Armascirus orientalis, Kalúz, Stanislav, Ermilov, Sergey G. & Vrabec, Michal, 2014

Kalúz, Stanislav, Ermilov, Sergey G. & Vrabec, Michal, 2014, Two new species of the genus Armascirus (Acari: Prostigmata: Cunaxidae) from India and Vietnam, with a description of the preimaginal stage of Armascirus fendai, Zootaxa 3835 (2), pp. 237-250 : 243-248

Armascirus orientalis sp. nov.

Diagnosis (female). This species is similar to A. limpopoensis Den Heyer , A. bakeri Smiley and A. harrisoni Smiley. It can be distinguished from the female of A. limpopoensis by having the palpal telofemur with 1 apophysis and an equal distance between setae c1–c1 and d1–d1, (c1–c1 = d 1–d1) ( A. limpopoensis bears 2 apophyses and c1–c1 = two times distance d1–d1). A. bakeri has 1 splas and 3 sts on the palpal tibiotarsus, while the palpal tibiotarsus in A. orientalis bears 1 splas and 4 sts. A. harrisoni differs from A. orientalis by having the distance between c1–c1 = two times width of hysterosomal median shield, and this shield is smaller, oval and wider (width = two times length). In A. orientalis the distance between c1–c1 = width of hysterosomal median shield, and the shield is bigger and triangular (anterior width=length).

Description. Female [holotype, paratype]—body length [425,574] width [282,396], respectively, 2 specimens measured.

Dorsum ( Fig. 6 ). Propodosoma with finely reticulate subrectangular shield, cone-shaped distally. Propodosomal shield reaching to anterior region of hysterosoma, bearing a pair of anterior (vi) and posterior (sce) setose trichobothria and also two pairs of tactile setae (ve, sci). Anterior trichobothrium [363, 398], posterior trichobothrium [491, 471] long, distance between bases of vi–vi and sce–sce [31, 31] and [204, 247], respectively. Propodosoma separated from hysterosoma by fine striae. Hysterosoma with finely reticulate hysterosomal median shield, lateral hysterosomal platelets absent. Six pairs of tactile dorsal setae present on hysterosoma; c2, c1–h1. Short setae c1 and c2 about equal in length [9, 9] [11, 11], respectively; d1 [9, 11], following setae longer and increasing in length: e1 [11, 13], f1 [25, 27] and h1 [31, 37]. Distance between bases of setae c1–c1 [72, 77] about eight times length of c1; d1–d1 [69, 77] about seven times length of d1; e1–e1 [86, 91] about six – seven times longer e1; f1– f1 [78, 92] more than three times length of f1; h1–h1 [36, 40] nearly equal the length of h1.

Venter ( Fig. 7 ). Coxal plates weakly sclerotized, coxae I–II and III–IV contiguous and finely reticulate, like to those of dorsal shields. Setal formula of coxae I–IV: 3–2–3–3 sts. Venter of hysterosoma ( Fig. 7 ) with a pair of centro-medial simple setae [15, 17] on longitudinally striated integument between coxae III, and with four pairs of hysterogastral setae [23, 25] on transversally striated integument arranged anteriorly to genital plates. Four pairs of simple setae on weakly sclerotized genital plates, setae nearly equal in length [19, 25–22, 25–25, 28–28, 29] (anterior to posterior in holotype and paratype), respectively. One pair of simple setae [15,11] on anal plate and two pairs of adjacent setae [18, 22] close to anal plates.

Gnathosoma ( Fig. 8 ). Five segmented palp [370, 437] long, with palpal tibiotarsus apically curved. Palp with finely punctate surface and bare tibiotarsus. Palpal chaetotaxy as follows: trochanter—bare, basifemur—1 dorsomedial sts [12, 13 long]; inner surface of telofemur with 1 latero-medial apophysis [unmeasurable in holotype, 43], stout dorso-distal spls [17,21]; inner ventral surface of genu with 1 ventro-proximal spls [29, 38], ventro-medial spls [15, 21], 1 elongate ventro-distal apophysis [85, 93], 1 latero-distal spls [17, 23], dorsally with 1 distal sts [9, 11], palpgenual apophysis four–five times long as adjacent spine-like seta; tibiotarsus inner surface with 1 simple proximal seta [34, 38] and medially with 1 stout spls [15, 17]; outer surface with 1 dorso-medial sts [8, 11]; 1 dorso-lateral sts [9, 11], dorsal terminal solenidion [14, 12] and terminating with a small short claw.

Chelicera slender and long [239, 262], cheliceral segment I as well as the proximal part of segment II with randomly placed papillae, a single distal seta [18, 17] present.

Subcapitulum ( Fig. 9 ) subrectangular, distally cone-shaped subcapitulum with two pairs of short adoral setae and four pairs of hypognathal setae (hg). Setae hg4 [74, 63 long] about two times longer than hg2 [30, 37], three times longer than hg1 [23, 25] and nearly six–seven times longer than hg3 [11]. Coxal region of subcapitulum with randomly placed fine papillae, latero-proximal part finely punctate.

Legs ( Fig. 10 ). All legs with fine punctuation, legs I–III shorter than leg IV. Chaetotaxy I–IV as follows: coxae 3–2–3–3 sts, trochanters 1–1–2–1 sts; basifemora 5–5–4–2 sts; telofemora 4–4–4–4 sts; genu I—3 asl, 1 mst, 5 sts; genu II—1 asl, 6 sts; genu III—6 sts; genu IV—6 sts; tibia I—(1 asl, 1 ms), 5 sts; tibia II—(1 asl, 1 sts), 4 sts; tibia III—1 bsl, 5 sts; tibia IV, 1 smooth T, 4 sts; tarsus I—1 fam, 4 asl, 1 tsl, 16 sts; tarsus II—1 bsl, 1 tsl, 16 sts; tarsus III—1 tsl, 14 sts; tarsus IV—1 tsl, 15 sts.

Length of leg segments I–IV (coxa and trochanter not measured): Basifemur [92, 112]–[85, 100]–[89, 97]–[112, 103]; Telofemur [71, 74]–[53, 69]–[49, 65]–[53, 54]; Genu [29, 35]–[31, 36]–[38, 49]–[46, 63]; Tibia [34, 46]–[32, 39]–[58, 68]–[72, 76]; Tarsus [185, 212]–[157, 189]–[177, 215]–[189, 227], respectively.

Male and developmental stages. Unknown.

Material studied. Holotype: female on slide, Vietnam, Dong Nai Biosphere Reserve, N–11°25`, E–107°25`, lowland Lagerstroemia -dominated forest on dark loamy soil, samples of bird's nest fungi Cyathus sp. on decaying twigs, 1 July 2012, coll. A.E. Anichkin and S.G. Ermilov; Paratype: 1 female on slide, Vietnam, Dong Nai Biosphere Reserve, N–11°25'44", E–107°25'39", polydominant forest consists of Lagerstroemia calyculata Kurz with an admixture of Tetrameles nudiflora R. Br. and Haldina cordifolia (Roxb.) Ridsdale , litter (sifting), July 2012, coll. A.E. Anichkin and S.G. Ermilov. Type material is deposited in Slovak National Museum, Bratislava, Slovakia.

Etymology. The name of a new species is derived from the territory of its occurrence (East).

Figures

FIGURE 6. Armascirus orientalis sp. nov. — female; idiosoma (dorsal view).

FIGURE 7. Armascirus orientalis sp. nov. — female; idiosoma (ventral view).

FIGURE 10. Armascirus orientalis sp. nov. — female; legs I – IV (from left, dorsal view).

FIGURES 8 – 9. Armascirus orientalis sp. nov. — female; 8, chelicera (dorsal view), shape of hysterosomal median shield; 9, subcapitulum (ventral view).