Nilotonia (Telotaolana) kiraro, 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 : 38-40

Nilotonia (Telotaolana) kiraro sp. nov.

( Figs 71–76 , Table 4)

Type series: Holotype female, MD 36 , Andrambovato (Fianarantsoa), spring brook, 0.5 km south-east from the 1.07 km-railway-tunnel, 900 m asl, 16.1 °C, 35 µS/cm, 19.08.2001, mounted; paratype, same locality and date, 0/1/0 unmounted.

Habitat: Spring brook at 900 m asl.

Distribution: Madagascar (Eastern slope of Central highlands, rainforest region).

Derivatio nominis: Kiraro (Malagasy) — shoe, referring to the sandal-like shape of the antero-dorsal platelets.

Diagnosis: Dorsum with large pear-shaped posterior plate and two elongated, sandal-shaped anterior platelets; integument undulated with irregular lines; Cx-IV elongated, extended by secondary sclerotization; genital field oval to pear-shaped, acetabula mid-sized, elongated; post-genital sclerite large; legs slender, leg- IV bearing several strong, compact setae; claws on leg-I to -III with one small ventral and one very fine dorsal clawlet, sub-terminal seta on leg-IV-6 mid-sized, broad, pinnate; capitulum compact, with short pointed rostrum; palp relatively large and slender (tL 405), especially P4 elongated (L/H 4,69), ventral margin of P2 undulated, with strong seta on cone-shaped protrusion.

Description, female (n = 1): Idiosoma oval ( Fig. 71 ); dorsum mainly covered by three large, pale greyish plates, posterior plate irregular pear-shaped, anteriorly tapering (L/W 456/353), from antero-laterally to posteriorly surrounded by Dgl-4, -5, Lgl-4 and Dgl-6, especially Lgl-4 and Dgl-6 on extended platelets ( Fig. 72 ), anterior plates oblique, irregularly elongated, sandal-shaped, medially approximate, bearing post-ocular setae (L/W 255/108); Dgl-2 anterior to anterior plates, Dgl- 3 in a lateral indentation; two pairs of small platelets lateral Dgl-2 and anterior Dgl-3; lateral eyes oval, separated on both sides, free under integument (partly lost in preparation), directly anterior of first pair of platelets; soft integument around and between dorsal plates irregularly lined, undulated; setae of Dgl-3 to -5 large, setae of other glandularia mid-sized ( Fig. 72 ); medial margin of Cx-III straight; medial margin of Cx-III and Cx-IV slightly extended by secondary sclerotization; medial margin of Cx-IV concave, forming narrow genital bay, Cx-IV elongated, slender (also due to strong caudal and slight lateral secondary sclerotization), caudal margin with cone-shaped protrusion (Vgl-3 lying approximate in indentation lateral to this protrusion, included in secondary sclerotization), secondary sclerotization of Cx-IV laterally extended far antero-dorsally – to area dorsal of Cx-II ( Fig. 71 ); Cxgl-2 between Cx- II and Cx-III, Cxgl-4 at anterior margin of Cx-III ( Fig. 71 ); genital field elongated-oval, slightly trapezoid, tapering anteriorly, lateral margins straight, anteriorly and posteriorly smoothly rounded; acetabula mid-sized, elongated-oval, touching each other, Ac1 distant from anterior margin of genital flaps; pre-genital sclerite broad rounded-triangular, wider than genital flaps, post-genital sclerite large, laterally and especially caudally greatly extended by secondary sclerotization, setae of Vgl-1 free between secondary sclerotization of postgenital sclerite and Cx-IV ( Fig. 71 ); Vgl-2 on large, oval platelets; Vgl-4 and Lgl-3 on rounded platelets; midsized pair of platelets between Vgl-4, Lgl-3 and Cx-IV; excretory pore without sclerotization ( Fig. 71 ); legs slender with several heavy setae; claws on leg-I to -III with one small ventral clawlet (relatively far proximal) and one very fine, hardly visible dorsal clawlet (nearly parallel to claw) ( Fig. 73 ), leg-IV-3 to -5 distally with several very broad, strong setae, leg-IV-6 distally tapering, with two small, peg-like terminal setae and one broad sub-terminal seta ( Fig. 74 ); capitulum compact, ventral margin concave, rostrum small, pointed ( Fig. 75 ), palps strong, slightly elongated, P1 with one dorsal seta, P2 with sharp pointed ventral seta — in right palp of holotype, seta is bifurcate ( Fig. 76 ) — on cone-shaped protrusion, directed slightly to lateral, and six pinnate dorsal setae, P3 with two lateral and two medio-dorsal setae, P4 elongated, straight, ventral setae in distal half on small protrusions, P5 slender ( Figs 75, 76 ).

Male: Unknown.

Remarks: Nilotonia (Telotaolana) kiraro is separated from N. (Telotaolana) ankaratra as well as N. (Telotaolana) hodivaventy by more slender legs and palps. Furthermore the sclerotization is weaker than in the females of N. hodivaventy and the coxal field is more elongated than in N. ankaratra .

Figures

FIGURES 71–76. Nilotonia (Telotaolana) kiraro subgen. et sp. nov., female holotype (MD 36): 71, idiosoma, ventral view; 72, idiosoma, dorsal view; 73, leg-II; 74, leg-IV; 75, capitulum with left palp, lateral view; 76, right palp, medial view. Scale bars = 100 µm.