Sternoppia (Andoppia) tetratuberculata, Ermilov & Subías & Shtanchaeva & Friedrich, 2022

Ermilov, Sergey G., Subías, Luis S., Shtanchaeva, Umukusum Ya. & Friedrich, Stefan, 2022, A new subgenus and three new species of Sternoppia (Acari, Oribatida, Sternoppiidae) from Peru, Zootaxa 5195 (4), pp. 373-384 : 375-378

Sternoppia (Andoppia) tetratuberculata sp. nov.

( Figs 1 , 2 )

Diagnosis. Body length: 660–720. Interbothridial region with two pairs of tubercles. Rostral seta setiform, barbed; lamellar and interlamellar setae setiform, roughened; bothridial seta bacilliform, with slight distal dilatation forming head bearing sparse, apical barbs. All notogastral setae comparatively short, setiform, smooth; c longer than others; lm located posteromedially to la. Length of overlapping epimeral plates longer than length of genital plate. Epimeral, genital and aggenital setae setiform, sparsely ciliated (except 3a densely ciliated); anal and adanal setae setiform, mostly smooth.

Description of adult. Measurements. Body length: 705 (holotype: male), 660–720 (four paratypes: two males and two females); notogaster width: 435 (holotype), 405–450 (four paratypes). No difference between males and females in body size.

Integument. Body color brown. Body surface mostly finely granulate (visible under high magnification); dorsolateral part of prodorsum with some rugosities forming partially slight reticulate ornamentation; lateral side of body between bothridium and acetabula I-II densely tuberculate (diameter of tubercle up to 4); anogenital region with indistinct foveolae.

Prodorsum. Costula and postcostular tubercle well developed; one additional pair of tubercles located in interbothridial region between postcostular tubercles. Rostrum rounded. Rostral seta (79–86) setiform, barbed; lamellar (60–64), interlamellar (60–64) and exobothridial (45–49) setae setiform, roughened; bothridial seta (150– 165) bacilliform, with slight distal dilatation forming head bearing sparse, apical barbs. Postbothridial tubercle slightly developed.

Notogaster. Humeral tubercle slightly developed. Ten pairs of notogastral setae (c: 56–60; la, lm, lp, p 1 – p 3: 26–30; h 1 – h 3: 15–19) present; all setiform, smooth; lm located posteromedially to la; p 3 located anteromedially to p 2. Lyrifissures ia, im, ip and opisthonotal gland opening slightly visible, ih and ips not observed.

Gnathosoma . Subcapitulum size: 142–150 × 71–79; rutellum distinctly protruding distally; subcapitular seta setiform; a (26–30) roughened; m (49–56) barbed; h (56–60) sparsely ciliated; adoral seta not observed. Palp length: 82–86; postpalpal seta (13) thorn-like. Chelicera length: 124–135; setae (cha: 37; chb: 26–30) setiform, barbed.

Epimeral and lateral podosomal regions. Anterior part of epimeral plates overlapping, forming small tectum; length of overlapping plates longer than length of genital plate. Medial and lateral tubercles on epimere I developed. Seta 3a (49–52) densely ciliated; other setae (1a, 2a, 3b, 4b: 60–67; 1c: 112–124; 1b, 4a: 75–79; 3c, 4c: 97–105) setiform, sparsely ciliated; insertion of 1c distant from anterior margin of pedotectum I; insertions of 3a located close to each other. Discidium subtriangular.

Anogenital region. Genital (g 1, g 4: 75–86; g 2, g 3: 60–67; g 5, g 6: 37–48) and aggenital (75–86) setae setiform, sparsely ciliated; anal (41–48) and adanal (52–67) setae setiform, smooth or with small, sparse barbs. Adanal lyrifissure close and parallel to anal plate.

Note: Roman letters refer to normal setae, Greek letters to solenidia (except ɛ = famulus). Single quotation mark (’) designates setae on the anterior, double quotation mark (”) setae on the posterior side of a given leg segment. Parentheses refer to a pair of setae.

Legs. Claw on all tarsi strong, smooth. Porose area on femora I-IV and on trochanters III, IV not observed. Formulas of leg setation and solenidia: I (1-5-2-4-20) [1-2-2], II (1-5-2-4-16) [1-1-2], III (2-3-1-3-15) [1-1-0], IV (1-2-2-3-12) [0-1-0]; homology of setae and solenidia indicated in Table 1 . Famulus setiform, inserted posteriorly to solenidion ω 1. Setae p’, p” and s on tarsi I eupathidial; p” clearly longer than p’; s located before a’, a” setae p’ and p” on tarsi II–IV thorn-like; some ventral setae on tarsi I–III (e.g., s, pv”) heavily ciliated. Solenidion ω 1 on tarsus I, ω 1 and ω 2 on tarsus II and σ on genu III slightly bacilliform; other solenidia setiform.

Type material. Holotype (male) and two paratypes (one male and one female): South America, Central Peru, Andes , 09°42'58''S, 75°05'33''W, Huánuco Department , Huánuco Province, Chinchao District , NW Tunel de Carpish , 2770 m a.s.l., upper soil and leaf litter in primary mountain forest, Winkler extraction, 14.IV.2016 (S. Friedrich, F. Wachtel and D. Hauth); two paratypes (one male and one female): South America , Central Peru, Andes, 09°54'30''S, 76°03'48''W, Huánuco Department, Pachitea Province, Molino District , W Molino, Monte Potrero, 2850–3100 m a.s.l., upper soil and leaf litter in primary mountain cloud forest, Winkler extraction, 15–17.IV.2016 (S. Friedrich, F. Wachtel and D. Hauth).

The holotype is deposited in the Museo de Historia Natural , Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Peru ; four paratypes are deposited in the Tyumen State University Museum of Zoology , Tyumen, Russia .

Remarks. The new species differs from all known representatives of Sternoppia by the absence (versus presence) of cilia on bothridial seta, the presence of one additional pair of tubercles in the interbothridial region, and by roughened (versus ciliated) adanal setae.

Etymology. The species name refers to the presence of four interbothridial tubercles on prodorsum.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Sternoppia (Andoppia) tetratuberculata sp. nov., adult: A—dorsal view (legs not shown); B—ventral view (gnathosoma and legs not shown); C—right lateral view (gnathosoma and legs not shown); D—subcapitulum, ventral view; E — palp, left, paraxial view; F—chelicera, left, paraxial view. Scale bars 100 μm (A–C), 20 μm (D–F).

FIGURE 2. Sternoppia (Andoppia) tetratuberculata sp. nov., adult: A—leg I, right, antiaxial view; B—leg II, right, antiaxial view; C—leg III, right, antiaxial view; D—leg IV, left, antiaxial view. Scale bar 50 μm.