Adoribatella Woolley 1967

Behan-Pelletier, Valerie M., 2013, Adoribatella, Ferolocella, Joelia and Ophidiotrichus (Acari, Oribatida, Oribatellidae) of North America, Zootaxa 3637 (3), pp. 254-284 : 255-259

Adoribatella Woolley 1967

Type species: Adoribatella punctata Woolley, 1967 , p.34

Diagnosis. Adult. Rostrum with medial ridge. Octotaxic system developed as 4 pairs of porose areas. Notogaster with 10 pairs of setae, with c and la positioned lateral to lm, lm positioned posteromediad of Aa. Lamellae long, broad, with large cusps medially almost parallel; cusps with small medial and lateral dentes, tapered distally; lamellae almost touching medially at mid-length, translamella absent. Lamellar seta setose, not thickened, strongly curved, or not, anteromedially. Bothridium well developed with medial and lateral scales, lateral indentation absent ( Fig. 1B ). Dorsophragmata paired, clearly developed ( Fig. 1A , arrow). Genal tooth small, subtriangular, rounded distally, with longitudinal ridge laterally, without dens ventrodistally. Tutorium lamelliform, subrectangular, broader distally than proximally, cusp strongly convex proximoventrally, with dens distally; tutorium lying parallel to dorsal contour of prodorsum in lateral aspect, extending well anterior of insertion of rostral seta. Pedotectum I without distinct concave indentation in ventral wall. Coxisternal setal formula 3-1-3-3. Custodium present, with small free distal point ( Fig. 2C , arrow). Postanal porose area absent. Axillary saccule present at base of palp ( Fig. 1C , arrow). Chelicera chelate-dentate. Palp setal formula 0–2–1–3–9(1); eupathidium acm subequal in length to solenidion, forming double horn with solenidion along length. Humerosejugal porose organ Ah expressed as inverted sac ( Fig. 2D ). Porose organ Al expressed as porose area. Legs heterotridactylous. Femur III with seta l’ present; seta v' of genua I and II present. Setae l” of genua I and II spinose, of tibiae I and II setose. Anterodorsal spine between solenidia φ1 and φ2 of tibia I absent.

Immatures. Unknown.

Remarks. This genus is monospecific, with Adoribatella punctata as the only described species. Woolley (1967) considered the genus to lack a custodium, and he used this, and the tapered (“rounded” in his words) lamellar cusps to distinguish this genus from Tectoribates (= Anoribatella Kunst, 1962 ). However, a minute custodium is evident on specimens of the type series, and lamellar cusps are tapered ( Fig. 1A ).

The humeral sejugal organ Ah ( Fig. 2D ) is modified as a porose inverted sac in this genus as in Oribatella quadridentata Banks 1895 , the type species of Oribatella (Behan-Pelletier 2011) . It is similar to that described and illustrated for Achipteria nitens (Nicolet, 1855) by Grandjean (1962) and Alberti et al. (1997).

Adoribatella punctata is unique among Oribatellidae I have examined in lacking a postanal porose area, in lacking the depression in pedotectum I, and in having a bothridium with medial and lateral scales and lacking a lateral indentation (see Discussion). It is possible that Adoribatella punctata (and thus, the genus Adoribatella ) is misplaced in Oribatellidae (see Discussion).

Adoribatella punctata Woolley, 1967 Adoribatella punctata Woolley, 1967 , p. 34 ( Figs. 1A–C , 2A–D )

Material examined. Holotype female, USA, Colorado, Larimer Co., 9 miles E Deadman Pass, 5.x.1957 (T.A. Woolley) in moss (USNM). Paratypes, all with same data as holotype, 1 female (USNM); 4 males, 3 females, 4 specimens, sex unclear (mounting medium in poor condition) (FMNH). USA: Oregon, Oneonta Gorge, 32 mi. W Hood River, 26.viii.1965 (EEL) 2 from damp moss on rocks in waterspray zone; Canada, Alberta, ABMI 2011, Site 1261, 10 June 2011 (52.76024246, -117.170143) alpine site with grasses and sedges; ABMI 2011, Site 1003, 10 June 2011 (54.26610184, -117.516617) moist upland spruce forest (trees <10m), understory horsetail, dogwood, rose, willow; ABMI 2011 Site 1260, 11 June 2011 (52.82332993, -117.458916) dry upland spruce forest (trees <10m), understory hairy wild rye, bearberry and buffalo-berry.

Diagnosis. Total length of adult 348–394 μm; width 294 µm (Woolley 1967). Prodorsum, notogaster, anal plates, genital plates, venter and mentum microtuberculate. Coxisternal region with thin striae laterally; pedotectum I with striae distally, proximally smooth. Lamellae with distinct irregular longitudinal striae laterally, smooth medially; lamellar cusps smooth. Tutorium with longitudinal striae dorsally. Pteromorph with striae dorsally in fingerprint pattern and striae ventrally in contrasting pattern ( Figs 2A, B ). Rostrum with medial ridge; margin flattened and undulating. Lamella 139–198 μm long, of which cusp 67–82 μm long, 19–24 μm wide at level of insertion of seta le; lamellae almost meet medially at mid-length, separated by about 3 μm ( Fig. 1 ); translamella absent. Lamellar cusps almost contiguous and parallel; medial dens about 25 μm long, tapered; lateral dens about 9 μm, tapered; dens without teeth. Seta ro 64–67 µm long, strongly barbed along length, acuminate, curved anteromedially. Seta le 51–56 µm long, setose. Seta in 90–112 µm long, setose, mutual distance about 36 µm. Bothridial seta about 72 µm long, clavate, with barbed head about equal in length to smooth stalk; head distally tapered and directed slightly anteromedially ( Figs. 1A, 1B ). Bothridium with pointed dorsomedial scale ( Fig. 1B , arrow). Exobothridial seta about 27 µm long, thin, smooth. Genal tooth broad, short, triangular. Tutorium broadly rectangular, widest distally, with longitudinal striae dorsally, 115–128 μm long, of which cusp 53–59 μm long, dorsodistally with 1 dens, distal margin with 3–4 dentes, cusp strongly concave proximoventrally. Custodium about 3 μm long ( Fig. 2C , arrow). Porose area Al about 8 μm in diameter. Anterior margin of notogaster undulating, convex medially; region lateral of bothridium without transverse ridges ( Fig. 1A ). Notogastral porose areas well developed, 13–16 μm in diameter. Ten pairs of very weakly barbed notogastral setae present, almost flagellate distally, 27–35 μm long, with seta c longest, lm posteromediad Aa, and lp mediad A1; mutual distance p1–p1 about 24 μm, narrower than distance h1–h1 about 32 μm (one seta lm missing from Fig. 1A ; additional lm alveolus unilaterally on one male specimen from Alberta). Lenticulus absent. Epimeral setae mostly 18–30 μm long, smooth, acuminate, 1a about 18 μm, 1c about 30 μm, 3c about 24 μm and 4c about 22 μm ( Fig. 2C ). Genital, aggenital, anal and adanal setae smooth, acuminate, 10–16 μm long; genital setae 3+3. Lyrifissure iad anterolateral of anal plate, almost perpendicular. Anterior margin of mentum without thickened transverse ridge, without tectum. Subcapitular seta m broader than other subcapitular seta, unilaterally barbed ( Fig. 1C ). Length of chelicera about 102 μm. Axillary saccule small, about 2 x 2 Μm, not visible on all specimens examined. Leg setation (I to IV): trochanters, 1-1-2-1; femora, 5-5-3-2; genua, 3(1)-3(1)-1(1)-2; tibiae 4(2)-4(1)-3(1)-3(1); tarsi, 20(2)-15(2)-15-12. Seta l” of genua I and II about 27 and 19 Μm, respectively.

Immatures. Unknown.

Remarks. There are discrepancies between the diagnosis above and the description of this species by Woolley (1967). He described the genus and species as having a heavily sclerotized translamella. Rather the lamellae are closely adjacent medially, and their attachments to the prodorsum are so closely adjacent that this area can be mistaken for a translamella. He indicated also that the rostral setae are borne on the tutorium; on all specimens examined they are borne laterally on the prodorsum. He noted “two pairs of horizontal apodemes beneath anterior dorsal surface of hysterosoma”; these are the dorsophragmata ( Fig. 1A , arrow).

Distribution and ecology. Woolley (1967) gave the habitat for the type series as moss at Deadman’s Pass, Colorado. He also noted collecting specimens from lichen at Cameron Pass, Colorado; both localities are at about 3000m elevation. The only other collecting records for this species are from low elevation boreal forest habitats near Hinton, Alberta, Canada and in a waterspray zone at Oneonta Gorge in Oregon, USA.

Figures

FIGURE 1 A – C. Adoribatella punctata Woolley, adult female; A, dorsal aspect, legs not illustrated, except for part of legs I, seta lm broken on one side; B, bothridium and bothridial seta; C, rutellum, gena and part of mentum. Scale bar = 50 µm.

FIGURE 2 A – F. Differential interference contrast microscope images of adults: A – D, Adoribatella punctata Woolley, A, detail of ventral surface of pteromorph; B, detail of dorsal surface of pteromorph; C, detail of custodium (arrow) and seta 4 c; D, humerosejugal porose area Ah developed as saccule; E – F, Joelia appalachia sp. nov., E, detail of prodorsum (4 layers combined); F, detail of lamellae in ventral aspect near midline, showing keel a π, nerve canal of seta le, and with arrow to expanded flask-shaped integument around insertion of seta le. Scale bar C = 25 µm, D = 20 µm, E, F = 50 µm.