Notophthiracarus obturatus, Niedbała, 2009

Niedbała, Wojciech, 2009, New species of ptyctimous mites (Acari, Oribatida) from Cuba, Journal of Natural History 43 (7 - 8), pp. 423-433 : 429-433

Notophthiracarus obturatus sp. nov.

( Figure 5 )

Material examined

Holotype and one paratype: Cuba, Santiago , Gran Piedra, west slope, soil of montane forest, tree fern stand, 21 X 1981, leg. J. Rusek.

Measurements of holotype

Prodorsum: length 353, width 252, height 131, sensillus 70.8, setae: interlamellar 32.9, lamellar 22.8, rostral 32.9; notogaster: length 697, width 454, height 465, setae: c 1, h 1 and ps 1 30.4; genitoaggenital plate 177X136, anoadanal plate 222X136.

Description

Colour, dark brown. Integument of body finely punctate.

Prodorsum with very narrow, long sigillar fields. Lateral carinae and posterior furrows absent. Sensilli in dorsal view visible as neck of swan, long with fusiform head covered with small spines. Sensilli in lateral view visible as narrow, rough stick without head. Setae very short, needle-shaped, smooth.

Notogaster with 15 pairs of very short, needle-shaped, smooth setae. Setae of row c remote from anterior border, setae c 2 more than setae c 1 and c 3. Four pairs of lyrifissures ia, im, ip, ips present. Vestigial setae f 1 not visible.

Ventral region. Setae h of mentum longer than distance between them. Arrangement of genital setae: 5: 4. Anoadanal plates with minute setae; adanal setae situated near paraxial border of plate.

Chaetome of legs of ‘‘complete type’’, setae d of femora I strong, slightly remote from distal end of article.

Etymology

The specific Latin name obturatus means ‘‘closed up’’ and alludes to the approach of adanal setae to paraxial border of anoadanal plates.

Comparison

The new species is characterized by the unusual shape of sensilli, different in dorsal and lateral view; in dorsal view resembling the neck of a swan, in lateral view visible as narrow, rough stick without head. Setae of body are very short and setae of anoadanal plates situated near paraxial border.

Key for determination of Protophthiracarus species of Cuba

1. All notogastral setae located at small protuberances................................................. P. kyphos Niedbała, 2004 No protuberances on notogaster............................. 2

2. Median sigillar field of prodorsum joined with laterals; notogastral setae, especially dorsal setae, procumbent....... P. contiguus Niedbała, 2004 Sigillar fields of prodorsum not joined; notogastral setae, especially dorsal setae, erect............................................ 3

3. All notogastral setae similar in shape.......................... 4 Notogastral setae different in shape.......................... 5

4. Notogastral setae longer (c 1. c 1 2 d 1); setae h of infracapitular mentum longer than distance between them............... P. ruseki sp. nov. Notogastral setae shorter (c 1, c 1 2 d 1); setae h of infracapitular mentum shorter than distance between them............ P. pinerensis sp. nov.

5. All setae of anoadanal plates short and similar in length; five genital setae located in progenital position................... P. aethes sp. nov. Setae ad 2 considerably longer than other setae of anoadanal plates; three genital setae located in progenital position..................... 6

6. Prodorsal interlamellar and lamellar setae spiniform, rough; notogastral setae c 1 thick, obtuse distally............... P. varians (Jacot, 1933) Interlamellar and lamellar setae thick, spinose in distal half; notogastral setae c 1 spiniform, pointed and spinose distally............................................... P. varius Niedbała et Schatz, 1996

Zoogeographical remark

It is noteworthy that there is an interesting relation of the geographic distributions between two subfamilies of euptyctimous mites: Euphthiracaroidea and Phthiracaroidea ( Niedbała 2004). The Phthiracaroidea of Cuba comprises three distinct groups of zoogeographical elements: widespread, semicosmopolitan and pantropical species (7), species known only from Mesoamerica (5) and endemic species from Cuba (6) ( Niedbała 2004). The five newly described species have increased the number of endemic species. Interestingly, no species of widespread distribution in the Neotropical region have been reported. The Euphthiracaroidea of Cuba are also represented by three groups of zoogeographical elements: widespread species (4), species known only from Mesoamerica (6), Neotropical species (4) but no endemic ones.

Summary

This paper presents a morphological description of new phthiracaroid mites of the genera: Protophthiracarus and Notophthiracarus : P. aethes sp. nov., P. pinarensis sp. nov., P. ruseki sp. nov., N. granpiedraensis sp. nov. and N. obturatus sp. nov. A comparative analysis is given for each of the new species. The species belong to relatively speciose genera of the Neotropical region but the species of Notophthiracarus have not been hitherto found in the Antilles. Most of the species of Protophthiracarus occur in continental Mesoamerica and in Guyano-Brasilian subregions. In the Greater Antilles subregion this genus is represented by five species, while in Cuba four species have been hitherto known and together with the newly described ones this number has increased to seven species, for which a key has been given. The newly described species have increased the group of endemic Phthiracaroidea of Cuba to 11 species. Among the Euphthiracaroidea there are no endemic species, while among the Phthiracaroidea there are no species of widespread distribution in the Neotropical region.

The total number of Phthiracaroidea in Cuba has increased to 25 and that of all ptyctimous mites to 47 species.

Figures

Figure 5. Notophthiracarus obturatus sp. nov. (holotype). (A) prodorsum, lateral view; (B) prodorsum, dorsal view; (C) opisthosoma, lateral view; (D) mentum of infracapitulum; (E) genitoaggenital plate; (F) anoadanal plate; (G) trochanter and femur of leg I.