Protodinychus punctatus Evans, 1957

Kontschán, Jenő & Kiss, Balázs, 2014, First record of the family Protodinychidae Evans, 1957 (Acari: Mesostigmata: Uropodina) from Hungary, Ecologica Montenegrina 2 (4), pp. 283-288 : 285-286

Protodinychus punctatus Evans, 1957

Material examined: One female, Hungary, Budapest, Highway M 0, “Ferihegy” rest stop, from soil, 14.X.2013. leg. Ács, A. & Kiss, B.

Description based of newly collected female:

Length of idiosoma 860 µm, width 720 µm (n=1). Shape oval, posterior margin rounded. Color reddish brown.

Dorsal idiosoma ( Figure 1): Dorsal shield scutiform (ca 506 µm long and ca 438 µm wide) covered by oval pits and bearing ten pairs of spiniform setae (ca 68–72 µm) ( Fig. 2). One pair of lyriform fissures placed on row j, between setae j2 and j3, muscle scars can be seen between last setae on row j. Marginal shield reduced, situated only on anterior margin of dorsal idiosoma, covered by oval pits and bearing with two pairs of setae, first pairs of setae ca 80 µm, second pairs ca 40 µm. Pygidial shield wider (ca 305 µm) than long (ca 64 µm), without setae and sculptural pattern. Two pairs of setae and three pairs of poroids situated between dorsal and pygidial shields. Eight pairs of setae situated on membranous cuticle around dorsal and pygidial shield. Margins of idiosoma with twelve pairs of setae, these setae similar in shape and length to setae on dorsal shield. Two pairs of lyriform fissures and two pairs of poroids situated on membranous cuticle lateral to dorsal and pygidial shields.

Ventral idiosoma ( Figure 3): Tritosternum with narrow basis, laciniae divided to marginally serrate branches ( Fig. 4). Central area of sternal shield without ornamentation, close to coxae I-III some oval pits can be seen. Sternal setae smooth and needle-like, St1 and St2 shorter (ca 15–17 µm), St3 and St4 longer (ca 28–31 µm), St1-St3 situated anterior to genital opening, St4 at level of anterior margin of coxae IV, St5 (ca 16 µm) placed on latigynal shields. Peritrematal shields fused with sternal and endopodal shields, they covered by oval pits. Stigmata situated between coxae III and IV. Anal shield wider (ca 221 µm) than long ((ca 118 µm), bearing five needle- like setae (ca 32–35 µm). Three pairs of spiniform setae (ca 38–44 µm) and two pairs of poroids situated on membranous cuticle between mesogynal shield and anal shield, two pairs of setae (ca 37–41 µm) placed lateral to and one pair of setae (ca 32–33 µm) situated posterior to anal shield. One pair of lyriform fissures can be seen on lateral margins of membranous cuticle.

Genital shield scutiform, divided into one mesogynal and two latigynal shields, their surface with some oval pits.

Gnathosoma ( Figure 5): Corniculi horn-like, longer than internal malae, internal malae with smooth margins. Epistome small with some spines. Setae h1 (ca 63 µm) smooth and situated at anterior margin of gnathosoma, h2 (ca 46 µm) smooth, h3 very long (ca 77 µm) and smooth and h4 (ca 25 µm) marginally serrate. Deuterosternum and deuterosternal groove with some denticles. Palp trochanter with one smooth setae situated on small platelet, other setae on palp trochanter marginally serrate. One of setae on palp femur marginally serrate, other setae on palp smooth and needle-like. Palp apothele with two claws. Epsitome apically serrate. Chelicerae on visible on the collected single specimen they placed on the inside of body.

Legs ( Figures 6-9) Claws present at the tip of the ambulacral prolongation of leg I. Leg I 560 µm, leg II 390 µm, leg III 365 µm, leg IV 489 µm. Majority of legs setae smooth and needle-like, minority of them marginally pilose.

Remarks: On the original description, Evans (1957) presented a single genital shield and a holodorsal shield on the body of the found female specimens. Some years later Athias-Binche & Evans (1981) studied some other newly collected specimens of this species and completed the knowledge of this species with the descriptions of the immature stages and the males; beside these new descriptions they give more new observation on the females as well which were not exactly presented in the original description. These differences are the following: the genital shield of female is divided into a large mesogynal and two latigynal shields (medial epigynal and paired paragynal shields in Athias-Binche & Evans (1981) on page 33 and illustrated on Fig. 16) and presented a pygidial shield posterior to dorsal shield ( Athias-Binche & Evans (1981) on page 32 and on Figs 14-15).