pp. 1-35 : 2

[The genus Jugatala ]

The genus Jugatala was established by Ewing (1913) with J. tuberosa Ewing, 1913 as type species. This small genus comprises only seven described species: J. angulata (C. L. Koch, 1840), J. armata (Hammer, 1958), J. chavinensis Hammer, 1961, J. cribelliger (Berlese, 1904), J. montana Hammer, 1961, J. rotunda Willmann, 1953 and J. tuberosa Ewing, 1913. Most of these species ( J. armata , J. chavinensis , J. montana , J. tuberosa ) are known from South and North America (Ewing 1913; Hammer 1958, 1961; Marshall et al. 1987; Behan-Pelletier 2000). Only three species have been found in Europe, namely J. angulata , J. cribelliger and J. rotunda . Two of them, Jugatala angulata and J. cribelliger are known only from the Central and southern Europe (Schweizer 1956; Schatz 1983; Bernini et al. 1995; Mahunka & Mahunka Papp 1995; Niedbała & Olszanowski 1997; Subías & Gil-Martín 1997; Starý 2000a, 2000b, 2006; Weigmann 2006). The third species, J. rotunda is known only by its original description from the type locality (Willmann 1953), but later it was reported from the Czech and Slovak Republics ( Starý 2000b, 2006). However, the taxonomic Status of J. rotunda is problematic (see below).

Until recently, the family placement of the genus Jugatala was unclear. Grandjean (1963) included it in the family Ceratozetidae , but Balogh (1972) moved it to the family Mycobatidae . Recently, Subías (2000) accepted the genus as a member of Ceratozetidae , and he placed most of the " Jugatala " species in different genera of that family ( J. cribelliger was combined with Mycobates ). Behan-Pelletier (2000) provided strong evidence for Jugatala as a member of Ceratozetidae , based on the studies of immature stages of the type species. Further, the leg setation of the two species examined here confirms Jugatala as a member of Ceratozetidae since they bear thick and heavily barbed setae l" of tibiae and genua and lack the posterior notogastral tectum, as opposed to having normal leg setae l" as well as presence of a posterior notogastral tectum in adults of Mycobatidae .

The combination of following characters of adults is considered here as diagnostic features for Jugatala . Rostrum rounded; lamella narrow to wide, with cusp and translamella; lamellar cusp without lateral and median dens or with minute lateral dens; bothridium cup shaped; sensillus with capitate or clavate head, rounded distally; tutorium narrow, with cusp pointed distally; notogaster with pteromorph curved ventrally, line of desclerotization absent; lenticulus present or absent; 10 or 11 pairs of notogastral setae, dp present or absent; four to seven pairs of notogastral porose areas; six pairs of genital setae; all legs heterotridactylous; tibia I with dorsodistal apophysis bearing solenidion phi2; seta l" of tibiae and genua I-IV thick, heavily barbed.