Oribatella anomola Grabowski, 1970

Behan-Pelletier, Valerie M. & Walter, David E., 2012, 3432, Zootaxa 3432, pp. 1-62 : 10

Oribatella anomola Grabowski, 1970

Oribatella anomola Grabowski 1970, p. 5

Diagnosis (based on the original description: Grabowski 1970). Total length of adult 445 µm. Integument of prodorsum, notogaster, venter and mentum micropunctate. Translamella without tooth. Medial dens on lamellar cusp subequal to lateral dens, with 2–4 teeth on lateral margin; area between medial and lateral dens U-shaped. Lamellar seta long, barbed. Interlamellar seta reaching to tip of seta le, thinner than le, barbed. Bothridial seta elongate, clavate, finely barbed distally for two·thirds length. Notogastral length subequal to width. Integument of pteromorphs wrinkled. Three pairs of notogastral porose areas. Eight pairs of smooth, medium length notogastral setae present, lm posterior of Aa, lp anterior of A1. Epimeral setae 1a–c and 2a smooth, 3a, 3b, and 4a, 4b finely barbed. Setae 3c and 4c consistently absent. Genital setae 2+4. Chelicera normal chelate-dentate. Anterior margin of mentum without reflected ridge, without tectum. Aggenital setae present. Aggenital and adanal setae short and barbed. Lyrifissure iad anterolateral to anal plate. Seta l” on genua and tibiae I and II enlarged, spindle-shaped, distinctly barbed; laterals on tarsus I relatively smaller, but of same morphology, iteral and proral setae also similar in morphology but more elongate and thin. Tectal setae absent. Famulus elongate, pointed; unguinal, subunguinal, and subtarsal setae elongate, barbed ventrally. Tarsi heterotridactylous.

Remarks. We failed to find specimens of this species, described from Custer State Park, South Dakota. No holotype was designated in the original description and we were unable to locate any labelled or suspected type material in the USNM or the Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago. We also checked for topotypic material in the Collections of the University of Colorado, Fort Collins, where T. A. Woolley (Grabowski’s supervisor) worked. Thus, we are unable to confirm the diagnosis given by Grabowski (1970), and this species is not included in the key to species.

Grabowski (1970) explained the epithet of this species as referring to the unique morphology of leg setation. However, all species of Oribatella known from North America have seta l” on genua and tibiae I and II enlarged, spindle-shaped and distinctly barbed. In his discussion of this species, Grabowski (1970) stated “The absence of coxisternal setae 3c and 4c is difficult to explain and the dorsal setal nomenclature must remain provisional. However, the pattern of dorsal setation demonstrated here appears standard for most species of Oribatella , although previous workers have reported from eight to eleven pairs of dorsal notogastral (hysterosoma) setae (Grabowski, 1967).” It is unclear precisely what he meant to imply by this statement; in all other species of Oribatella known from North America setae 3c and 4c are present and the notogastral setation is 10 or 11 pairs.