Uropoda bengalica, Kontschán, JenŐ, 2012

Kontschán, JenŐ, 2012, New Uropodina mites from India (Acari: Mesostigmata), Zootaxa 3518, pp. 25-44 : 31-32

Uropoda bengalica sp. nov.

( Figs 22–32 )

Material examined. Holotype. India, Debrapani, Darheeling District, West Bengal , extracted from litter in indigenous wood, 30 May 1980, Gy. Topál coll. ( HNHM) . Paratypes. One male in MHNG , one female on slide in HNHM . Locality and date same as in holotype.

Description. Female. Length of idiosoma 420–430 µm, width 360–370 µm (n=2). Shape of body circular.

Dorsal idiosoma ( Fig. 22 ). Dorsal and marginal shields fused anteriorly, all dorsal setae short (ca. 7–9 µm), smooth and needle-like ( Fig 23 ). Dorsal shield covered with oval pits, with very small pits between larger pits ( Fig. 23 ). Marginal shield bearing smooth and needle-like setae (ca. 7–8 µm), its surface smooth.

Ventral idiosoma ( Fig. 24 ). Surface of sternal shield mostly smooth, with oval pits near its anterior margin. Five pairs of smooth, short (ca. 4–6 µm), needle-like sternal setae present, St1 placed near anterior point of genital shield, St2 at level of posterior margin of coxae II, St3 at central level of coxae III, St4 at level of anterior margin of coxae IV, St5 near basal edges of genital shield. Four pairs of ventral setae and two pairs of adanal setae similar in shape and length to sternal setae, postanal seta absent. Anal opening rounded. Pedofossae deep, their surface smooth, without separate furrows for tarsi IV. Genital shield long, narrow and linguliform, anteriorly pointed, its surface covered by oval pits. Stigmata situated between coxae II and III, post-stigmatal part of peritremes absent, pre-stigmatal area long, apically hook-shaped ( Fig. 25 ). Tritosternum with triangular base, laciniae divided into three branches ( Fig. 26 ).

Gnathosoma ( Fig. 26 ). Hypostomal setae h1 long (ca. 36 µm), apically pilose, h2 short (ca. 16 µm), smooth, h3 long (ca. 22 µm), marginally serrate, h4 short (ca. 15 µm) and smooth. Corniculi short and horn-like, internal malae longer than corniculi, smooth. Epistome marginally pilose. Fixed digit of chelicera longer than movable digit, bearing a bulbiform sensory organ, movable digit with one central tooth, internal sclerotised node absent ( Fig. 27 ).

Legs. First leg without ambulacral claws, all setae on legs smooth and needle-like ( Figs 28–31 ).

Male. Length of idiosoma 440 µm, width 370 µm (n=1). Shape and dorsal idiosoma as in female.

Ventral idiosoma ( Fig. 32 ). Five pairs of short (ca. 5–6 µm) needle-like sternal setae present. St1 inserted at level of posterior margin of coxae II, St2 at central level of coxae III, St3 at level of anterior margin of coxae IV, St4 near lateral margin of genital shield, St5 near posterior margin of genital shield. Sternal shield covered by oval pits between St1 and St3. One pair of sensory organs can be found between St1 and St2. Genital shield oval, without sculptural pattern and situated between pedofossae of legs IV.

Gnathosoma. As in female.

Etymology. The name of the new species refers to the region (Bengal) of India where it was collected.

Notes. Following Hirschmann's (1972b) division of the genus Uropoda , I place the new species into the Uropoda penicillata -group. Up to now six species are known in this group ( U. complicata (Berlese) , U. garciai Hirschmann & Hiramatsu , U. indonensis Hiramatsu , U. micherdzinskii Hirschmann , U. penicillata Hirschmann & Zirngiebl-Nicol and U. penicillatasimilis Hirschmann ). The common characters within this species group are the pilose h1 setae, circular idiosoma, hook-shaped prestigmatal part of the peritreme, and the narrow and pointed genital shield of the female. The characteristic differences between the species of this group are presented in Table 2 . Uropoda complicata (Berlese) is missing from Table 2 , because most of the characters of this species are lacking from the original description and illustration ( Berlese 1905). However, this species differs from the new one on the basis of the smooth surface of genital and ventral shields, which are ornamented in U. bengalica .

Figures

FIGURES 22 – 27. Uropoda bengalica sp. nov., holotype, female. 22. Body in dorsal view; 23. Dorsal setae and ornamentation; 24. Body in ventral view; 25. Peritreme; 26. Ventral view of gnathosoma and tritosternum 27. Chelicera.

FIGURES 28 – 32. Uropoda bengalica sp. nov., holotype, female. 28. Leg I; 29. Leg II; 30. Leg III; 31. Leg IV (all legs in ventral view); 32. Intercoxal area of male paratype.