Cunaxa smileyi, Kalúz & Ermilov, 2023

Kalúz, Stanislav & Ermilov, Sergey G., 2023, Two new species of Cunaxa (Acari, Prostigmata, Cunaxidae) from South-East Asia with a world key to the genus, Zootaxa 5239 (4), pp. 521-536 : 527-532

Cunaxa smileyi sp. nov.

( Figs. 5–8 )

Diagnosis (female). Hysterodorsal setae smooth, medial hysterosomal shield present. Palpal femur with short and straight telofemoral apophysis, and with palpal tibiotarsal setae of different lengths. Venter with 4 pairs of sts between coxae IV and genital region. Basifemoral setal formula I–IV: 3-3-3-0 sts; telofemora 4-4-4-4 sts; genu II—2 asl, 5 sts; genu III—1 asl, 5 sts; genu IV—1 asl, 5 sts.

Description. FEMALE (holotype, 1 paratype). Body length 277 (273–280), width 207 (201–213).

Dorsum ( Fig. 5 ): Dorsum with finely punctate shields, propodosomal 91 (89–92) long, 159 (56–162) wide, hysterosomal 125 (124–125) long and 160 (159–161) wide. Propodosomal shield bearing a pair of anterior (at) and posterior (pt) setose trichobothria, respectively, and also two pairs of tactile setae (lps, mps). Anterior trichobothrium 200 (195–205) long, posterior trichobothrium 239 (233–244) long, distance between bases of at–at and pt–pt 25 (25 –25) and 109 (109 –109), respectively. Six pairs of tactile dorsal setae present on hysterosoma: c 1 –h 1, c 2; c 1 –f 1, c 2 situated on shield. Length of setae c 1 20 (17 –23], c 2 16 (15–16), d 1 19 (17–20), e 1 17 (16–17), f 1 26 (25–26] and h 1 25 (23–26), respectively. Distance between bases of setae c 1 –c 1 68 (65–70) about three times longer than length of c 1; d 1 –d 1 53 (52–54) about two and half times longer than length of d 1; e 1 –e 1 54 (51–56) about three times longer than e 1; f 1 – f 1 38 (36–40), about two times more than length of f 1; h 1 –h 1 24 (23–25) about the length of h 1, cupule im present.

Venter ( Fig. 6 ). Coxal plates weakly sclerotized, coxae I–II and III–IV contiguous and finely striated. Setal formula of coxae I–IV: 3-1-3-2 sts. Venter of hysterosoma with a pair of simple centromedial setae 14 (14–14) between coxae III on longitudinally striated integument, and with 2 pairs of hysterogastral setae 16 (15–17) long on transversally striated integument arranged anteriorly to genital platelets. Two pairs of genital platelets 35 (33–37) long, 15 (14–15) wide, respectively and four pairs of simple setae on weakly sclerotized genital platelets, setae slightly increasing in length caudally: g 1 12 (12–12); g 2 14 (12–15); g 3 14 (14–14), respectively; g 4 not measurable and a pair of adjacent ps setae; ps 1 9 (9–9), close to anal platelets, ps 2 not visible.

Gnathosoma ( Fig.7A–C ). Five-segmented palp 161 (152–168) long with palpal tibiotarsus apically curved. Palp ( Fig. 7A ) with gently punctate surface and bare tibiotarsus. Palpal chaetotaxy as follows: trochanter bare; basifemur 37 (37–37) long, 20 (20–20) wide, 1 dorsomedial simple seta 8 (8–8) long; inner surface of telofemur 30 (26–33) long, 20 (19–20) wide, with 1 lateromedial apophysis 12 (12–12) long, 3 (3–3) wide, dorsodistal seta 12 (11–12) long; inner ventral surface of genu 32 (31–33) long, 13 (12–14) wide, with 1 laterodistal spine–like seta 12 (11–12) long, 3 (3–3) wide, dorsally with 1 mediodistal spine–like seta 10 (9–11) long, ventrodistally with spine-like seta 7 (7–7) long; tibiotarsus 51 (50–51) long, 7 (6–7) wide, inner surface with 1 simple proximal seta 22 (20–24) long and medially with 1 stout spine-like seta 12 (11–13) long, 3 (3–3) wide; outer surface with 1 dorsodistal simple seta 7 (7–7) long; mediolateral simple seta 13 (13–13) long, dorsodistal solenidion 7 (7–7) long and terminating with small short claw. Basal part of hypognathum with subcuticular reticulate pattern. Chelicera ( Fig. 7C ). Slender and 120 (118–121) long, 15 (15–15) long, cheliceral segment I as well as the proximal part of segment II with fine sparcely punctation, a single distal setae 10 (9–10) long present. Subcapitulum ( Fig. 7B ). Subrectangular 142 (140–143) long, basal part 64 (62–65) long, 66 (64–68) wide, distally cone-shaped 78 (78–78) long, 38 (37–39) wide with two pairs of short adoral setae and four pairs of hypognathal setae (hg). Setae hg 4 41 (39–43) long, about two times longer than hg 2 22 (20–23), three times longer than hg 1 11 (11–11) and about two times longer than hg 3 26 (25–26) long. Coxal region of subcapitulum finely punctate, base of subcapitulum with subcuticular reticulate pattern.

Legs ( Fig. 8 ). All legs with fine punctation, legs I–II shorter than leg III–IV. Chaetotaxy I–IV (excluding coxae) as follows: trochanters 1-1-1-1 sts; basifemora 3-3-3-0 sts; telofemora 4-4-4-4 sts; genu I—(1 asl, 1 mst), 2 asl, 4 sts; genu II—2 asl, 5 sts; genu III—1 asl, 5 sts; genu IV—1 asl, 5 sts; tibia I—1 asl, (1 asl, 1 mst), 4 sts; tibia II—1 asl, 5 sts; tibia III—1 bsl, 5 sts; tibia IV, 1 smooth T, 4 sts; tarsus I—3 asl, fam, 1 dtsl, 10 sts, pretarsus with 1 dorsal and 1 ventral sts on each lobe; tarsus II—1 asl, 1 dtsl, 10 sts, pretarsus with 1 dorsal and 1 ventral sts on each lobe; tarsus III—1 dtsl, 7 sts, pretarsus with 1 dorsal and 1 ventral sts on each lobe; tarsus IV—1 dtsl, 7 sts, pretarsus with 1 dorsal and 1 ventral sts on each lobe. Length and width of leg segments I–IV (coxa and trochanter not measured): basifemur 60 (57–62) long, 22 (20–24) wide; telofemur 36 (35–37) long, 20 (19–21) wide; genu 23 (22–23) long, 16 (16–16) wide; tibia 35 (35–35) long, 15 (15–15) wide; tarsus 131 (129–132) long, 5 (4–6)] wide, respectively. Total lengths of legs I–IV: 284 (281–286), 275 (268–282), 288 (285–291), 309 (308–310).

Male and preimaginal stages. Unknown.

Material examined. Holotype: Vietnam, Dong Nai Province, Dong Nai Biosphere Reserve, 11°23’ N, 107°22’ E, forest plantations (mainly of Dipterocarpaceae ), soil and litter (sifter), 2 December 2013, coll. A.E. Anichkin and S.G. Ermilov — 1 female . Paratype: same locality as for holotype, 11°18’N, 107°04’E, Dipterocarp forest, soil and litter (sifter), 20 December 2013, coll. by A.E. Anichkin and S.G. Ermilov — 1 female .

Type depository. The holotype and one paratype are deposited in the collections of SNMB .

Etymology. The new species is named in honour of Dr. Robert L. Smiley ( USA) for his valuable contribution in taxonomy of Cunaxidae .

Remarks. The new species, Cunaxa smileyi sp. nov., is morphologically most similar to C. oblongostriata Kalúz and Ermilov, 2022 in having telofemora I–IV setal formula of 4 - 4 - 4 - 4 sts and genua II with 2 solenidia. It differs from the latter by basifemora IV without sts and well developed medial hysterosomal shield (vs. basifemora IV with 1 sts, and medial hysterosomal shield absent in C. oblongostriata ).

Figures

FIGURE 5. Cunaxa smileyi sp. nov., female (holotype), dorsal view of idiosoma.

FIGURE 6. Cunaxa smileyi sp. nov., female (holotype), ventral view of idiosoma.

FIGURE 7. Cunaxa smileyi sp. nov., female (holotype). A—palp, dorsal view. B— subcapitulum, ventral view, C—chelicera, ventral view.

FIGURE 8. Cunaxa smileyi sp. nov., female (holotype), legs I–IV (left side, dorsal view).