Multioppia (Multioppia) perfecta Mahunka and Topercer, 1983

Ivan, Otilia, 2018, New and known records of Oppiidae (Acari, Oribatida) from Romania, Acarologia 58 (8), pp. 61-71 : 62-65

Multioppia (Multioppia) perfecta Mahunka and Topercer, 1983

( Figure 1 )

Literature used for identification — Mahunka and Topercer 1983.

Measurements — Body length 235-247, body width 120-140 (7 specimens).

Description of Romanian specimens — Body color light yellowish, cuticle smooth excepting lateral part of podosoma. Rostrum entire, widely rounded. Rostral setae relatively long (20-23), uniformly arched and ciliated. Lamellar and interlamellar setae thin and simple,

similar in length (8-10). Exobothridial seta fine and simple, hardly observable in dorsal view,

slightly shorter than le and in (7-8). Lamellar and translamellar lines present. Three pairs of spots visible between insertion points of in setae, large foveolae border lamellar lines laterally.

Sensillus relatively long (40-43) fusiform, pectinate. Distal part expanded, asymmetrical, with

15-16 fine branches on lateral side, arranged in two rows convergent at the tip; each row comprises one short branch distally, 6 longer branches (longest ones in the middle) and one short branch proximally ( Figure 1 B ).

Notogaster with 13 pairs of setae fine, simple and short (15-18) excepting c that is minute, but discernible. Distribution of notogastral setae is characteristic for Multioppia subgenus, thus dm occurs behind im lyrifissure ( Vasiliu and Ivan 2009).

Ventral side shows no differences from the original description ( Mahunka and Topercer 1983).

Epimeres well defined, with polygonal ornamentation in medial part; epimeral setae simple and short, placed according to the formula 3:1:3:3, setae 3c and 4c longer than the medial ones.

Genito-anal region with usual configuration and the setal formula 5:1:2:3, all these setae fine and simple.

Remark — The main characters of this species were found in Romanian specimens.

However, some differences from the original description should be noticed, i.e., the shape of translamellar line (straight, with obvious lateral angles in type material) and sensillus with ciliation apparently on both sides ( Mahunka and Topercer 1983, Figures 7, 9), distinct from the sensillus structure above described based on Romanian material.

Distribution and ecology — Multioppia perfecta was described from Slovakia (cultivated soil). Currently, it is considered a Central and South European element ( Subías 2004, updated

2018), but apart from Romania this species was not yet mentioned in the fauna of other countries in this region (e.g., Hungary, Germany, Czech Republic, Poland, Austria) ( Mahunka and Mahunka-Papp 2004; Miko 2006, 2016; Niedbała and Olszanowski 2008; Krisper et al.

2017). In Romania it was firstly recorded in some grassland ecosystems (both hayfields and pastures) from the North-Eastern region ( Ivan 2007), and recently it was collected from the soil of Robinia pseudoacacia plantation, on degraded land, in the same region of the country

(Fereşti-Velniţa, Vaslui county, 46°47’36”N, 27°43’49”E, 13.05.2015). However, occurrence analysis of M. perfecta shows that it is not a common species, its requirements being not clear;

Multioppia (Hammeroppia) insolita was firstly identified in litter of Quercus frainetto forest from Olt county (Southern Romania). It is a really rare species, being found subsequently as few specimens in some forest plantations from the Danube Delta ( Ivan et al. 2006), and recently in the soil of Robinia pseudoacacia plantation, on degraded land in Vaslui county

(Eastern Romania) (Fereşti-Săratu, 46°45’59”N, 27°42’48”E, 13.05.2015).

Figures

Figure 1 Multioppia(M.) perfecta: A – dorsal view (scale bar 100 μm); B – sensillus (detail)