Afrotrachytes peruensis, Kontschán & Friedrich, 2020

Kontschán, Jenő & Friedrich, Stefan, 2020, First record of the genus Afrotrachytes Kontschán (Acari: Uropodina) in Peru with the description of a new species, Acarological Studies 2 (2), pp. 77-82 : 77-78

Afrotrachytes peruensis sp. nov.

( Figures 1-11 ).

Diagnosis. Dorsal shield covered by oval pits, caudal setae long with narrow flag-like hyaline margin. Pygidial shield quadrangular. Sternal setae st3, st4 and st5 rod-like and apically forked. Genital shield of female with reticulate sculptural pattern.

Material examined. Holotype. Female. Peru, Dept. Huánuco, Rio Yuyapichis, ACP Panguana , 9°37’S, 74°56’W, 230-260m a.s.l., 23.IV.2016 - 09.V.2016., leg. S. Friedrich, F. Wachtel & D. Hauth (in MUSM) . Paratypes. Three females, collection data as in holotype (one paratype deposited in the MUSM, two paratypes deposited in the ZSM) .

Description

Female (n=4).

Description. Length of idiosoma 775–820, width 575–605. Shape pentagonal, posterior margin rounded.

Dorsal idiosoma ( Fig. 1 ). Dorsal and marginal shields fused close to anterior margin. Dorsal shield covered by oval pits (ca 8–10×7–11), except on smooth central area. Eight pairs of setae on dorsal shield bulbiform and ca 24– 36 long. Marginal shield reduced posteriorly, bearing flag-like (ca 40–68) setae. Some oval pits situated on posterior part of marginal shield. Two pairs of long (ca 155–160) and narrow flag-like setae situated on small platelets (ca 30–34×18–20) and one pair of short (ca 65–70) and wider setae situated on membranous cuticle on caudal part of dorsal idiosoma. Pygidial shield quadrangular (80–85 long and 260–270 wide), covered by oval pits and bearing one pair of long and narrow setae (ca 120–135).

Ventral idiosoma ( Fig. 2 ). Sternal and ventral shields with oval pits. Sternal setae st1 and st2 short (ca 21–23) leaf-like, situated at level of coxae II. Setae st3, st4 and st5 short (ca 20–28), rod-like, apically forked into 3–5 short branches. Setae st3 situated close to anterior margin of genital shied, st4 at level of central area of coxae III, st5 close to posterior margin of genital shield. Three pairs of short (ca 26–40) and leaf-like ventral setae situated between coxae IV and level of anal opening. Two pairs of long (ca 100–120) and leaf-like setae placed at level of anal opening on marginal area of ventral idiosoma. Anal opening small, with one pair of shorter (ca 23–25) and one pair of longer (ca 38–41) adanal setae, postanal setae ca 37–42 long. All setae around anal opening leaf-like ( Fig. 3 ). Ventral shield covered by oval pits (ca 7–11×8–13). Stigmata situated between coxae II and III. Poststigmatid part of peritremes short and straight, prestigmatid part with three bends ( Fig. 4 ). Genital shield suboval (180–192 long and 154–160 wide) and its surface covered by reticulate sculptural pattern. Tritosternum with wide, quadrangular basis; laciniae subdivided into five smooth branches ( Fig. 5 ).

Gnathosoma. Corniculi horn-like, internal malae smooth and longer than corniculi. Hypostomal setae h1 smooth and ca 30–33 long, h2, h3 and h4 trifurcated and ca 14–17 long. Palp trochanter with two marginally serrate setae. Epistome basally serrate, apically smooth ( Fig. 7 ). Chelicera with one tooth on fixed digit, one big tooth and some (6–7) small teeth on movable digit, internal sclerotized node absent, fixed digit longer than movable digit ( Fig. 6 ).

Legs ( Figs 8–11 ). Claws and ambulacrum absent in leg I. Leg I with wide flap-like prolongation and inner margin of femur, genu, tibia and tarsus with long and rod-like setae. Smaller flap-like prolongation situated on trochanters, femora, genua and tibiae on other legs. Setae on legs bulbiform or flag-like, needle-like setae situated only on tarsi I-IV. Length of legs: leg I 710–725, leg II 645–660, leg III 590–600, leg IV 695–710.

Etymology. The name of the new species refers to the country where it was collected.

Remarks. The new species differs from the other Neotropical species ( Afrotrachytes bercziki ) in several character states. The surface of female genital shield is smooth in A. bercziki and it is ornamented by reticulate sculptural pattern in the new one. The dorsal shield of known species is covered by irregular pits on central area, contrary with the new one, where the dorsal shield is smooth or bears oval pits on central area. A. bercziki has spatuliform postanal seta, apically serrate first ventral setae and needle like st3 and st4 setae, but the new species has leaf-like postanal seta, first ventral setae leaf-like, and apically forked st 3 and st 4 setae.

Figures

Figure 1. Dorsal view of Afrotrachytes peruensis sp. nov. (female), holotype.

Figure 2. Ventral view of Afrotrachytes peruensis sp. nov. (female), holotype.

Figures 3–11. Afrotrachytes peruensis sp. nov. (female), holotype. 3. Anal region, 4. Peritreme, 5. Ventral view of tritosternum, gnathosoma and palp, 6. Lateral view of chelicera, 7. Epistome, 8. Leg I. in ventral view, 9. Leg II in ventral view, 10. Leg III in ventral view, 11. Leg IV in ventral view.