Protophthiracarus preptos, 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 : 52

Protophthiracarus preptos sp. nov.

(Fig. 11A–J)

Measurements of holotype. Prodorsum: length 283, width 207, height 116; prodorsal setae: sensillus 48, interlamellar (in) 68, lamellar (le) 13, rostral (ro) 35; notogaster: length 505, width 374, height 364; notogastral setae: c 1, ps 1 61, c 2 68, cp, h 3, ps 3 71, h 1 63; genitoaggenital plate 121×101, anoadanal plate 242×106.

Measurements of paratype. Prodorsum: length 328, width 252, height 151; notogaster: length 646, width 525, height 515.

Description. Colour brown. Cuticle well sculptured with weak concavities.

Prodorsum with sigillar fields very long and narrow. Lateral carinae reach the sinus, posterior furrows strong accentuate. Sensilli short with widespread head, widely obtuse distally, ciliate at distal end. Interlamellar setae procumbent, rather long, narrow, covered with small spines at distal half, similar to lateral setae of notogaster, lamellar setae small, spiniform, rostral setae short, needleform, exobothridial setae vestigial.

Notogaster with rather short notogastral setae (c 1/ c 1– d 1=0.45), covered with small spines at distal half, of heterotrichous shape, dorsal setae c 1, d 1, e 1, h 1 and ps 1 twice as thick as lateral setae and slightly shorter. Notogastral setae of row c remote from anterior border of notogaster, notogastral setae c 2 more than setae c 1 and c 3. Holotype with seta cp duplicated on left side, lyrifissure ia absent at left side, at right side two lyrifissures, ia and im, present. Paratype with two pairs of lyrifissures. Vestigial setae not visible.

Ventral region. Setae h of subcapitular mentum slightly shorter than distance between their insertion points. Genitoaggenital plates with nine pairs of genital setae with arrangement: 6(4+2): 3. Anoadanal plates each with five setae, adanal setae ad 2 the longest and thickest, situated near anal setae and between them, adanal setae ad 3 shortest.

Legs. Formulae of setae and solenidia of complete type. Setae d of femora I slightly remote from distal end of article.

Material examined. Holotype is deposited at DATE from the locus typicus: South–West Province, Korup National Park, 12–16. V. 2006, Rengo Camp, about 8 km NW of Mundemba, latitude 05°02'11.64" N, longitude 08°49'45.96" E, altitude 300 m, rainforest, litter and soil sifting sample, leg V. Grebennikov, one paratype is deposited at ISB from the same locality.

Etymology. The name preptos of species is latinized Greek for “distinguished” and alludes to the different some morphological characters among congeneric species.

Comparison. The new species differs from congeners by the heterotrichy of notogastral setae and especially the shape of sensilli (slightly similar to sensilli of Microtritia minima ( Berlese, 1904) —species from another superfamily—Euphthiracaroidea; furthermore by long and narrow sigillar fields of the prodorsum and the shape and position of setae ad 2 of the anoadanal plates.