Notophthiracarus bloszyki, 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 : 203

Notophthiracarus bloszyki n. sp.

( Figure 8 A-G)

Type material — Holotype and 31 paratypes (16 in ANIC, 15 in NHC): ANIC-152, Bruxner Park Floral Reserve , Sealy Lookout Road, 5 km Northwest of Coffs Harbour, alt. 170 m, 30°15’S 153°07’E, wet sclerophyll forest, Eucalyptus pilularis litter, 18 Apr. 1993, coll. D.S. Chandler.

Measurements of holotype — Prodorsum: length 353, width 252, height 126, sensillum 101, setae: interlamellar 159, lamellar 131, rostral 38, exobothridial 25; notogaster: length 727, width 505, height 444, setae: c 1 250, h 1 263, p 1 273; genitoaggenital plate 187 × 119, anoadanal plate 202 × 114.

Description — Colour brown. Surface of body well sculptured and covered with deep concavities.

Prodorsum with distinct median crista but without lateral carinae. Sigillar fields invisible. Well developed hump present above the bothridia. Sensilla long, strong, dilated, covered with small spines. Interlamellar and lamellar setae long, thick, covered with small spines in distal half, similar to notogastral setae. Rostral setae short, thick, bent, covered with small spines.

Notogaster with 15 pairs of long (c 1> c 1 -d 1), thick, rigid setae, ciliate, more at distal half. Setae c 1 and c 3 slightly remote from anterior border, setae c 2 situated far from anterior border. Vestigial setae and lyrifissures invisible.

Ventral region Setae h of mentum shorter than distance between them. Formula of genital setae: 5: 4. Anoadanal plates with five pairs of setae. Anal setae long, thick, rough, adanal setae vestigial.

Legs — Chaetome of legs of complete type, setae d of femora I slightly remote from anterior end of the article.

Etymology — This species is named to honour of Prof. J. Błoszyk to thank him for collection and for lending the material studied used in this work.

Other localities — ANIC-1660, Bruxner Park Floral Reserve, Sealy Lookout Rd. 5 km Northwest of Coffs Harbour, 760 m, 30°15’S 153°07’E, cut wet scleophyll Eucalyptus grandis litter, 19 Jan. 1993, coll. D.S. Chandler - 5; ANIC-1611, Bruxner Park Floral Reserve, Sealy Lookout Road, 5 km Northwest of Coffs Harbour, 260 m, 30°15’S 153°07’E, cut wet scleophyll subst. rainforest litter, 23 May 1993, coll. D.S. Chandler - 1; ANIC-1610, Bruxner Park Floral Reserve, Sealy Lookout Road, 5 km Northwest of Coff Harbour, 260 m, cut wet scleophyll rotten log litter, 23 May 1993, coll. D.S. Chandler - 2.

Comparison to related species — The new species is easily distinguishable from its congeners by the shape of sensilla – long and thick, also long and thick interlamellar and lamellar setae, long anal and vestigial adanal setae. It is similar to N. comatus Niedbała, 2000 from New Zealand in long sensilla, interlamellar and lamellar setae but is differently sculptured, covered with concavities (versus integument finely punctuate), without prodorsal, median crista and has well developed adanal setae.

Figures

FIGURE 8: Notophthiracarus bloszyki n. sp. (holotype): A – prodorsum, dorsal view, B – prodorsum, lateral view, C – lateral view of opisthosoma, D – mentum of infracapitulum, E – genitoaggenital plate, F – anoadanal plate, G – trochanter and femur I.