Trichouropoda aspera, Kontschán & Starý, 2011

Kontschán, Jenő & Starý, Josef, 2011, Uropodina species from Vietnam (Acari: Mesostigmata), Zootaxa 2807, pp. 1-28 : 7-9

Trichouropoda aspera sp. nov.

( Figs 13–20 )

Material examined. Holotype. Female ( HNHM), Vietnam, Ha Tinh Prov., Vu Quang Nat Res. and Distr., along Khecong River, at Ngam Tay du ford lowland riverine, moss, 21 May 2002. T. Pócs coll. Paratypes. Two males ( HNHM), locality and date same as for holotype. One male in alcohol ( HNHM), one male on slide ( HNHM) and one male in alcohol ( ISB), Vietnam, Tam Dao, secondary pine forest, litter sample, 970 m, 19 October 1988, J. Starý coll.

Description. Female. Length of idiosoma 920 µm, width 710 µm (n = 1). Idiosoma strongly sclerotised, shape rounded, dorsally domed.

Dorsal idiosoma ( Fig. 13 ). Marginal and dorsal shields not fused. Every seta on dorsal idisoma ca 25–35 µm long and marginally serrate ( Fig. 14 ). Dorsal shield covered by small and deep oval pits, margins of marginal shield crenulated.

Ventral idiosoma ( Fig. 15 ). Sternal setae not clearly visible (St1, St2 and St3 are presumably present, but not visible in the only available female specimen), St4 and St5 short and finely serrate (ca 14–17 µm). Surface of sternal shield smooth, genital shield scutiform, surface with oval pits. Ventral setae short (ca 14–16), marginally serrate. Ventral shield covered by oval pits. Peritremes hook-shaped. Base of tritosternum narrow, tritosternal laciniae with serrate margins and two smooth apical branches ( Fig. 16 ).

Gnathosoma ( Fig. 17 ). Corniculi horn-like with two apical and one lateral teeth, internal malae longer than corniculi, their margins smooth. Hypostomal setae h1 smooth, ca 53 µm, situated near anterior margins of gnathosoma, h2 absent, h3 marginally serrate, ca 38 µm long, h4 similar in shape to h3, ca 30 µm long. Distance between h3 and h4 equal to distance h1-h3. Epistome not clearly visible. Chelicerae with internal sclerotised node, movable digit as long as fixed digit ( Fig. 18 ).

Legs with smooth and simple setae, leg I without ambulacral claws.

Male. Length of idiosoma 820–880 µm, width 640–680 µm (n=5). Shape of idiosoma, ornamentation, and chaetotaxy of the dorsum as in female. Sternal shield covered by oval pits ( Fig. 19 ). Sternal setae short (ca 12–15), marginally serrate. St1 situated at level of central region of coxae II, St2 at level of anterior margin of genital shield, St3 at level of posterior margin of coxae III, St4 at level of anterior margin of coxae IV, St5 at level of posterior margin of coxae IV. Genital shield circular, its surface with reticulate sculptural pattern. Ventral setae and ornamentation as for female.

Gnathosoma ( Fig. 20 ).Corniculi horn-like, with two apical teeth, internal malae longer than corniculi and their margins smooth. Hypostomal setae h1 smooth, ca 45 µm, situated near anterior margins of gnathosoma, h2 smooth, ca 25 µm, h3 marginally serrate, ca 38 µm, h4 similar in shape and length to h3. Distance between h3 and h4 eight times as long as distance h1-h2 and h2-h3.

Etymology. The name of the new species refers to the Latin word ‘aspera’ (pitted) for the deep oval pits on the surface of the body.

Remarks. Currently only one species is known from the genus Trichouropoda with a rounded shape, strongly sclerotised and covered by deep oval pits ( Trichouropoda nigella Hiramatsu, 1976 described from Japan). The distinguishing differences between the new species and Trichouropoda nigella are presented in Table 2.

Surface of genital shield reticulate smooth Position of St1 between coxae II near anterior margin of sternal shield Hypostomal setae h2 absent present Female

Anterior region of genital shield wide, scutiform narrow, bottle-shaped Hypostoml setae h2 smooth serrate

Figures

FIGURES 13 – 20. Trichouropoda aspera sp. nov., female. 13, dorsal view; 14, dorsal seta; 15, ventral view; 16, tritosternum; 17, ventral view of gnathosoma; 18, chelicera; 19, male, intercoxal region; 20 ventral view of gnathosoma. (scale bar: a: 100 μm, b: 50 μm, c: 20 μm).