Zealandozetes, Ermilov, Sergey G., Minor, Maria A. & Behan-Pelletier, Valerie M., 2015

Ermilov, Sergey G., Minor, Maria A. & Behan-Pelletier, Valerie M., 2015, Zealandozetes southensis gen. nov., sp. nov. (Acari, Oribatida, Maudheimiidae) from alpine cushions plant in New Zealand, Zootaxa 4027 (1) : -

Zealandozetes gen. nov.

Type species: Zealandozetes southensis sp. nov.

Diagnosis. Adult. Integument heavily melanized but only weakly sclerotized so that body easily compressed. Lamella reduced, represented by indistinct ridge; translamella absent. Bothridium cup-shaped. Bothridial seta not covered by anterior margin of notogaster. Exobothridial seta long. Pedotectum I reduced to small lamina, dorsal margin well removed from exobothridial seta. Genal tooth tapered distally. Porose areas Aj and Am present, Al absent, Ah expressed as saccule. Dorsosejugal scissure weakly developed. Notogaster with saccules. Pteromorph reduced to pleural carina. Ten pairs of notogastral setae. Custodium and circumpedal carina absent; discidium reduced to small tooth. Sejugal apodeme and apodeme 3 well-developed. Postanal porose area developed into bifurcated saccule. Legs heterotridactylous.

Juvenile instars. Integument porose. Gastronotal sclerite present in larva and nymphs, bearing setae of d, l series and h 1 in larva, setae of d, l, h series and p 1 in nymphs. Sclerite surrounding opening of opisthonotal gland absent. Humeral organ reduced to narrow depression.

Etymology. The derivation of Zealandozetes is from New Zealand + ‘ zetes ’ from the Greek, a common ending for generic names in Ceratozetoidea.

Remarks. Adults of Zealandozetes are distinguished from those of the type genus Maudheimia by having the octotaxic system as saccules (vs. porose areas); pteromorph reduced to pleural carina (vs. developed as immovable tectum or reduced to rounded tooth); pedotectum I as small lamina, subequal in size to pedotectum II (vs. pedotectum I larger than pedotectum II and extending dorsally almost to exobothridial seta); postanal porose area present and expanding into bilobed saccule (vs. absent); Ah developed as saccule (vs. porose region); sejugal apodeme extending almost transversely in coxisternal region; apodeme 3 well-developed (vs. sejugal apodeme and apodeme 3 short); circumpedal carina absent (vs. developed as incomplete and short ridge). Juveniles of Zealandozetes are distinguished from those of Maudheimia by: humeral organ expressed as shallow depression (vs. developed as porose area), single gastronotal sclerite in larva and nymphs (vs. gastronotal sclerite absent in larva, two present in protonymphal and deutonymphal instars; setae of l -series borne on gastronotal sclerite in nymphs (vs. borne on soft integument); sclerites absent around openings of opisthonotal glands (vs. opisthonotal sclerites present); larva, protonymph and deutonymph with paraproctal alveoli (vs. alveoli absent in these instars).