Monatractides abepurus, Pešić, Vladimir & Smit, Harry, 2011

Pešić, Vladimir & Smit, Harry, 2011, Water mites of the genus Monatractides Viets (Acari: Hydrachnidia, Torrenticolidae) from New Guinea, with descriptions of nine new species, Zootaxa 2779, pp. 39-62 : 51-53

Monatractides abepurus sp. nov.

( Fig. 11 )

Type series. Holotype, female, dissected and slide mounted; Indonesia, New Guinea, Papua Province, River Kamp Walker near Uncen, Abepura, 31.iii.2010, 2˚ 34.202 S 140˚ 38.886 E, 144 m a.s.l.

Diagnosis (Male unknown). Frontal platelets broad (L/W 1.7); the area of primary sclerotization extending almost to the posterior margin of the dorsal or ventral shield respectively; ventral margin of P-2 and -3 with slender, hair-like seta, distal margins of P-3 with denticles; genital field pentagonal; excretory pore incorporated into primary sclerotization of the ventral shield.

Description. Female: Idiosoma (ventral view: Fig. 11B ) L 709, W 484; dorsal shield ( Fig. 11A ) L 616, W 422, L/W ratio 1.46; dorsal plate L 559; shoulder plate L 206, W 72, L/W ratio 2.9; frontal plate L 112, W 66, L/W ratio 1.7; shoulder/frontal plate L ratio 1.84; capitular bay L 167, W 69, L/W ratio 2.4; Cx-1 total L 272, Cx-1 medial L 103, Cx-2+3 medial 24; ratio Cx-1 L/Cx-2+3 medial L 11.3; Cx-1 medial L/Cx-2+3 medial L 4.3; genital field L/W 162/141, L/W ratio 1.15; distance genital field–excretory pore 156, genital field–caudal idiosoma margin 252; capitulum ( Fig. 11D ) ventral L 177; chelicera total L 229; palp ( Fig. 11C ) total L 196, dL and %L (in parentheses): P-1, 28 (14.3); P-2, 57 (29.1); P-3, 34 (17.4); P-4, 50 (25.5); P-5, 27 (13.8); L P-2/P-4 ratio, 1.14; L I-L-5-6 ( Fig. 11E ): 99, 100.

Male: unknown.

Etymology. The species is named after the area where it was collected.

Discussion. Due to the area of primary sclerotization extending almost to the posterior margin of the dorsal or ventral shield respectively, and the excretory pore incorporated into primary sclerotization of the ventral shield, M. abepurus sp. nov. is close to M. sentanicus sp. nov. It can easily be distinguished from the latter species in the presence of a slender, hair-like seta, not straight stout seta on the ventral margin of P-2 and P-3, and in having noticeably broader frontal platelets.

Distribution. New Guinea.

Figures

FIGURE 11 A – E. Monatractides abepurus sp. nov., female: A = dorsal shield; B = ventral shield; C = palp, lateral view; D = capitulum and chelicera; E = I-L- 5 and - 6. Scale bars = 100 µm.