Platymamersopsis (Lavorona) volovitsy, Goldschmidt, 2008

Goldschmidt, Tom, 2008, Taxonomical, ecological and zoogeographical studies on anisitsiellid water mites (Acari: Hydrachnidia: Anisitsiellidae Koenike, 1910) from Madagascar, Zootaxa 1954 (1), pp. 1-120 : 114-116

Platymamersopsis (Lavorona) volovitsy sp. nov.

( Figs 272–281 , Table 13)

Type series: Holotype female, MD 155 a, Joffreville (Montagne d’Ambre, Antsiranana), left tributary Rivière de Manques in Reserve Fontenay , 600 m asl, 21.2 °C, 19 µS/cm, 17.11.2001, mounted.

Additional material examined: MD 38 a, Andrambovato (Fianarantsoa), stream 3 km east from the village upstream from the cascade, riffle, 900 m asl, 20.08.2001, 0/1/0 mounted ; MD 64 , Andohahela (Tulear), Fenoevo , stream at northern margin of forest (milky turbid waters), 330 m asl, 19.4 °C, 100 µS/cm, 08.09.2001, 0/1/0 mounted ; MD 70 , Andohahela (Tulear), Isaka , east stream at the southern National Park border (west RIP 118 ), 200 m asl, 19.5 °C, 89 µS/cm, 09.09.2001, 0/1/0 mounted, 0/1/0 unmounted ; MD 74 a Andohahela (Tulear), Isaka , stream crossing RIP 118 at km 32, 360 m asl, 18.8 °C, 88 µS/cm, 11.09.2001, 0/ 1/0 mounted, 0/1/0 unmounted .

Habitat: Streams at 200–900 m asl.

Distribution: Madagascar (Montagne d’Ambre, Eastern and Southern hill regions).

Derivatio nominis: Volo (Malagasy) — hair; vitsy (Malagasy) — few; referring to the characteristically weak setation of the legs of the species.

Diagnosis: Idiosoma elongated; dorsal shield elongated-oval, margin undulated, ridge on dorsal shield posteriorly clearly developed, anterior barely visible; coxal field relatively compact, Cx-I to -III together boxshaped, capitular bay shallow, medial margins of Cx-I long, fused, of Cx-III mid-sized; genital field elongated; acetabula mid-sized, oval; leg-I and -II relatively short, leg-III and -IV slender, claws on leg-I to -III angled, with comb-like ventral clawlets, without dorsal clawlet; leg-IV-6 with two mid-sized terminal setae; base of capitulum high, compact, rostrum with shorter keel; palp typical, ventral margin of P2 concave, medially with ventro-distal corner, P5 long.

Description, female (n = 5): Idiosoma elongated-oval ( Fig. 272 ), light purple-greyish, secondary sclerotization light brownish; dorsal shield slender, elongated-oval, margins undulated ( Fig. 273 ) (L/W 618 (589- 618)/412 (397-425)), ridge on dorsal shield posteriorly clearly developed, anteriorly indistinct, Dgl-3 to -5 with strong setae, Dgl-6 and Lgl-4 with very small setae, glandularia far lateral; soft integument in dorsal furrow lined ( Fig. 273 ); ventral shield elongated, broad drop-shaped (L/W 706 (647-726)/481 (456-481)); coxal field box-shaped, anteriorly surpassing ventral shield; capitular bay shallow, broad, Cx-I relatively short, broad, medial margins fused, long (78 (71-78)), Cx-III mid-sized (54 (42-54)) ( Fig. 272 ); Cxgl-2 between Cx- II and -III, near lateral margin, Cxgl-4 far lateral at anterior margin of Cx-III; medial margin of Cx-IV indistinct, caudal margin bluntly pointed, caudo-laterally oblique, relatively straight, laterally slightly convex, only weakly extended beyond Cx-III, ridge far lateral approximately straight ( Fig. 272 ); genital field relatively large, elongated rectangular-oval, anteriorly rounded, slightly tapering, laterally straight to convex, posteriorly truncated (L/W 152 (140-154)/132 (127-132)), caudally clearly extended beyond genital bay; acetabula elongated-oval (Ac1 and Ac3 remote from anterior and caudal end of genital flaps respectively), setae on genital flaps minute ( Fig. 272 ); setae of Vgl-1 far posterior to caudal corner of Cx-IV, Vgl-3 approximate to caudolateral margin of Cx-IV; excretory pore remote from caudal margin, Vgl-2 closer to caudal margin, Vgl-4 and Lgl-1 to -3 at caudo-lateral and lateral margin of ventral shield ( Fig. 272 ); leg-I and -II relatively short with some larger setae, leg-III and -IV slender (setation of all legs relatively weak, compared with other Platymamersopsis ); claws on leg-I to -III hook-like angled, without dorsal clawlet and with long comb-like ventral clawlets, leg-I and -II relatively short, leg-III and -IV clearly longer ( Figs 274-277 ); leg-IV-6 with two midsized and one small terminal setae, sub-terminal one stronger, pinnate seta ( Fig. 277 ); base of capitulum compact, high, rostrum ventro-distally extended by high keel, dorsal apodemes broad, ventral apodemes very short, ventral margin basely expanded ( Figs 278, 279 ); chelicera relatively slender ( Fig. 278 ); palp compact; P2 ventrally straight to concave, medially with rounded ventro-distal corner, dorsal margin proximally strongly curved with two latero-dorsal and five medio-dorsal setae, setae mainly concentrated in proximal corner, ventral seta latero-distally, relatively weak, pointed ( Figs 280, 281 ); P3 with two medio-dorsal setae and one lateral seta, distal margins medially and laterally sheath-like extended; P4 short, small, with fine ventral setae (one very long), ventro-laterally and ventro-medially with fine protrusion; P5 slender, elongated, distal claws relatively fine, broadened ( Figs 280, 281 ).

Male: Unknown.

Remarks: The two species of Platymamersopsis (Lavorona) are distinguished by the shape of their idiosoma, gnathosoma and legs: The idiosoma is rounded oval in P. (Lavorona) pinocchio — elongated in P. (Lavorona) volovitsy ; the legs are relatively compact in P. (Lavorona) pinocchio — slenderer in P. (Lavorona) volovitsy ; the claws on leg-I to-III bear fine dorsal clawlets in P. (Lavorona) pinocchio — dorsal clawlets lacking in P. (Lavorona) volovitsy ; the rostrum as well as the P5 are long and slender in P. (Lavorona) pinocchio — both are shorter in P. (Lavorona) volovitsy . Furthermore Platymamersopsis (Lavorona) pinocchio has dense rows of strong ventral setae on leg-IV-5 and -6 — these are lacking in P. (Lavorona) volovitsy .

Figures

FIGURES 272–281. 272, 273, 279. Platymamersopsis (Lavorona) volovitsy subgen. et sp. nov., female holotype (MD 155a). 274–278, 280, 281. Platymamersopsis (Lavorona) volovitsy subgen. et sp. nov., female (MD 70): 272, idiosoma, ventral view; 273, idiosoma, dorsal view; 274, leg-I-2 to -6; 275, leg-II-2 to -6; 276, leg-III; 277, leg-IV; 278, capitulum with chelicera, lateral view; 279, capitulum with chelicera, latero-ventral view; 280, left palp, lateral view; 281, right palp, medial view. Scale bars = 100 µm.