Notophthiracarus angustus, Niedbała, 2012

Niedbała, W., 2012, An Updated Study Of Ptyctimous Mite Fauna (Acari: Oribatida) Of The Australasian Region With A Description Of Thirteen New Species, Acarologia 52 (2), pp. 183-228 : 201-203

Notophthiracarus angustus n. sp.

( Figure 7 A-F)

Material examined — Holotype: ANIC-068, Soutwest of Cabbage Tree Creek near Clyde Mt., Casuarina leaf litter in log, 20 Aug. 1968, coll. L. A. Mound.

Measurements of holotype — Prodorsum: length 389, width 273, height 185, sensillum 76, setae: in 76, le 71, ro 51; notogaster: length 980, width 434, height 535, setae: c 1 106, cp 126; h 1 88, genitoaggenital plate 197 × 162; anoadanal plate 227 × 152.

Description — Colour deep brown. Surface of body covered with dense and deep mosaic of concavities.

Prodorsum with well developed median crista and two smaller lateral cristae. Lateral carinae and posterior furrows absent. Sigillar fields not visible because of thick integument. Sensilla long, narrow, rough, bent in proximal part. Setae (except vestigial exobothridial) rather long, spinose, rigid, rough, pointed distally.

Notogaster with strong longitudinal, median crista in posterior half. Anterior part is hooked. 15 pairs of two types of shape of setae. Dorsal setae c 1, d 1, e 1, h 1 and all setae of row p fine, smooth, filiform and flagelliform, other ventral setae strong, dilated in median part, pointed distally, rough. Setae c 3 situated near anterior margin, setae c 1 remote slightly and setae c 2 more from border. Vestigial setae invisible. Three pairs of lyrifissures ia, im and ip present.

Ventral side — Setae h of mentum longer than distance between them. Formula of minute genital setae: 5: 4. Anoadanal plates with five pairs of minute setae, situated near proximal margin, setae an 1 and ad 3 flagellate and longer than setae an 1, ad 1 and ad 2.

Legs — Chaetome of legs complete; setae d on femora I slightly remote from distal end of article.

Etymology — The name angustus of the new species is Latin for "narrow" alluding to the shape of narrow body of species.

Comparison to related species — The new species is similar to three other species from the Oriental Region and to one Australian Notophthiracarus species in the presence of longitudinal dorsal ridges of notogaster: N. orientalis (Mahunka, 1985) , N. hauseri Mahunka, 1995 , N. lienhardi Mahunka, 1996 and N. tripartitus Niedbała, 1989 . The new species is distinguishable from these latter ones by the heterotrichy of notogastral setae: dorsal fine, filiform and the ventral strong, dilated (versus homotrichy of notogastral setae).

Figures

FIGURE 7: Notophthiracarus angustus n. sp. (holotype): A – prodorsum, lateral view, B – lateral view of opisthosoma, C – dorsal view of body, D – genitoaggenital plate, E – anoadanal plate, F – trochanter and femur I.