Holoparasitus hemisphaericus

Witaliñski, Wojciech, 2006, New mites of the genus Holoparasitus Oudemans, 1936 from northern Austria and Karavanke (Acari: Parasitidae), Zootaxa 1320, pp. 15-27 : 16-17

Holoparasitus hemisphaericus species­group

Only the specific characters of the new species group are given. For other morphological features of the genus Holoparasitus and its different species groups (annulus, caesus, calcaratus, mallorcae, peraltus) see Juvara­Bals (1975), Hyatt (1987), Juvara­Bals & Witaliński (2000), Witaliński & Skorupski (2002, 2003), Juvara­Bals & Witaliński (2006).

Diagnosis of the species group

In both sexes gland pores gv 1 are present and pores gv 2 are located in unmodified cuticle; gnathotectum is of the trispinate­type.

Female. Presternal plate wide, narrowed medially, its anterior margin smooth, lateral platelets free and narrow; sternal shield in one piece; posterior paragynial lobes distant; metagynial sclerites semicircular; posterolateral protrusions “locking” epigynial plate minute or absent; thickening of the underside of anterior paragynial edge facing coxa III absent; central apex of epigynial shield less pigmented and right­angled, lateral prongs large and acute; epigynial subapical structure well pigmented, broad and barrel­shaped in outline; lateral protrusions bipartite, comprised of small, semicircular and well sclerotised posterior structures passing anteriad into less sclerotised hyaline projections; endogynium cup­shaped, with spines gathered in two lateral (left and right) groups, posterior endogynial margin forms two broad, partially overlapping lamellae, elliptical or leafshaped, partly covering the endogynial opening; distinct broad endogynial lamella covers posterior part of endogynium ventrally.

Male. Sternum with large excipulum open on both ends and formed by three parallel, longitudinally oriented thickenings, accompanied by two additional anterolateral ones (left and right); central part of hypostome regularly triangular and moderately sclerotised; corniculi slender or extended in proximal half; fixed cheliceral digit straight and slender with many tiny denticles followed by lamellar edge, movable digit with large tooth proximally and 4–5 smaller teeth distally; hypostomatic setae on a separate piece of cuticle.

Remarks

The proposed species group is most similar to the peraltus species­group ( Witaliński & Skorupski, 2003). The best diagnostic characters differentiating both groups are as follows: in females, the epigynial subapical structure possesses an inverted T­shaped thickening (peraltus group) or this structure is absent ( hemisphaericus group); in males, the excipulum is hoof­shaped and corniculi are not on a separate piece of cuticle (peraltus group), or the excipulum is “open” at both anterior and posterior ends and flanked by two very prominent lines of sternum reticulation running parallel to the anterolateral margins of the excipulum, and hypostomatic setae are on a separate piece of cuticle ( hemisphaericus group).

In the following diagnoses specific features complementary to species­group characters are included.