Phyllhermannia craticula, Colloff, 2011

Colloff, Matthew J., 2011, 2770, Zootaxa 2770, pp. 1-60 : 16-17

Phyllhermannia craticula sp. nov.

( Figs. 8, 34d)

Dimensions. Holotype female length 929 µm, breadth 551 µm. Paratype males: lengths 813, 826; breadths 460, 480. Ratio of length of prodorsum to total length: 0.3 (holotype).

Female. Prodorsum: rostrum without inverted V-shaped ridge; rostral seta (ro) 18 µm, spiniform, straight ( Fig. 8a). Lamellar seta (le) 41 µm, curved, smooth, spiniform, on squat tubercle on lateral margin. Transverse lamellar ridge absent, but with lateral ridge curved anteriomedially, extending from posterior of base of lamellar seta and acetabulum of leg I, connecting with medially-curving anterior exobothridial ridge. Interlamellar setae (in) 40 µm, flattened, ciliate, blade-shaped, pointed, on inverted V-shaped interbothridial ridge. Region anterior of interbothridial ridge tuberculate. Bothridial seta (bs) elongate, 122 µm, slightly thicker in apical half than proximal half: spindle-shaped; apex pointed, barbed. Exobothridial seta (ex) stout, 13 µm long. Interbothridial region densely and strongly porose, divided medially by non-porose region with small, sparsely-distributed tubercles. Median condyles present.

Notogaster: ratio of length to breadth 1.25. Dorsosejugal suture smooth. With network of minute tubercles: narrow line between median file of setae, broader zones between median and lateral files ( Fig. 8a). Setae straight, flattened, barbed, broadened basally, pointed apically; not overlapping; p series shorter (34–48 µm) than others (47–59 µm). Setae of c series all directed posteriorly or posteriolaterally, c 2 closer to c 3 than to c 1. Distance between setae c 1 0.74 × that between d 1; distance between d 2 1.3 × that between d 1; distance between e 1 1.5 × that between f 1. Lyrifissurae im oblique.

Coxisternum: Lateral margins of rostrum and epimeres strongly tuberculate; posteriolateral margin of epimere I rounded, not spur-shaped ( Fig. 8b). Anterior sternal apodeme tuberculate. Apodeme III slightly oblique to midline, sparingly tuberculate on posterior margin, connected medially by U-shaped ridge. Posterior margin of epimere IV with line of well-developed, posteriorly-directed tubercles, opposed by ridge of anteriorly-directed tubercles anterior of genital plate. Epimere IV lacking blunt, sclerotised projection laterally. Epimeral setal formula 3-1-3-5. Setae 1a, 2a, 3a and 4a short, sub-equal (ca. 8–11 µm); 1b, 3b, 4b and 4c longer, subequal (34–49). Lateral setae 3c, 3c, 4d and 4e long, subequal (79–99 µm). Lateral setae of epimeral plates III and IV on long axis of plate.

Anogenital region: Genital, anal and adanal plates surrounded by narrow zone of cuticle more heavily sclerotised than that of ventral plate ( Fig. 8b). Cuticle around genital plates with small tubercles. Each genital plate 128 µm long, 63 µm broad with six short subequal setae (22–26 µm) in median file and three longer setae in lateral file, anteriolateral seta longer (40 µm) and thicker than others (19–28) µm). Aggenital setae subequal in length to median genital setae. Pre-anal organ pointed. Each anal plate 204 µm long, 51 µm broad, with two short (10 µm) setae on central part of plate. Adanal setae ad 1 spiniform, 35 µm, longer than others.

Legs: Femur I 211 µm long, with large lateral and medial projections proximally ( Fig. 34d). Cuticle alveolate. Setae d and l " long, subequal (44 µm), uniformly stout, barbed and rounded apically; seta l ' same morphology as d and l " but longer (90 µm).

Material examined. Holotype female, two paratype males, pyrethrin knockdown from tree trunk in callidendrous rainforest dominated by Nothofagus cunninghami , in a protected gulley between Mount Michael and Little Mount Michael, ca. 9 km east of Weldborough, Tasmania, 41°10'S, 148°00'E, ca. 740 m., coll. H. Mitchell, 27.ix.1989. One female, TAS-012, pyrethrin knock-down, trunk of Nothofagus cunninghami, Site 3, Savage River, Pipeline Rd. , Tasmania, 41°30'S, 145°20'E, coll. J. Diggle, 20.iv.1989 . Holotype and paratypes deposited in the Australian National Insect Collection, CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, Canberra .

Etymology. The specific name, craticula , is from the Latin cratis, meaning a frame or basket made of wicker, and is a reference to the frame-like pattern of tubercles on the notogaster.

Remarks. Phyllhermannia craticula sp. nov. can be differentiated from other member of the genus based on the following combination of characters: 1) the smooth, thick, spinose lamellar seta; 2) the relatively short, spindleshaped bothridial seta with a pointed, barbed head; 3) the tuberculate region of the prodorsum anterior of the interbothridial ridge; 4) the straight flattened, barbed notogastral setae, broadened basally, pointed apically; 5) the strongly tuberculate lateral margins of the rostrum and epimeres; 6) setae of epimeral plates IV shortest medially then sequentially longer laterally; 7) the tuberculate sternal apophysis; 8) the notogaster with a network of lines of minute tubercles between the files of setae; 9) the strongly tuberculate perigenital region; 10) with genital seta g 4 longer than others in the lateral file; 11) setae d and l " of femur I long, subequal, stout, barbed and rounded apically.

Phyllhermannia craticula is morphologically most similar to P. gigas sp. nov. (cf. below) in the shape of the notogastral setae, the pattern of tubercles on the notogaster and its considerable size, but differs in the long, stout, apically-rounded setae d and l " of femur I, whereas those of P. gigas are short, squat and phylliform. The lamellar setae of P. craticula are smooth rather than barbed; the prodorsum anterior of the interbothridial ridge and posterior of the median condyles is tuberculate rather than smooth, the bothridial setae are spindle-shaped and barbed rather than of uniform thickness and smooth and the perigenital region is tuberculate rather than smooth.