Pedrocortesella temperata, P.Balogh, 1985

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 : 279-282

Pedrocortesella temperata P. Balogh

Figs 1B, 43-45

Pedrocortesella temperata P. Balogh, 1985: 51-53 , fig. 3.

Type material. New South Wales: HOLOTYPE adult, ANIC, Barrington Tops , near Salisbury, Nothofagus moorei leaf litter, temperate rainforest, 1520 m, G. B. Monteith, 10 February 1965 . PARATYPES, ELU, same data, 10 adults. Not examined .

Other material examined. New South Wales: AM KS43686 , Mount Allyn, near Barrington Tops , 32°08'S 151°26'E, bark scraped from Nothofagus , temperate rainforest, G.S. Hunt, 20 Sept. 1993, 18 adults ; AM KS46549 SEM stub no. S/332 (ill.) same data, 4 adults ; QM, same data, 2 adults ; ANIC, same data, 2 adults ; SAMA, same data, 2 adults ; WAM, same data, 2 adults ; FMNH, same data, 2 adults ; CNC, same data, 2 adults ; ZMK, same data, 2 adults ; ANIC, Mount Banda Banda, 42 km W.S.w. Kempsey , 31°10'S 152°26'E, 1050 m, moss under Nothofagus , ANIC berlesate 672, K.R. Pullen, 5 November 1980, 14 adults ; AM KS46550 , SEM stub no. SI 116 (ill.), same data, 4 adults ; AM KS43687 , 15 km S. of Kempsey , 32°12'S 151°49'E, dry sclerophyll, berlesate leaf and bark litter under Eucalyptus , G.S. Hunt, 18 July 1992, 17 adults ; AM KS46551 , SEM stub no. SI143 (ill.), same data, 1 adult ; AM KS46552 , SEM stub no. SI146 (ill.), same data, 3 adults ; AM KS43688 3 km E. of Bell , Bells Line of Road, 33°30'S 150°17'E, berlesate leaf litter, dry sclerophyll, as. Hunt, 21 June 1992, 39 adults ; AM KS43689 , West Head , Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, Challenger Track, ca 33°35'S 151°18'E, remnant gully rainforest, berlesate, J. Thompson and M. Gray, 24 November 1992, 1 adult ; ANIC, Echo Head Falls , Kanangra-Boyd National Park, 33°59'S 150°06'E, ANIC berlesate 856, litter near creek, L.Hill, 3 October 1982, 27 adults .

Victoria: CNC, Mitchell River Site MRIA-6, Mitchell River Environmental Survey ofMuseum of Victoria, 1 October 1975, 1 slide-mounted adult .

South Australia: ANIC, 86 km S of Meningie , ca 36°22'S 139°45'E, leaf litter in sandy soil, ANIC berlesate 74, E.B. Britton, 30 April 1968, 2 adults .

Diagnosis. Body medium-large, length about 650-750 /lm; scalps carried by adult, scalps with caudal apophysis bearing setae; sensillus long flattened tuberculate blade; notogaster reticulate-alveolate, 5 pairs of notogastral setae; genitoanal chaetotaxy 7: 1:2:3, 6 pairs genital setae essentially in straight file near inner lip, g5 markedly offset laterad to g4, insertion of seta ad3 adjacent to anterior 50% of anal valve; claw stalk very short.

Description

ADULT: Body: dark brown; length (/lm) with scalps 710, 710, 740, 760, 770; without scalps 650, 660, 670, 670, 710, 720. Cerotegument: body generally with thin veneer of cerotegument; reticulations on prodorsum, notogaster, rim of bothridium and legs highlighted with crests of cerotegument (Fig. 43D), though subdued on notogaster beneath scalps. Setae ra and le and notogastral setae with cerotegument at their bases. Prodorsum: integument reticulate-alveolate particularly anterior to median transverse groove but less so on rostrum, alveoli without visible pores; carina between le and ro absent; le dorsolateral, distance between them about 0.60 distance between ra, not arising from large pit, ro ventrolateral. Pedotectal tooth strongly curved anteriad, tapering abruptly subapically. Bothridium abutting notogaster but not closely adpressed (Fig. 43C), wall subcircular and depressed posteromesally and anterolaterally, posterolateral carina very weak, situated close to notogaster; sensillus length subequal to interbothridial distance, with long flattened tuberculate blade (Fig. 43D), posterior margin of prodorsum forming a smooth arc between bothridia. in small, set>0.5<1.0 bothridial diameter from to bothridial wall, at edge of dorsosejugal furrow, spiniform, base encased in cerotegument, directed largely posteriad (Fig. 43C). Exuvial scalps: habitually carried; tritonymphal scalp with prominent caudal process bearing conspicuous setae pI (Fig. 43F) Notogaster: oval, length:width without scalps 430:360, 440:360, 500:380, 520:400. Intramarginal depression oval. Notogaster weakly alveolate-reticulate beneath scalps but sculpturing more pronounced around flanks, not perforated by pores (Fig. 44B); posterior margin not invaginate when viewed from above, with weak carina between setae pi when viewed posteriorly (Fig. 44B). Fissura ia, im and ip subparallel-slightly oblique to sagittal plane; 5 pairs of short notogastral setae arising from small pits; hi close to each other and strongly curved mesad, each located at posterior margin; pi inserted high on posterior flank, slightly further apart than hi; lpx, p2x and p3x arise along posterolateral flank, their insertions barely visible from above, lpx closest to fissura ip, inserted posterior to it (Fi. 34B). Gnathosoma : rutella basally with weak concave flexure and moderate lateral buttressing, pointed mesad processes and transverse striations absent ( Fig. 45A ). Pedipalp tarsus with setae I" and (vt) with moderately long side branches, em branches very short; apophysis supporting seta aem low, solenidion omega reaching above base of aem (Fig. 44C). Epimeral region: epimeral region weakly convex anterior to genital valves, not tending to overhang them (Fig. 44D). Genitoanal region: separation of anal and genital vestibules relatively narrow with moderately wide isthmus between the vestibules (Fig. 44A). Ventral plate reticulate-alveolate. Genitoanal chaetotaxy 7:I:2:3; genital setae long, essentially in straight file but with g5 markedly offset laterad to g4 (Fig. 44D), gl long somewhat longer than other setae, inserted at anterior margin of valve well lateral to its inner corner; g7 inserted well anterior to inner posterior corner, not in marginal notch; setae ag inserted at level between g6 and g7; setae adl distinctly postanal, ad3 level with anterior half of anal valve; adl- 3 inserted in small pits (Fig. 44E). Legs. Distal apophysis of tibia overlaps about 50% of tarsus ( Fig. 45D ). Tarsal cluster of leg I placed distodorsally on strong apophysis, fi", omega 1 and 2 enclosed in welldeveloped almost circular common rim ( Fig. 45C ), no partition separating fi" from omega 1 and 2; tarsus with marked distal recess for receiving retracted unguinal complex, stalk very short ( Fig. 45D ).

Comments. ThespecimensfromAshbourneandMeningie in the semiarid mallee country of South Australia are very similar to the populations in the eastern coastal ranges of New South Wales. Within the coastal zone, populations occur in temperate and sUbtropical rainforest but also in dry sclerophyll habitats. The species can apparently tolerate a wide range of conditions and possibly has a continuous distribution between the eastern ranges of New South Wales and the occurrence in South Australia. This peculiar distribution is similar to that of P propinqua and, as with this species, further study may reveal separate species. The Mitchell River record in Victoria may represent an introduced or relictual population.

Pedrocortesella temperata can easily be confused with P cryptoreticulata which also habitually retains its scalps, but differs in having a caudal apophysis on the scalps and in having a laterad seta on the genital valves. Scalp retention and a caudal apophysis also characterise Labiogena queenslandica (see Hunt, 1996c).

Distribution. Eastern New South Wales from Kanangra Walls area northwards to Kempsey area, with possible disjunct occurrences in South Australia and Victoria.

Figures

Fig. 45. Pedrocortesella temperata P. Balogh. A,B, subcapitulum, ventral and lateral; C,D, leg I tarsus, dorsal and lateral; E, notogastral setae hI and pI, posterior view. Scale bars: A 50 /lm; B-E 20 /lm. A,E Mount Banda Banda; C-D = Mount Allyn.