Armascirus skvarlai, Kalúz & Starý, 2018

Kalúz, Stanislav & Starý, Josef, 2018, Two new species of the family Cunaxidae (Acari: Prostigmata) from Madagascar, Zootaxa 4378 (4), pp. 549-562 : 550-553

Armascirus skvarlai sp. nov.

( Figs 1–6 )

Diagnosis. Proterosomal shield cone–shaped and with straight lateral edges, shield without reticulation (unique in Armascirini). Hysterosomal median shield small, nearly triangular, without dorsal setae and a pair of long lateral hysterosomal platelets. Palpal telofemur with 1 ap and 2 spls, lateromedial part of palpal genu with one thin and long sts, and tarsal chaetotactic formula I–IV 14–14–13 –13.

Description (female). Measurements. Body length 504 [469–526], width 330 [312–344], 6 specimens measured.

Dorsum ( Fig. 1 ). Propodosoma with gently punctate subtriangular shield, reticulation on shield not visible. Propodosomal shield reaching to anterior region of hysterosoma, bearing a pair of anterior (vi) and posterior (sce) setose trichobothria and two pairs of tactile setae (ve) and (sci). Anterior trichobothrium 407 [390–449], posterior trichobothrium 498 [444–551] long, distance between bases of vi–vi and sce–sce 28 [25–30] and 253 [228–293], respectively. Propodosoma separated from hysterosoma by fine striae. Hysterosoma with hysterosomal median shield and a pair of lateral platelets. Hysterosomal shield nearly triangular, 80 [73–90] long, anterior margin wide 124 [112–151] with sharp corners, posterior margin rounded. Hysterosomal platelets narrow and much longer 56 [53–62] than wide 16 [14–17]. Six pairs of tactile dorsal setae on hysterosoma; c2, c1–h1. Short setae c1 and c2 about equal in length 11[10–11]; following setae longer and increasing in length: d1 11 [9–13], e1 12 [9–16], f1 20 [18–24] and h1 36 [31–42]. Distance between bases of setae c1–c1 about ten times length of c1; d1–d1 about eight times length of d1; e1–e1 about seven times longer e1; f 1–f 1, about three–four times length of f1; h 1–h1 less than one and half length of h1. Cupule im present.

Venter ( Fig. 2 ). Coxal plates weakly sclerotized, coxae I–II and III–IV contiguous, punctation not visible. Setal formula of coxae I–IV: 3–2–3–3 sts. Venter of hysterosoma ( Fig. 2 ) with a pair of centro–medial simple setae 16 [15–17], on longitudinally striated integument between coxae II and another pair between coxae IV 16 [16–17], and with 4 pairs of hysterogastral setae 29 [28–32], on transversally striated integument arranged anteriorly to genital plates. Four pairs of simple setae on weakly sclerotized genital plates, lengths of setae slightly increasing from anterior to posterior— g1 21 [20–23], g2 23 [21–25], g3 26 [23–29], g4 29 [28–30], two pairs of genital papillae on genital shields. Two pairs of adjacent ps setae— ps2 17 [14–18] and ps1 16 [14–19] close to anal plates.

Gnathosoma ( Figs 3–5 ). Five segmented palp 429 [421–438] long with palpal tibiotarsus apically curved ( Fig. 3 ). Palp with gently punctate surface and bare tibiotarsus. Palpal chaetotaxy as follows: trochanter—absent; basifemur—1 dorso–medial simple seta 9 [9–9] long; inner surface of telofemur with 1 ventro–distal apophysis 93 [89–98], dorso–distal stout spine–like seta 24 [20–27], medio–lateral spine–like seta 25 [23–27]; inner surface of genu with 1 long, simple latero–medial seta 44 [36–52], 1 elongate ventro–distal apophysis 102 [97–107], ventrally with 1 spine–like distal seta 27 [25–30], 1 latero–distal spine–like seta 20 [18–21], palpgenual apophysis four times long as adjacent spine–like seta; tibiotarsus inner surface with 1 simple proximal seta 50 [45–53], and medially with 1 stout spine–like seta 18 [17–19], outer surface with 1 dorso–medial simple seta 9 [9–9], 1 latero–medial simple seta 10 [9–11] and dorso–distal solenidion 11 [10–12].

Chelicera ( Fig. 5 ). Slender and 257 [247–262] long, cheliceral segment I as well as the proximal part of segment II punctate, a pair of distal setae 19 [18–20] present.

Subcapitulum ( Fig. 4 ). Subrectangular, distally cone–shaped subcapitulum with two pairs of short adoral setae and four pairs of hypognathal setae (hg). Setae hg4 70 [65–78] two times longer than hg2 31[30–32], three times longer than hg1 23 [20–28] and nearly six times longer than hg3 11 [10–12]. Coxal region of subcapitulum with randomly placed fine papillae.

Legs ( Fig. 6 ). All legs with fine punctation. Legs I–III shorter than leg IV. Chaetotaxy I–IV (excluding coxae) as follows: trochanters 1–1–2–1 sts; basifemora 5–5–4–3 sts; telofemora 4–4–4–4 sts; genu I—3 asl, 1 ms, 5 sts; genu II—2 asl, 5 sts; genu III—1 bsl, 5 sts; genu IV—1 bsl, 5 sts; tibia I—1 asl, 5 sts; tibia II—1 asl, 5 sts; tibia III—1 bsl, 4 sts and 1 longer and thicker seta resembling spls; tibia IV—1 smooth T, 4 sts; tarsus I—1 fam, 3 asl, 15 sts, dorsal pretarsus with 1 tsl, on each lobe 1 dorsal and 1 ventral sts; tarsus II—1 bsl, 13 sts, on dorsal pretarsus 1 tsl, on each lobe 1 dorsal and 1 ventral sts; tarsus III—13 sts, dorsal pretarsus with 1 tsl, on each lobe 1 dorsal and 1 ventral sts; tarsus IV—13 sts, dorsal pretarsus with 1 tsl, on each lobe 1 dorsal and 1 ventral sts. Length of leg segments I – IV (coxa and trochanter not measured): basifemur 115 [106–124] – 103 [90–109] – 110 [94–124] – 127 [109–143]; telofemur 83 [73–88] – 78 [78–80] – 63 [56–71] – 69 [62–72]; genu 34 [32–38] – 39 [34–44] – 46 [40–52] – 59 [56–68]; tibia 54 [48–52] – 51 [45–56] – 76 [70–80] – 97 [92–101]; tarsus 192 [186–209] – 180 [166– 225] – 198 [186–209] – 218 [209–228].

Male and developmental stages: Unknown.

Material examined. Locus typicus: Madagascar, Ranomafana National Park, 21°15'39.3”, 47°25'19.1”, evergreen rain forest, altitude 970 m, 28.IX.2012, female on slide, leg. L.S. Rahanitriniaina . Paratypes: Madagascar, Ranomafana National Park , Ambatolahidimy, 21°15'40.4”, 47°25'16.5”, evergreen rain forest, 1017 m, 27.IX.2012, 4 females on slides, leg. L.S. Rahanitriniaina ; Madagascar, Ranomafana National Park , Ambatolahidimy, 21°15'40.4”, 47°25'14.5”, evergreen rain forest, 994 m, 27.IX.2012, 1 female on slide, leg. L.S. Rahanitriniaina ; Madagascar, Ranomafana National Park , 21°14'57.2”, 47°25'14.7”, evergreen rain forest, 1038 m, 29.IX.2012, 2 females on slides, leg. L.S. Rahanitriniaina ; Madagascar, Ranomafana National Park , 21°15'10.3”, 47°25'01.2”, evergreen rain forest, 1077 m, 1.X.2012, 2 females on slides, leg. L.S. Rahanitriniaina ; Madagascar, Ranomafana National Park , Vatoharanana, 21°17'33.6”, 47°25'57.6”, evergreen rain forest, 1163 m, 4.X.2012, 2 females on slides, leg. L.S. Rahanitriniaina.

Type deposition. The holotype and 2 paratypes are deposited in the collections at NHMG; three paratypes at SNMB; three paratypes at SMG, and three paratypes at ISB.

Etymology. The new species is named in honour of Dr. Michael J. Skvarla ( USA) for his valuable contribution in taxonomy of Cunaxidae .

Remarks. Armascirus skvarlai sp. nov. is unique in the Armascirini in lacking reticulation on the propodosomal shield. Otherwise, this species resembles the species A. fendai Kalúz & Vrabec, 2013 , A. gimpeli Smiley, 1992 and A. ozarkensis Skvarla & Dowling, 2011 , by having a small hysterosomal median shield that is not complemented with dorsal setae and has a pair of lateral platelets. It can be differentiated from A. fendai by 1 ap and 2 spls on palpal telofemur and chaetotaxy of sts on tarsi I–IV 14–14–13 –13 (2 ap and 1 spls in A. fendai and chaetotaxy of sts on tarsi I–IV 15–12–11 –11) and from A. gimpeli by long hysterosomal platelets, thin and long sts lateromedially on palpal genu (short platelets and strong spls on palpal genu in A. gimpeli ). A. skvarlai sp. nov. differs from A. ozarkensis by having a cone–shaped proterosomal shield with straight lateral edges (concave on lateral edges in A. ozarkensis ) and a nearly triangular hysterosomal shield (shallow and saucer–shaped in A. ozarkensis ).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Armascirus skvarlai sp. nov.—female; idiosoma (dorsal view).

FIGURE 2. Armascirus skvarlai sp. nov.—female; idiosoma (ventral view).

FIGURES 3–5. Armascirus skvarlai sp. nov.—female: (3) palp (dorsal view); (4) subcapitulum (ventral view); chelicera (dorsal view).

FIGURE6. Armascirus skvarlai sp. nov.—female; legs I–IV (from left, dorsal view).