Austrophthiracarus konwerskii, Niedbała, 2012

Niedbała, W., 2012, An Updated Study Of Ptyctimous Mite Fauna (Acari: Oribatida) Of The Australasian Region With A Description Of Thirteen New Species, Acarologia 52 (2), pp. 183-228 : 195-197

Austrophthiracarus konwerskii n. sp.

( Figures 3 E-I)

Type material — Holotype: ANIC-1338A, Dorrigo NP, 0,3 km Northwest of Visitors Centre, 770 m, 30°22’S 152°43’E, cut subtropical closed forest rotten wood litter, 20 June 1993, coll. D.S. Chandler. Four paratypes (two in ANIC, two in NHC): ANIC-1606, Bruxner Park Flora Reserve , Sealy Lookout Road, 5 km Northwest of Coffs Harbour, alt. 260 m, 30°15’S 153°07’E, wet sclerophyll forest, Eucalyptus pilularis litter, 23 Apr. 1993, coll. D.S. Chandler.

Measurements of holotype — Prodorsum: length 257, width 222, height 106, sensillum 83, setae: interlamellar 33, lamellar 30, rostral 43, exobothridial 13; notogaster: length 515, width 374, height 333, setae: c 1 88, h 1 and p 1 68; genitoaggenital plate 126 × 121, anoadanal plate 204 × 119.

Description — Colour brown. Surface of body, especially of notogaster covered with small concavities.

Prodorsum with weak sigillar fields. Lateral carinae absent. Sensilla long, bacilliform, rough. Setae short, thick, strongly covered with small spines, ro> in> le> ex.

Notogaster with 20 pairs (neotrichy in setae of rows h and p) of short (c 1 <c 1 -d 1), thick setae, strongly covered with small spines. Setae c 1 and c 3 near anterior border, setae c 2 remote from border. Vestigial setae invisible. Two pairs of lyrifissures ia and im present.

Ventral region — Formula of genital setae: 5+ 4: 0. Two pairs of long, flagelliform, rough anal setae longer than four pairs of adanal setae, similar in length and shape to notogastral setae.

Legs — Chaetome of legs of complete type. Setae d of femora I distinctly remote from distal end of article.

Another locality — ANIC-1610, Bruxner Park Floral Reserve , Sealy Lookout Road, 5 m. Northwest of Coff Harbour, 260 m, cut wet scleophyll rotten log litter, 23 May 1993, coll. D.S. Chandler – 6

Etymology — The species is named to honour Dr. S. Konwerski to thank him to have collect and to have taken care of the material studied and used for this work.

Comparison to related species — The new species is distinguishable from congeners by the following combination of characters: long sensilla, short setae of prodorsum similar in shape to notogastral setae, thick and covered with small spines, neotrichy of notogastral (20 pairs) and adanal (4 pairs) setae.

Figures

FIGURE 3: Plonaphacarus vicinus n. sp. (holotype): A – prodorsum, dorsal view, B – lateral view of body, C – genitoaggenital and anoadanal plates, D – trochanter and femur I; Austrophthiracarus konwerskii n. sp. (holotype): E – prodorsum, dorsal view, F – prodorsum, lateral view, G – lateral view of opisthosoma, H – genitoaggenital and anoadanal plates, I – trochanter and femur I.