Neopodocinum longisetum, Ács & Sutak & Kontschan, 2016

Ács, A., Sutak, A. & Kontschan, J., 2016, New records of macrochelid mites and description of a new phoretic species (Acari: Mesostigmata: Macrochelidae) from Greece, Acarologia 56 (1), pp. 63-71 : 67-68

Neopodocinum longisetum n. sp.

( Fig 1 )

Diagnosis — Dorsal shield bears long, slightly bent setae marginally and short needle-like setae on median part. Surface of dorsum with 11 pairs of pores and with 8 pairs of microspicules. Posterior margin of sternal shield with a pair of spur-like structure. Anal shield small, egg-shaped with short post-anal seta and a pair of para-anal setae. Tectum typical for the genus, unipartite with small denticles along.

Material examined — Holotype. Female. Collected from Oryctes nasicornis ( Linnaeus, 1758) , Greece, Epirus, Preveza peripheral unit, Ano Kotsanopoulo , garden of a cafe bar along the road towards Louros, W of the village, 130 m a.s.l., 39°13.026’N 20°42.823’E, 05 May 2011. KontschAEn, J., MurAEnyi, D., Szederjesi, T. and UjvAEri, Zs. coll. Paratypes two females, locality, date and host same as in holotype. The holotype was deposited in the Soil Zoology Collections of the Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest .

Description — Female. Dorsum ( Figure 1A ) — Dorsal shield oblong, with length 994 – 1090 µm and width 628 – 705 µm at level of coxae II (n=3), micropunctation on surface without ornamentation. Number of setae increased, bearing more than 30 pairs of dorsal setae and one unpaired seta. Setae j4-j6, z5-z6, Jx, J2, J5, Z5 minute, needle-like, other dorsal setae longer to very long; j1 plumose distally, twice the length of adjacent z1; setae j3, z2 and z4 especially long and distally pilose. Marginally bears neotrichous setae which are very long, slightly bent and pilose in their distal half. Length of dorsal setae: j1 = 83 – 96; j2 = 122 – 128; j3, z2, z4 and s4 = 224 – 288; j4 and z5 = 32 – 38; j5, j6, z6 and Jx = 7 – 13; z1 = 45 – 58; s2 = 77 – 109; s5-s6 = 340 – 372; J2 and Z5 = 26 – 38; J5 = 19 – 26; Z1, Z2 and Z4 = 71 – 83; S1 = 58 – 83; S2, S4 and S5 = 391 – 481. One median unpaired seta present (Jx), posterior to j6. Dorsal shield with 11 pairs of pores (5 pairs of lyrifissures [ids6, idZ1, idZ2, idS3, idJ4] and 6 pairs of gland pores) and 8 pairs of microspicules (ms). Peritreme not reaching the bases of setae z1.

Venter ( Figure 1B ) — Sternal shield 103 – 109 long and 353 – 365 wide at level of coxae II. Bearing 3 pairs of needle-like setae and two pairs of lyrifissures. Posterior margin of sternal shield with a pair of clearly visible spur-like structure. Measurements of setae: St1 = 109 – 115, St2 = 103 – 115 and St3 = 90 – 96. Cuticule with a slight punctation. Metasternal setae 58 – 71 long, inserted on small metasternal platelets. Genital shield with straight posterior margin, 308 – 340 long and 244 – 269 wide. Length of setae on epigynal shield 83 – 109. Anal shield egg-shaped, with length 166 – 173 and width 128 – 135. Para-anal setae 38 – 58 long, needle-like, post-anal seta shorter, 32 – 38 long. Cribrum developed with pores on lateral margin of anal shield. Opisthogaster bearing more than 60 pairs of slightly pilose setae.

Gnathosoma ( Figure 1C ) — Gnathosoma well developed. Deutosternal groove with 5 rows of denticles, 3 pairs of hypostomal setae and one pair of palpcoxal seta present, all setae needle-like. Internal posterior hypostomal seta (h2) longer than others. Measurements of hypostomal setae: h1 = 71 – 77, h2 = 103 – 135, h3 = 64 and capitulate seta = 71 – 96. Tectum ( Figure 1D ) unipartite with serration, length 115 – 135. Cheliceral measurements: fixed digit: 90, moveable digit 115 – 128. Fixed digit with simple dorsal seta, one median big tooth, distal smaller tooth, pilus dentilis and hooked terminally ( Figure 1E ). Moveable digit with a bidentate tooth, small teeth and terminal hook. Arthrodial brush densely pilose. Length of fixed digit 90, moveable digit 115 – 128.

Legs — Tarsus I without ambulacrum, terminates distally in several small setae and one long seta, anterolaterally with a tridentate hook. Tarsi II- IV with well-developed ambulacra and claws. Most of the leg setae simple. Genu IV with 6 simple and 1 pilose setae. Leg chaetotaxy typical for the genus ( Krantz 1965). Leg lengths: leg I 724 – 795, leg II 660 – 720, leg III 756 – 788, leg IV 833 – 1147.

Habitat — N. longisetum n. sp. was collected as phoretic on Oryctes nasicornis (Linnaeus) in Greece. Phoresy on beetles is a common phenomenon in the family Macrochelidae , enabling the mites to disperse easily and thus have the chance to find more suitable substrates. ( Costa 1969, Binns 1982)

Etymology — The specific name is taken from the Latin " longisetum " and refers to the long marginal and submarginal dorsal setae.

Notes — N. longisetum n. sp. is similar to N. caputmedusae ( Berlese, 1908) , differences between them are shown in the Table 1. Differences also were confirmed between N. longisetum and the other earlier described species of Neopodocinum ( Bregetova 1958; Costa 1965; Krantz 1965, Hartini and Takaku 2003; Hartini and Takaku 2004; Iavorschi 1975; Moraza 2004; Takaku and Hartini 2001).

Figures

FIGURE 1: Neopodocinum longisetum n. sp. holotype, female: A – Body in dorsal view; B – Body in ventral view; C – Ventral view of gnathosoma and palp; D – Epistome; E – Chelicera.