Protophthiracarus diatropos, Niedbała, Wojciech & Starý, Josef, 2014

Niedbała, Wojciech & Starý, Josef, 2014, New and little known species of ptyctimous mites (Acari, Oribatida) from Cameroon, Zootaxa 3889 (1), pp. 31-57 : 47-49

Protophthiracarus diatropos sp. nov.

( Fig. 9A–I )

Measurements of holotype. Prodorsum: length 328, width 237, height 111; prodorsal setae: sensillus 76, interlamellar (in) 182, lamellar (le) 164, rostral (ro) 121; notogaster: length 707, width 515, height 525; notogastral setae: c 1 167, cp 131, h 1 and ps 1 172, h 2 119, d 2 and ps 2 88; genitoaggenital plate 197×126, anoadanal plate 227×146.

Measurements of paratype. Prodorsum: length 293, width 202, height 126, sensillus 96, prodorsal setae: interlamellar (in) 159, lamellar (le) 134, rostral (ro) 88; notogaster: length 626, width 454, height 404, notogastral setae: c 1 and h 1 139 and p 1 114.

Description. Colour light brown, microsculpture of integument feebly foveolate.

Prodorsum with indistinct posterior furrows; lateral carinae very long, run as far to end of rostrum; median sigillar fields very short, lateral very long; sensilli of medium size with fusiform head covered with small scales; interlamerllar setae erect, robust, obtuse, barbed in distal half, similar to notogastral setae; rostral setae very long, rough, attenuate, distance between rostral setae and interlamellar setae shorter than between rostral setae and end of rostrum; exobothridial setae vestigial.

Notogaster with notogastral setae robust, stout, of medium length (c 1/ c 1- d 1=1), ciliate in distal half; notogastral setae of row c remote from anterior border of notogaster, setae c 2 more than setae c 1 and c 3, vestigial setae f 1 positioned slightly anterior of setae h 1; two pairs of lyrifissures, ia and im, present.

Ventral region. Setae h of mentum the same length as distance between their insertion points; formula of genital setae: 6(4+ 2): 3; anoadanal plates with five pairs of setae, adanal setae ad 2 the longest and dagger-like, situated at the level of anal setae an 2 and remote from paraxial margin, adanal setae ad 3 the shortest.

Legs. Chaetome of legs of complete type, setae v" of femora I located in unusual position, posterior of setae v’; setae d at distal end of article.

Material examined. Holotype and 34 paratypes are deposited at DATE from the locus typicus: South–West Province, Mt. Koup Ecological Reserve, Mt. Koup at Nyasoso, 19–21. V. 2006, about 6 km N of Loum, latitude 04°49'09.18" N, longitude 09°42'27.18" E, altitude 1550 m, submontane foggy forest, litter and soil sifting sample, leg V. Grebennikov, 70 paratypes are deposited at DATE from the locality: North–West Province, Mt. Oku, about 12 km W of Kumbo, 4–5. V. 2006, latitude 06°13'17.64" N, longitude 10°30'13.26" E, altitude 2800 m, montane foggy forest, litter and soil sifting sample, leg V. Grebennikov, 15 paratypes are deposited at ISB and five paratypes are deposited at NMHG all from the same locality.

Etymology. The specific epithet diatropos comes from latinized Greek for „different” referring to the difference of some characters of the new species from those of characters of its congeners.

Comparison. The new species is easy distinguishable from congeners by the length and shape of rostral setae and especially by unusual short distance to the interlamellar setae, short median and very long lateral sigillar fields, very long lateral carinae of prodorsum, position of ad 2 setae at level of setae an 2 and remote from paraxial margin. Some similarity with Protophthiracarus dignus (Niedbała, 1983) ( Niedbała 1983b) concerns the resemblance of shape and length of interlamellar and lamellar setae and position setae v" at femur I but all other morphological characters are different.

Figures

FIGURE 9 A – I. Protophthiracarus diatropos sp. nov. A – G. (holotype). A, prodorsum, dorsal view; B, prodorsum, lateral view; C, opisthosoma, lateral view; D, mentum of subcapitulum; E, right genitoaggenital plate; F, right anoadanal plate; G, trochanter and femur of leg I; H, I, (paratype), H, prodorsum, lateral view; I, trochanter and femur of leg I.