Trachytes californica, Kontschán, Jenő & Starý, Josef, 2012

Kontschán, Jenő & Starý, Josef, 2012, New Uropodina (Acari: Mesostigmata) from California, USA, Zootaxa 3210, pp. 26-38 : 34-36

Trachytes californica sp. nov.

( Figs 26–37 )

Material examined. Holotype. Female ( HNHM, in alcohol), USA, California, Del Norte County , Jedediah Smith State Park , 1 April 1992, 41o50’ N, 124 o W, coniferous forest , under Sequoia sempervirens , sample of litter and soil, K. Horner coll. Paratypes. Three females and one male, USA, California, Del Norte County, Jedediah Smith State Park , 1. April 1992, 41o50’ N, 124 o W, coniferous forest , under Tsuga heterophylla , sample of litter and soil, K. Horner coll., two females deposited in ISB, one female and one male in HNHM.

Description. Female. Length of idiosoma 630–640 µ m, width 370–440 µ m (n=4). Shape of idiosoma pearshaped.

Dorsal idiosoma ( Fig. 26 ). Vertex wide, laterally ribbed. Marginal and dorsal shields fused anteriorly. Pygidial shield small and rounded, placed between posterior margin of dorsal shield and anterior margin of postdorsal shield. All setae on dorsal, marginal, and postdorsal shields smooth, needle-like and ca. 31–42 μm long, setae on central area of dorsal shield placed on small, strongly sclerotised platelets. Surface of dorsal idiosoma covered by deep, oval pits.

Ventral idiosoma ( Fig. 27 ). Sternal setae short, smooth and needle-like. St1 situated near the anterior margin of sternal shield, St2 and St3 near anterior margin of genital shield, their length ca. 7–9 μm. St4 ca. 10 μm long, situated on adgenital platelets, St5 placed near basal margin of genital shield, ca. 13 μm long. Whole surface of sternal shield smooth. Sternal, ventral and inguinal shields fused. Surface of ventral idiosoma smooth posterior to genital shield, other parts covered by deep oval pits. Three pairs of ventral setae situated on smooth surface of ventral idiosoma, one pair of setae on small platelets present on ornamented area, these setae smooth and needle-shaped and ca. 21–24 μm long. Two pairs of needle-like (ca. 30 μm) setae placed in small hollows lateral to the anal opening. Two pairs of adanal setae and one postanal seta needle-like, short (ca. 11–12 μm), situated near anal opening. Genital shield linguiform, with slightly curved anterior margin, its surface covered by reticulate sculptural pattern on anterior area. Adgenital platelets present. Genital shield situated between coxae III and IV ( Fig. 28 ). Peritremes long and straight, situated near coxae III. Tritosternum ( Fig. 29 ) with wide base, laciniae divided into one long and four short branches.

Gnathosoma ( Fig. 29 ). Corniculi horn-shaped, internal malae as long as corniculi, smooth. Hypostomal setae h1 long (ca 43 μm) and smooth, h2 short (ca 20 μm) and smooth, h3 similar to h 1 in shape, ca 34 μm long, h4 marginally serrate and ca 16 μm long. Chelicerae with long sharp apical process on fixed digit, movable digit shorter than fixed digit ( Fig. 30 ). Epistome marginally serrate. Palps with smooth setae ( Fig. 31 ).

Legs. Leg I without ambulacral claws ( Fig. 32 ) and with smooth and needle-shaped setae; other legs bearing smooth, serrate, pilose and feather-shaped setae ( Figs 33–35 ).

Male. Length of idiosoma 610 µm, width 370 µm (n=1). Shape and dorsal idiosoma as in female, except the caudal area of dorsal idiosoma: pygidial shield absent, postdorsal shield narrow and covered by oval pits ( Fig. 36 ), setae on postdorsal shield as in female.

Ventral idiosoma ( Fig. 37 ). Surface of sternal shield with some oval pits on lateral area near coxae IV. Five pairs of smooth and needle-shaped sternal setae present. St1 (ca. 5 µm) placed near to anterior margin of sternal shield, St2 (ca. 6 µm) at level of central area of coxae II, St3 (ca. 9 µm) at level of central area of coxae III, St4 (ca. 9 µm) at level of anterior margin of genital shield, St5 (ca. 8 µm) near posterior margin of genital shield. Position and shape of ventral setae and ornamentation of ventral shield as in female. Genital shield circular, without sculptural pattern and situated between coxae IV.

Etymology. The name of the new species refers to the U.S. state in which the specimens were collected.

Notes. The new species is closely related to T. aegrotasimilis Huţu, 2000 , but the latter has a rhomboid pygidial shield while T. californica sp. nov. has an oval shield. The surface of the female genital shield in T. aegrotasimilis is smooth, while it bears a reticulate sculptural pattern in the new species. The ventral and sternal shields of the male are not fused in T. aegrotasimilis but are fused in T. californica . The internal malae are longer than the corniculi in T. aegrotasimilis , but these structures are similar in length in T. californica . One pair of additional sternal setae are present in T. aegrotasimilis and absent in T. californica .

Figures

FIGURES 26 – 30. Trachytes californica sp. nov., holotype, female. 26. Body in dorsal view; 27. Body in ventral view; 28. Intercoxal area; 29. Tritosternum, coxae I and ventral view of gnathosoma, 30. Chelicera.

FIGURES 31 – 35. Trachytes californica sp. nov., holotype, female. 31. Palp; 32. Leg I; 33. Leg II; 34. Leg III; 35. Leg IV (All legs and palp in lateral view).

FIGURES 36 – 37. Trachytes californica sp. nov., paratype, male. 36. Caudal area of dorsal idiosoma; 37. Intercoxal area.