Odontodamaeus veriornatus ( Higgins, 1961 )

Walter, David Evans, 2009, Genera of Gymnodamaeidae (Acari: Oribatida: Plateremaeoidea) of Canada, with notes on some nomenclatorial problems, Zootaxa 2206, pp. 23-44 : 32-34

Odontodamaeus veriornatus ( Higgins, 1961)

(Figs. 17–19)

Gymnodamaeus veriornatus Higgins, 1961

Material examined: USA, CALIFORNIA: female (GYM22), Douglas fir litter, Shingletown, CA, 7.vii.1973, R.A. Norton, in RNC. CANADA, BRITISH COLUMBIA: female, Cathedral Provincial Park, Cathedral Rim, 2469m, 5.vii.1986, VB89-86, ex mixed vegetation among rocks with Silene , Antennaria, Saxifraaga , Potentilla (ventral length 880), V. Behan, in CNC.

FIGURES 15–21. Donjohnstonella subalpina (Paschoal, 1983) holotype female, Washington, USA. 15, Bothridum showing posterior tooth (arrow); 16, Notogastral pustules. Odontodamaeus veriornatus ( Higgins, 1961) , California, USA. 17, Notogaster showing distinctive cells and ridges formed by cerotegument; 18, Anterior dorsal view, arrow points to juncture of bothridial ridge and interlamellar setal apophysis (composite light micrograph). Odontodamaeus veriornatus ( Higgins, 1961) , British Columbia, Canada. 19, Genital shields with arrow pointing to interlocking teeth (composite light micrograph). Jacotella enoplura Paschoal, 1983 , male Paratype, Washington, USA. 20, posterior notogaster showing whip-like setae h 1, p 1 inserted on strong, clustered apophyses. Jacotella quadricaudicula ( Jacot, 1937) , female, Illinois, USA. 21, posterior notogaster showing whip-like setae h 1, p 1 inserted on strong, clustered apophyses. All images except Figs. 18–19 are single DIC light micrographs.

Comments: Odontodamaeus veriornatus is a relatively large mite (body length 823-930) with a strongly reticulate pattern on the notogaster and was described from aspen litter in northern Utah and also is known from California, Idaho, and British Columbia. Odontodamaeus chalazionus ( Woolley, 1972) is smaller (body length 768-804), lacks the reticulations, and is known from Colorado and New Mexico. The two species of Odontodamaeus that have been described can be distinguished from other Gymnodamaeidae by the unique shared character state of having genital shields with interlocking teeth along their medial margins (Fig. 19). The teeth are easiest to see in a dissected or flattened specimen because they are protected ventrally by the thin margin of the genital shields. Paschoal (1982b) defined the genus as having 3 setae on tibia IV, but based his diagnosis on O. veriornatus and did not redescribe O. chalazionus . A slide-mounted specimen of O. cf. chalizonus in the CNC from New Mexico (Panchuela Campground, 8400’, 18 miles north of Pecos, 28– 29.viii.1973, E. Lindquist, ex mixed forest litter) has only 2 setae on femur IV.

Although Odontodamaeus is very similar to Gymnodamaeus s.s. (e.g. having spherical notogastral pustules, converging interlamellar setae, crenulate notogastral margin), it can be distinguished by the teeth on the margin of the genital shield (Fig. 19), and a shelf-like region in place of the median prodorsal tubercle (Fig. 18). The pattern of cells with crenulate margins on the notogaster of O. veriornatus is diagnostic (Fig. 17).