Notophthiracarus uluguruensis, Niedbała & Starý, 2014

Niedbała, Wojciech & Starý, Josef, 2014, New species of Notophthiracarus (Acari: Oribatida: Phthiracaroidea) from Tanzania, Journal of Natural History 49 (15), pp. 905-914 : 911-913

Notophthiracarus uluguruensis sp. nov.

( Figure 4 )

Material examined

Holotype. Holotype deposited at DATE from the locus typicus: TAN-016, Tanzania, Uluguru Mts , Bunduki village , 26 November 2010, 07°01 ′ 17 ″ S, 37°39 ′ 10 ″ E, altitude 1592 m asl, mid-altitude afromontane deciduous forest, leaf litter sifting sample, leg. V. Grebennikov, five paratypes deposited at DATE and three paratypes deposited at ISB from the locality: TAN-018, Tanzania, Uluguru Mts , Bunduki village , 23 November 2010, 07°03 ′ 23 ″ S, 37°37 ′ 24 ″ E, altitude 2051 m asl, mid-altitude afromontane deciduous forest, leaf litter sifting sample, leg. V. Grebennikov, two paratypes deposited at NHMG from the locality: TAN-028, Tanzania, Uluguru Mts, Tchanzema village, 11 November 2010, 07°06 ′ 50 ″ S, 37°36 ′ 18 ″ E, altitude 2318 m asl, mid-altitude afromontane deciduous forest, leaf litter sifting sample, leg. V. Grebennikov .

Measurements of holotype

Prodorsum: length 328, width 257, height 116, sensillus 43, prodorsal setae: in 48, le 40, ro 61, ex 20; notogaster: length 667, width 465, height 444, notogastral setae: c 1 96, c 1 / c 1 – d 1 = 0.6, h 1 68, ps 1 78; genitoaggenital plate 94 × 76; anoadanal plate 114 × 83.

Description

Small species. Colour brown. Well sclerotized, integument covered with feeble mosaic and punctate.

Prodorsum with distinct, joined together sigillar fields, deep sinus situated anteriorly of median field; posterior furrows present; lateral carinae distinct, not so long; sensilli with fusiform head, smooth, rounded distally; setae needleform, rough, rostral setae situated near rostrum.

Notogaster with rather short (c 1 /c 1 – d 1 = 0.6) rigid, needleform notogastral setae, covered with very short cilia, in shape as prodorsal setae. Setae c 1 and c 2 remote from anterior border of notogaster, setae c 3 near the border. Only lyrifissures ia and im present. Vestigial setae not observable.

Ventral region, setae h of mentum slightly longer than distance between them. Arrangement of genital setae: 6: 3; genital setae g 1 – 5 considerably smaller than setae g 6 – 9. Anoadanal plates with unusual arrangement of adanal setae, adanal setae ad 1 and ad 2 situated close to each other both posteriorly of anal setae, adanal setae ad 2 the longest and thickest, all setae rough.

Legs setation of ‘complete type’. Seta d on femora I distinctly remote from distal ends of segments.

Etymology

The name of this species uluguruensis alludes to the locality in Uluguru Mountains.

Comparison

The new species is easily distinguishable among the congeners from the joined sigillar fields of the prodorsum and unusual arrangement of the adanal setae ad 1 and ad 2 situated posteriorly of the anal setae.

Figures

Figure 4. Notophthiracarus uluguruensis sp. nov. (holotype): (A) prodorsum, dorsal view; (B) prodorsum, lateral view; (C) genitoaggenital plate (left side); (D) anoadanal plate (left side); (E) mentum of subcapitulum; (F) opisthosoma, lateral view; (G) trochanter and femur of leg I.