Acrotritia paragranulata Niedbała, 2014

Niedbała, Wojciech & Ermilov, Sergey G., 2014, Ptyctimous mites (Acari, Oribatida) from the Joint Russian-Vietnamese Biological Expedition (October 2013 – April 2014), Zootaxa 3884 (2), pp. 156-168 : 161-162

Acrotritia paragranulata Niedbała sp. nov.

( Fig. 3A–D )

Description. Measurements of holotype. Prodorsum: length 252, width 167, height 111. Prodorsal setae: sensillus 81, in 101, le 61, ro 56, ex 10. Notogaster: length 480, width 328, height 348. Notogastral setae: c 1, h 1 56, p 1 58. Plates: genitoaggenital 151 × 71, anoadanal 232 × 61.

Integument. Colour dark brown. Integument of body covered with polygonal reticulation, especially well expressed on prodorsum.

Prodorsum with two pairs of lateral carinae. Inferior carinae long, robust; superior carinae located in distal part of inferior carinae, very short, convergent, separated from the inferior ones. Sensilli with fusiform, slender head covered densely with small spines at distal end. Interlamellar, lamellar and rostral setae rigid, erect, covered with weak cilia in distal half, interlamellar setae considerably longer than other prodorsal setae. Exobothridial setae minute, smooth.

Notogaster. Notogastral setae simple, rather short (c 1/ c 1– d 1=0.73), covered with weak cilia in distal half. Setae c 1 and c 2 remote from anterior margin, setae c 3 situated near margin.

Ventral region. Setae h of mentum considerably longer than distance between them. Nine pairs of minute genital setae with formula 8:1. Two pairs of minute aggenital setae situated in a longitudinal row. Anal setae an 1 and an 2 and adanal setae straight, adanal setae longer; anal setae an 3 minute. Lyrifissures iad located between setae ad 3 and an 3.

Legs I heterobidactylous, II–IV heterotridactylous. Chaetome of legs: I 1–3 –5(2)–5(1)–17(3), II 1–3 –3(1)–4(1)–13(2), III 2–2 –2(1)–3(1)– 11, IV 2–1 –2–2(1)–10.

Material examined. Holotype and two paratypes: locality 1; three paratypes: locality 2.

Comparison. The new species is most similar to two afrotropical species, Acrotritia granulata ( Mahunka, 1999) from Madagascar and A. reticulata ( Mahunka, 1988) from Tanzania, by the reticulation of surface of body, fusiform sensilli and bidactylous tarsi of leg I and tridactylous tarsi II–IV. However, the first species has bifurcated, but joined lateral carinae and the second species has only one pair of lateral carinae. Only one, Australian species, Acrotritia paradivida Niedbała & Pentinnen, 2007 , has convergent, not joined lateral carinae of prodorsum but integument of body is punctuate and sensilli are bacilliform without head.

Etymology. The prefix para is Latin meaning “near” and refers to the similarity of the new species to Acrotritia granulata ( Mahunka, 1999) .

Figures

FIGURE 3 A – D. Acrotritia paragranulata Niedbała sp. nov.: A, prodorsum, dorsal view; B, prodorsum, lateral view; C, opisthosoma, lateral view; D, left genitoaggenital plate.