Compactozetes goongerah, Colloff, 2023

Colloff, Matthew J., 2023, The oribatid mite superfamily Eutegaeoidea (Acari, Oribatida), with descriptions of new taxa from Australia and New Caledonia and a re-assessment of genera and families, Zootaxa 5365 (1), pp. 1-93 : 60-62

Compactozetes goongerah sp. nov.

( Fig. 31 )

Dimensions. Holotype female length 916 μm, breadth 735 μm. Paratype female length 893 μm, breadth 711 μm; paratype male length 865 μm, breadth 664 μm. Ratio of prodorsum to total length: 0.34 (holotype).

Description of adult. Prodorsum: rostrum entirely covered by lamellae; rostral setae (ro) relatively short, smooth, curved, only visible in ventral aspect. Lamellae very broad, with reticulate microsculpture, anterior margin truncated, with flat, triangular lateral lobes forming curved, concave, transverse apex ( Fig. 31a ), curving ventrally and fused with each other and rostrum; with large paired lateral foramina, visible in ventral view ( Fig. 31b ), corresponding with lighter, ovoid areas of cuticle on dorsal surfaces of lamellae. Tutorium well-developed with pointed apex. Curved pedotectum I projecting laterally well beyond margin of prodorsum and anteriorly as far as mid-level of lateral lamellar margins. Lamellar seta (le) short, stout basally, curved. Interlamellar setae (in) short, setiform, smooth, on median margins of lamellae. Bothridia fused with lamellae, projecting slightly beyond posterolateral lamellar margins. Bothridial seta long, curved, with slightly expanded apex with a few spines.

Notogaster: ratio of length to breadth: 0.82; notogaster rounded, convex, smooth. Anterior lobe of humeral process sub-triangular with blunt apex and reticulate microsculpture, extending to level of bothridia, lateral margin undulating, with shorter secondary lobe, smaller tertiary lobe and terminal projection, with sinuous microsculpture at level of seta la ( Fig. 31a ). Lyrifissures ia and im not visible. With nine pairs of notogastral setae in marginal position; l and h series relatively long (for Compactozetes spp. ), curved, smooth, setiform, about twice as long as setae of the p series, of which only p 1 are visible in dorsal aspect.

Ventral aspect: subcapitulum acute, elongated; setae h thin, longer than setae a and m, positioned near anterior margin of mentum. Epimeral plates diffuse, broadly separated in midline, sub-rectangular to trapezoid, plates III smaller than others; epimeral setation 3-1-3-3; setae short, 4c very long ( Fig. 31b ). Pedotectum I (pd I) with reticulate microsculpture, concave lateral margins, apex acute; pd II massive, elongated, lobed, extending well beyond notogastral margin; discidium broad, lobed, with blunt apex, smaller than pd II; perigenital carina and enantiophysis E4 absent. Ventral plate ovoid, broader than long. Genital and anal plates separated by distance of same length as genital plates; genital plates 103 µm long, with six pairs of short setae, g 1 same length as others, g 5 displaced laterally; three pairs of short adanal setae; lyrifissure iad in para-anal position, close to margin of anal plate. Anal plates lozenge-shaped, 155 µm long. Pre-anal organ (po) oval.

Etymology. This species is named for the community of Goongerah on the Brodribb River, adjacent to Errinundra Plateau, in East Gippsland. Goongerah means ‘egg rock’ in the language of the Bidhawal People.

Type designation, material examined and locality data. Holotype female, ANIC accession no. 53-1077, paratypes: two females, ANIC accession no. 53-1078, moss on Sassafras ( Atherosperma moschatum ), rainforest, 1,077 m., Errinundra Saddle, Errinundra National Park , Victoria, 37°19’S 148°51’E, 1030 m., coll. M.J. Colloff, 29.ix.2009.

Diagnosis. Compactozetes goongerah can be distinguished from other species in the genus by the following combination of characters: (1) the flat, triangular lateral lobes on the apex of the lamellae; (2) the humeral process consisting of a blunt, triangular anterior lobe with a posterior indentation, a second protruding lobe, a third smaller lobe and a fourth rectangular lobe (3) the sinuous microsculpture on the fourth humeral lobe; (4) the relatively long, stout, curved notogastral setae; (5) pedotectum I with sharply pointed apices and concave lateral margins; (6) pedotectum II massive, blade-like, extending beyond lateral margin of notogaster.

Remarks. Compactozetes goongerah belongs to the ‘zeugus’ species group and is morphologically most similar to C. calderi , as outlined in the remarks section for that species above.

Figures

FIGURE 31. Compactozetes goongerah sp. nov., adult (a) dorsal aspect; (b) ventral aspect. Scale bar = 200 μm.