Porallozetes badamdorji, Ermilov, Sergey G. & Minor, Maria A., 2016

Ermilov, Sergey G. & Minor, Maria A., 2016, Three new species of oribatid mites of the family Punctoribatidae (Acari, Oribatida) from alpine bogs of New Zealand, Zootaxa 4092 (2), pp. 243-257 : 249-252

Porallozetes badamdorji sp. nov.

( Figs 11–20 )

Diagnosis. Body size: 464–498 × 282–298. Rostral setae ciliated, lamellar and interlamellar setae slightly barbed; ro and le thicker than in. Bothridial setae short, clavate, slightly barbed. Dorsophragmata semi-oval. Porose areas without distinct borders. Notogastral setae setiform, with attenuate and often curved tips, smooth. Epimeral setae 1b, 1c, 3b and 3c slightly barbed, other setae shorter and smooth. Anogenital setae smooth. Tarsi I with 19 setae (l’’ absent), femora III with 2 setae (l’ absent).

Description. Measurements. Body length: 464 (holotype: male), 464–498 (14 paratypes: 11 females and 3 males); notogastral width: 298 (holotype), 282–298 (14 paratypes). No distinct differences in size between females and males.

Integument. Сolor brown. Body surface smooth. Antiaxial parts of leg femora III and IV with microgranulate cerotegument.

Prodorsum. Rostrum broadly rounded. Lamellae (without cusps) half as long as prodorsum. Lamellar cusps are 1/6 length of lamellae, with very small medial and lateral teeth. Transverse ridges (r) well visible. Rostral setae (61–69) setiform, ciliated, directed antero-medially, inserted on strong tubercles. Lamellar and interlamellar setae similar in length (90–106), setiform, straight, slightly barbed. Rostral and lamellar setae clearly thicker than interlamellar setae. Bothridial setae (36–44) clavate, with shorter (12–16) stalks smooth, longer (24–26) heads slightly barbed, rounded distally. Bothridia separated from lamellae by narrow incision antero-medially. Exobothridial setae and their alveoli absent. Tutoria longer than lamellae, their cusps 1/6 length of tutoria, with one small triangular tip, near and posterior to insertions of rostral setae.

Notogaster. Anterior margin strongly convex medially, reaching level of insertions of interlamellar setae. Dorsosejugal porose areas not visible. Pteromorphs broadly rounded laterally. Dorsophragmata semi-oval. Four pairs of rounded porose areas with indistinct borders: Aa (20–24), A1 – A3 (16–18, sometimes A1 and A3 up to 24). Notogastral setae (c, la, 41–49; other setae 32–36) setiform, with attenuate (often curved) tips, smooth. Lyrifissures im, ip, ih and ips distinct, ia hardly visible in dissected specimens. Opisthonotal gland openings located posterior to h 3.

Gnathosoma . Subcapitulum longer than wide (131 × 90). Subcapitular setae similar in length (32–36), setiform, slightly barbed. Adoral setae (16–18) setiform, densely barbed. Palps (82) with setation 0–2–1–3–9(+ω). Setae e (8) slightly thickened, straight, indistinctly barbed. Axillary saccules slightly elongated. Chelicerae (118) with two setiform, barbed setae; cha (41) longer than chb (28). Trägårdh’s organ long, tapered.

Lateral podosomal and epimeral regions. Genal teeth well visible. Humeral porose areas Am diffuse, Ah large, distinct. Custodia with short, pointed tips, reaching level of posterior margin of pedotecta II. Discidia triangular. Circumpedal carinae distinct. Epimeral setal formula: 3–1–3–3. Epimeral setae setiform; 1b, 1c, 3b and 3c (all three pairs 41–49) slightly barbed, other setae shorter (24–28) smooth. Setae 2a and 3a located on one transverse level.

Anogenital region. Genital (g 1, 28; g 2– g 6, 20), aggenital (24–26), anal (20) and adanal (24–28) setae setiform, smooth. Adanal lyrifissures located close and parallel to anal aperture. Ovipositor elongated (159 × 65), blades (73) shorter than length of distal section (beyond middle fold; 86). Each of three blades with 4 straight, smooth setae, ψ1 ≈ τ1 (45) longer than ψ2 ≈ τ a ≈ τ b ≈ τ c (24). Six coronal setae (k, 32) straight. Postanal porose area (Ap) poorly visible, band-like, transverse.

Legs. Claws serrate on dorsal side. Segments without ventral teeth. Porose areas on femora and trochanters III, IV present, but poorly visible. Formulas of leg setation and solenidia: I (1–5–3–4–19) [1–2–2], II (1–5–3–4–15) [1–1–2], III (2–2–1–3–15) [1–1–0], IV (1–2–2–3–12) [0–1–0]; homology of setae and solenidia as indicated in Table 1 . Setae l’’ on tarsi I and l’ on femora III absent.

Material examined. Holotype (male) and 8 paratypes (6 females and 2 males): New Zealand, South Island, Central Otago, Old Man’s Range, 45°19'5.55"S, 169°11'56.13"E, 1625 m a.s.l., in wet moss of alpine bog, 17 February 2014 (M. Minor); 6 paratypes (5 females and 1 male): New Zealand, South Island, Central Otago, Pisa Range, 44°52'24.92"S, 169°10'34.53"E, 1809 m a.s.l., in wet moss of alpine bog, 18 February 2014 (M. Minor).

Type deposition. The holotype and 4 paratypes are deposited in the New Zealand National Arthropod Collection, Auckland, New Zealand; 4 paratypes are deposited in the collection of the Senckenberg Institution, Frankfurt, Germany; 6 paratypes are deposited in the collection of the Tyumen State University Museum of Zoology, Tyumen, Russia.

Etymology. The specific name is dedicated to our friend and colleague, acarologist Prof. Dr. Badamdorj Bayartogtokh (National University of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia), to acknowledge his extensive contribution to our knowledge of oribatid mites.

Comparison. The systematic position of Porallozetes badamdorji sp. nov. is problematic. This species has morphological traits which do not correspond completely to any known ceratozetoid genus. Porallozetes badamdorji sp. nov. has a well-developed anterior notogastral margin (absent in Porallozetes, it is a generic character—see Balogh & Balogh 1992), however, we include the new species in Porallozetes because other generic morphological traits are similar to this genus.

Porallozetes badamdorji sp. nov. differs from P. d i s p ar by larger body length (464–498 vs. 300), the presence of interlamellar setae (vs. absent), short and clavate bothridial setae (vs. long, with narrow and elongated heads), well-developed anterior notogastral margin (vs. not developed medially), notogastral setae of medium size (vs. minute), semi-oval dorsophragmata (vs. longitudinally elongated), and by the placement of notogastral porose areas A2 posteriorly to A1 (vs. postero-laterally).

Also, Porallozetes badamdorji sp. nov. is morphologically similar to some representatives of the genus Ceratozetes Berlese, 1908 (for example, Ceratozetes parvulus Sellnick, 1922 —see Behan-Pelletier 1985) of the family Ceratozetidae , however, the new species differs from them by the short custodia (vs. long), closely positioned (almost touching anteriorly) sejugal apodemes and apodemes III (vs. distinctly separated, apodemes III short), and by position of sejugal apodemes level with the anterior margin of genital aperture (vs. distinctly anterior to it).

In addition, Porallozetes badamdorji sp. nov. is morphologically similar to representatives of the genus Pedunculozetes Hammer, 1962 (see updated generic diagnosis in Ermilov & Minor 2015 e) of the family Chamobatidae , however, the new species differs from them by well-developed lamellar cusps (vs. distinct cusps absent) and by pointed tutorial cusps (vs. dentate).

Figures

FIGURES 11 – 14. Porallozetes badamdorji sp. nov., adult: 11 — dorsal view; 12 — ventral view (legs not shown); 13 — subcapitulum, ventral view; 14 — ovipositor. Scale bar 100 Μm (11, 12), scale bar 50 Μm (13, 14).

FIGURES 15 – 20. Porallozetes badamdorji sp. nov., adult: 15 — lateral view of anterior part of body (legs not shown); 16 — posterior view (pteromorphs not shown); 17 — leg I, without trochanter, right, antiaxial view; 18 — medio-anterior part of femur and genu of leg II, right, antiaxial view; 19 — femur and genu of leg III, left, antiaxial view; 20 — trochanter, femur and genu of leg IV, left, antiaxial view. Scale bar 100 Μm (15, 16), scale bar 50 Μm (17 – 20).