Pedrocortesella gunjina, Hunt, 1996

Hunt, Glenn S., 1996, A review of the genus Hexachaetoniella Paschoal in Australia (Acarina: Cryptostigmata: Pedrocortesellidae), Records of the Australian Museum 48 (3), pp. 223-286 : 255-256

Pedrocortesella gunjina n.sp.

Figs 22, 23, 24 C-D

Type material. Western Australia: HOLOTYPE adult, WAM, SEM stub no. S/158 (ill.) (specimen mounted on venter, dorsal side up), Gunjin Gully, Rackets Gully, Darling Range near Perth , 31°59'S 116°08'E, lM. Waldock, 27 January 1988 . PARATYPE adults. WAM, SEM stub no. SI158 (with holotype), same data, 2 adults .

Diagnosis. Body small-medium, length about 400-450 flm; scalps rarely (if at all) carried by adult; sensillus with long flattened tuberculate blade; notogaster anterodorsally with mesal carina, reticulate-alveolate, with caudal notch when viewed from above, 5 pairs of notogastral setae, 3 pairs anterior to fissura ip; epimera III-IV strongly convex anterior to genital valves and tending to overhang them; genital and anal vestibules close; genitoanal chaetotaxy 7:1:2:3, genital setae in slightly arcuate file, level of insertion of ad3 adjacent to posterior half of anal valve; claw stalk long.

Description

ADULT: Body: brown; length of type specimens 430 /lm, 450 /lm. Cerotegument: body generally with thin veneer of cerotegument; reticulations on prodorsum and notogaster and rim of bothridium highlighted with crests of cerotegument (Fig. 22B-D). Setae ro and le and notogastral setae without obvious cerotegument. Legs with cerotegument capping the reticulate surface ornamentation which is of much lower relief than in P. propinqua . Prodorsum: integument reticulate-alveolate, strong transverse carina both anterior and posterior to median transverse groove; no carina between le and ro though ridge of stronger reticulations at level of le; le dorsolateral, distance between them about 0.75 distance between ro, arising from small pit, ro ventrolateral. Pedotectal tooth similar to P. propinqua . Bothridium abutting notogaster, (Fig. 22B,F), wall subcircular and depressed anterolaterally, posterolateral carina weak, situated close to notogaster; sensillus with long flattened tuberculate blade (Fig. 22B,E), length subequal to interbothridial distance. in small, set about 0.5 bothridial diameter from bothridium near edge of dorsosejugal furrow, spiniform but largely encased in cerotegument (Fig. 22F). Exuvial scalps: none seen. Notogaster: oval, length:width 330:240. Intramarginal depression oval but interrupted anteriorly but strong mesal carina. Notogaster reticulate-alveolate (Fig. 22A); posterior margin strongly invaginate when viewed from above, with linear ridges rather than mesal carina when viewed posteriorly (Fig. 22E). Fissura ia and im subparallel and ip oblique to sagittal plane; pore to gla easily seen posterior to im; 5 pairs of short notogastral setae arising from small pits (Fig. 22D), hi widely separated, each located just inside posterior margin on slight convexities flanking invagination; pi inserted midheight on posterior flank, similar distance apart to hi; lpx, p2x and p3x arise just inside posterolateral flank, their insertions visible from above (Fi. 13D), lpx closest to fissura ip, inserted anterior to it (Fig. 22D). Gnathosoma : pedipa1p tarsus with setae (vt) and I" with long barbs, cm smooth; apophysis supporting seta acm moderate height; solenidion omega almost reaching to base of acm. Rutella basally with strong concave flexure and lateral buttressing, with pointed mesad process (Fig. 23C, arrow); transverse striations absent. Epimeral region: strongly convex immediately anterior to and tending to overhang genital valves. Genitoanal region: separation of anal and genital vestibules relatively narrow with deep transverse grooves and a narrow isthmus between the vestibules (Fig. 23A). Ventral plate reticulate-alveolate. Genitoanal chaetotaxy 7:1:2:3; genital setae in slightly arcuate file, gi subequal to other setae, inserted posterior to inner anterior corner, not in marginal notch; g5 situated at about 0.5 valve length, g7 inserted anterior to inner posterior corner, not in marginal notch; setae ag inserted at level posterior 10 g 6; setae adi distinctly postanal, more so than P. propinqua , ad3 level in posterior half of anal valve. Legs. Distal apophysis of tibia overlaps about 50% of tarsus ( Fig. 25D ). Tarsal cluster of leg I placed distodorsally on apophysis, above and slightly proximal to setae tc; fi", omega 1 and 2 seem to arise from top of apophysis and not enclosed by distinct rimes) but some evidence of damage: no distal recess for receiving retracted unguinal complex, stalk long.

Comments. The strong fold of epimera III-IV which tends to overhang the genital valves suggests that P gunjina is closely related to P obesa , despite the presence of punctations in the notogaster of the latter species.

A single specimen from Coogee, a seaside settlement just south of Perth, is very similar to P. gunjina , except that the notogaster is punctate and the prodorsum lacks a transverse carina anterior to the transverse groove. It is somewhat intermediate in morphology between P. gunjina and P. obesa . It is not assigned to a species in this work.

Etymology. The specific epithet refers to the type locality, Gunjin Gully.

Distribution. Darling Range, Western Australia.

Figures

Fig. 25. Pedrocortesella hangayi n.sp. A, body, dorsal; B, prodorsum, frontal; C, body, lateral; D, notogastral setae hI and pI, posterior view; E, bothridium, sensillus and seta in, dorsolateral; F, bothridium and seta in, dorsal; G, notogastral integument and fissura im; H, notogaster, posterior, dorsal, arrows right to left label setae hI, pI, alveolus of lpx (seta broken), alveolus of p2x, setae p3x. Scale bars: 䅾䌠 TODO = 100 /lm; D,E,H = 50 /lm; F,G 20 /lm.