Mesotritia maerkeli Sheals, 1965

Liu, Dong & Chen, Jun, 2010, A review of Mesotritia (Acari: Oribatida: Oribotritiidae) in China, with descriptions of two new species and a checklist of known taxa, Zootaxa 2479, pp. 39-58 : 49

Mesotritia maerkeli Sheals, 1965

( Figs. 24–30 )

Mesotritia maerkeli Sheals, 1965 , p. 24, figs. 40–48; Aoki, 1980, p. 72; Balogh & Mahunka, 1983, p. 168; Niedbała, 2000, p. 92, figs. 209–230.

Mesotritia flagellata Bayoumi & Mahunka, 1979 , p. 16, figs. 9–11; Niedbała, 2000, p. 92, figs. 209–230. Mesotritia spinosa Aoki, 1980 , p. 72, fig. 27; Niedbała, 2000, p. 92, figs. 209–230.

Material examined: one adult (in alcohol, D-D6), China: Tibet, Nyingchi County, Sejila Mt. (29°37'19.08"N, 94°38'9.81"E), west slope, from litter, 29, Sep., 1997, leg. Ru-Mei Xu, Jing Shen and Solhoy. Newly recorded from China.

Measurements: Specimens (n=1) from Tibet: Prodorsum: length 440, width 340, height 145, setae: ss 60, ro 190, in 130, le 155, ex 50, distance between setae: ro -ro 70, in -in 245, le -le 230; notogaster: length 850, width 630, height 660; setae: c1 90, c2 80, c3 80, c p 65, d1 70, d2 65, e1 70, e2 65, h1 65, h2 55, h3 55, ps1 60, ps2 60, ps3 50; distance between setae: c1-d1 187, d1-e1 206, e1-h1 295, h1-ps1 245; ventral region: genito-aggenital plate 115×230, ano-adanal plate 425×86.

Prodorsum with one pair of short lateral carinae not reaching bothridia; sensilli short, smooth and spindleshaped; lamellar, interlamellar and rostral setae long, smooth and attenuate; rostral setae located between interlamellar and lamellar setae but nearer to interlamellar setae; exobothridial setae short and fine; comparative length: ro> le> in>ss> ex. Notogastral setae fine, attenuate, short (c1 / c1-d1 =0.48). Genital plates with six pairs of slightly long setae; two pairs of aggenital setae present; anal plates with one pair of anal setae; three pairs of adanal setae present, equally distanced; lyrifissures iad situated anterior to anal setae. Setae h of mentum considerably longer than distance between them; setation of legs (without tarsi): I: 1-3- 4(2)-5(1); II: 1-3-4(1)-4(1), III: 2-3-2(1)-2(1), IV: 2-3-2-2(1); all legs heterotridactylous.

Distribution. China (Tibet), Bhutan, Japan, Nepal.

Remarks. Although the characters of specimen we examined differ from the original description of M. maerkeli Sheals, 1965 by the slightly shorter lateral carina, we consider this is just subject to intraspecific variability and identify our specimen as M. maerkeli . We also found the median carina and minute teeth on the surface between bothridia are absent in our specimen, but present in the original description of M. spinosa Aoki, 1980 .

Figures

FIGURES 24 – 30. Mesotritia maerkeli Sheals, 1965 (specimen from Tibet): 24, lateral view of body (legs removed); 25, prodorsum, dorsal view; 26, left part of ventral plate; 27 – 28, trochanter, femur, genu and tibia: 27, leg I; 28; leg II; 29 – 30, femur, genu and tibia: 29, leg III; 30, leg IV. Scale bars = 100 μm.