Pedrocortesella leei, 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 : 265-269

Pedrocortesella leei n.sp.

Figs ID, 31 -33

Type material. New South Wales: HOLOTYPE adult, AM KS43690 Mount Allyn, near Barrington Tops , via Salisbury , 32°08'S 151°26'E berlese extraction bark scraped from Nothofagus moorei , temperate rainforest, G.S.Hunt, 20 September 1993 . PARATYPE adults. ANIC, same data as holotype, 1 adult ; SAMA, same data, 1 adult ; AM KS46553 SEM stub. no 337 (ill.), same data, 3 adults .

Diagnosis. Body small-medium, length about 400-450 fJ.m; scalps rarely (if at all) carried by adult; prodorsum without carinae; sensillus a flattened tuberculate blade though length less than interbothridial distance; notogaster foveate; 5 pairs notogastral setae, with cerotegument they are leaf-shaped; genitoanal chaetotaxy 6:1:2:2, genital setae essentially in straight file, both pairs adanal setae near posterior margin of anal valve; claw stalk very short.

Description

ADULT: Body: brown; length 410 fJ.m, 420 fJ.m. Cerotegument: body generally with thin veneer of cerotegument; reticulations on prodorsum and notogaster with numerous cushion-like grains of cerotegument (Fig. 3lE). Setae ro and le and notogastral setae with cerotegument at their bases; notogastral setae with thick lateral fringes of cerotegument giving the seta a tapering leaf-like appearance. Prodorsum: integument more or less uniformly reticulate-foveate including area between bothridia; foveae without visible pores; carina between le and ra absent; le dorsolateral and situated close to anterior of rostrum, distance between them about 0.5 distance between ra, not arising from large pit, ro ventrolateral. Pedotectal tooth strongly curved anteriad, tapering abruptly near its base into a long delicate spine. Bothridium abutting notogaster but not closely adpressed ( Fig. 31E ), wall diamond-shaped, posterolateral carina weak, away from notogaster; sensillus length about 0.8 interbothridial distance, with long flattened tuberculate blade ( Fig. 31B ), posterior margin ofprodorsum forming a smooth arc between bothridia; area between bothridia and elsewhere on prodorsum smoothly contoured ( Fig. 31F ), without carinae; in small, its supporting apophysis abutting bothridial base; at edge of dorsosejugal furrow, spiniform, base encased in cerotegument ( Fig. 31C,E ). Exuvial scalps: none seen. Notogaster: oval, length:width 290:210. Intramarginal depression oval but narrower posteriorly. Notogaster strongly foveate-reticulate, not perforated by pores; foveae with slightly raised central area ( Fig. 31E ); posterior margin not invaginate when viewed from above, without carina between setae pi when viewed posteriorly ( Fig. 31D ). Fissura ia, im and ip oblique to sagittal plane; 5 pairs of short notogastral setae, with broad tapering fringe of cerotegument, arising from pits; hi close to each other and directed mesad, each located at posterior margin; pi inserted mid-height on posterior flank, similarly spaced to hi; Ipx, p2x and p3x arise along posterolateral flank, their insertions visible from above, Ipx closest to fissura ip, inserted just posterior to it ( Fig. 31A ). Gnathosoma : rutella basally with moderate concave flexure and moderate lateral buttressing, pointed mesad processes and transverse striations absent (Figs 32C, 33A); Pedipalp tarsus with setae (vt) with short side branches, cm branches very short; I" smooth; apophysis supporting seta acm low; solenidion omega reaching to base of acm (Fig. 33B). Epimeral region: weakly convex anterior to genital valves, not tending to overhang them. Genitoanal region: separation of anal and genital vestibules relatively broad but with interruption to ventral plate microsculpture but there is a wide mesal isthmus without strong transverse grooves between the vestibules (Fig. 32A). Ventral plate reticulate-foveate. Genitoanal chaetotaxy 6:I:2:2; genital setae essentially in straight file but with g5 placed>0.5 valve length; g] inserted at anterior margin of valve close to its inner corner; g6 inserted well anterior to inner posterior corner, in marginal notch; setae ag inserted at level between g5 and g6; setae ad] distinctly postanal, ad3 presumably not present.

Legs. Distal apophysis of tibia overlaps more than 50% of tarsus (Fig. 33C), partly due to extreme terminal compression of the tarsus. Tarsal cluster of leg I placed distodorsally on apophysis, fi", omega] and 2 enclosed in common rim, no partition separating fi" from omega] and 2, latter close together,fi" with heavy cerotegument at base (Fig. 33D); tarsus without distal recess for receiving retracted unguinal complex, stalk very short. Comments. In this species, the presence of a smoothly contoured prodorsum, two pairs of adanal setae and a smooth seta I" on the pedipalp tarsus is very unusual for Pedrocortesella . The species is close to P nortoni but differs from this species in having a longer sensillus, six pairs of genital setae, and in lacking a mental tectum.

Distribution. Known only from the type locality in the Barrington Tops area, central eastern New South Wales.

Figures

Fig. 31. Pedrocortesella leei n.sp. A, body, dorsal, arrows right to left label setae hl, pl, lpxo p2xo p3x; B, body, frontal; e, interlamellar seta in; D, body, posterior; E, bothridium, sensillus and seta in, dorsal; F, prodorsum, dorsal. Scale bars: A 100 /-lm; B,D,F = 50 /-lm; E = 20 /-lm; e = 10 /-lm.