Roynortonella victoriae (Paschoal, 1982) Paschoal, 1982

Walter, David Evans, 2009, Genera of Gymnodamaeidae (Acari: Oribatida: Plateremaeoidea) of Canada, with notes on some nomenclatorial problems, Zootaxa 2206, pp. 23-44 : 39-41

Roynortonella victoriae (Paschoal, 1982) n. comb.

(Figs. 38–40)

Gymnodamaeus victoriae Paschoal, 1982 ( Paschoal 1982a, Marshall et al. 1987, Subías 2004)

Material examined: CANADA, BRITISH COLUMBIA: holotype female, Victoria (Lot 63-127), 17.i.1962, D. Evans, ex Garry oak litter in CNC; 13 adults, Montane Alternative Silvicultural Systems research site 25 km southwest Campbell River (49° 50' 53" N, 125° 26' 20" W; elevation: 740–850 m), Montane Moist Maritime Coastal Western Hemlock biogeoclimatic variant (CWHmm2), ex foliose lichen in upper canopy of Abies amabilis , 29.v and 5.xi. 1996, L.M. Humble & N.N. Winchester, in PMAE.IZ.

FIGURES 32–40. Roynortonella gildersleeveae ( Hammer, 1952) , Alberta, Canada. 32, Posterior notogaster showing setae (h 1-2, p 1), scale bar = 10 µm; 33, Detail of cerotegument and barbs on sensillus, scale bar = 0.3 μm; 34, Lateral habitus, scale bar = 0.05 mm; 35, Moreliform notogastral pustule, scale bar = 0.5 μm; 36, Dorsal view of prodorsum, scale bar = 0.05 mm; 37, Dorsal habitus, scale bar = 0.05 mm. Roynortonella victoriae (Paschoal, 1982) , British Columbia, Canada. 38, Posterior with setae annotated; 39, Moreliform notogastral pustules (scale bar = 1 μm); 40, Dorsal habitus showing distinctive raised patter on notogaster (scale bar = 0.1 mm).

Comments: The holotype slide, marked as “ Gymnodamaeus ”, was located in the CNC (and now is labelled as the holotype). Most of the leg segments and body setae are broken off and dispersed around the slide and the cerotegument has been removed by some strong macerating agent except on part of the right exobothridial seta. Thus, although illustrations of a partial notogaster and the genito-ventral region can be found in Paschoal (p. 129, Figs. 18–19, 1982a), the identity of this mite was long in doubt. However, when intact, R. victoriae is actually a very distinctive mite (Fig. 40) and shares a number of characters with R. gildersleeveae including posterior setae inserted on strong apophyses, seta h 1 inserted dorsally (rather than postero-laterally), the X-shaped pattern on the prodorsum, and the morel-like pustules on the notogaster.