Plonaphacarus paramachadoi, Niedbała & Starý, 2015

Niedbała, Wojciech & Starý, Josef, 2015, New species of the superfamily Phthiracaroidea (Acari, Oribatida) from the Afrotropical Region, African Invertebrates 56 (1), pp. 39-39 : 40-42

Plonaphacarus paramachadoi sp. n.

Figs 1–8

EtYmologY:The prefix para (near) is Latin and refers to the similarity of the new species with Plonaphacarus machadoi ( Balogh, 1958) .

Description:

Measurements (holotype). Prodorsum: length 252, width 202, height 91, setae: sensillus (ss) 53, interlamellar (in) 97, lamellar (le) 28, rostral (ro) 76; notogaster: length 485, width 328, height 303, notogastral setae: c 1 96, c 1 / c 1 - d 1 =0.7, h 1 and ps 1 88; genitoaggenital plate 114×101, anoadanal plate 202×101.

Integument. Colour brown. Microsculpture of integument slightly rugged and ornamentation polygonal.

Prodorsum ( Figs 1, 2 ). Lateral carinae distinct, rather short. Sigillar fields short. Posterior furrows indistinct. Sensilli club-like with elongated, dilated head, obtuse distally and covered with small spines. Interlamellar setae long, thick, erect, covered with small spines in distal half similar to notogastral setae. Lamellar setae short, spinose, smooth. Rostral setae stout, thick, erect, pointed distally and covered with small spines, remote from anterior border. Exobothridial setae vestigial.

Notogaster ( Fig. 6 ). Notogastral setae of medium length, c 1 <c 1 - d 1, thick, covered with spines in distal half. Setae c 1 and c 3 slightly remote from anterior margin, setae c 2 far from border. Vestigial setae f 1 located slightly anterior of setae h 1. Four pairs of lYrifissures ia, im, ip and im present.

Ventral region ( Figs 3–5 ). Setae h of mentum ( Fig. 5 ) minute. Formula of genital setae 4+2:3. Anoadanal plates with five pairs of well-developed setae, setae ad 2 the longest and bent distally, anal setae shorter than ad 1 and ad 2, but longer than ad 3, adanal setae rough, anal setae smooth.

Legs ( Figs 7, 8 ). Chaetome of legs of “complete type ”, setae d of femora I remote from distal end of article.

Holotype: TANZANIA: Nguru Mts. , Turiani, 4.xi.2010, 06°04'29"S 37°32'19"E, 1277 m, deciduous forest on steep slope, leaf litter sifting, leg. V. Grebennikov, TAN-009 ( DATE).

ParatYpes: 20 specimens, same localitY data as HolotYpe, (10 DATE, 5 ISB and 5 NHMG) .

Remarks: The new species is similar to Plonaphacarus machadoi ( Balogh, 1958) by the shape and length of setae, location of vestigial setae f 1 and presence of four pairs of lYrifissures. P. paramachadoi is distinguished from P. machadoi by the absence of alveoles on body, location of rostral setae (far from anterior part of rostrum) and minute setae h of infracapitular mentum ( Balogh 1958).

Figures

Figs 1–8. Plonaphacarus paramachadoi sp.n. holotYpe:(1) prodorsum, dorsal view; (2) prodorsum, lateral view; (3) right genitoaggenital plate; (4) right anoadanal plate; (5) mentum of subcapitulum; (6) lateral view of opisthosoma; (7) trochanter and femur of leg I; (8) tibia of leg IV.