Phthiracarus allocotos, Niedbała, Wojciech & Starý, Josef, 2015

Niedbała, Wojciech & Starý, Josef, 2015, Three new species of the family Phthiracaridae (Acari, Oribatida) from Bolivia, Zootaxa 3918 (1), pp. 128-140 : 132

Phthiracarus allocotos sp. nov.

( Fig. 1A–G )

Measurements of holotype. Prodorsum: length 404, width 293, height 156; sensillus 71, prodorsal setae: interlamellar (in) 53, lamellar (le) 40, rostral (ro) 51, exobothridial (ex) 61; notogaster: length 768, width 535, height 495; notogastral setae: c 1 152, d 1 114, h 1 63, ps 1 51; genitoaggenital plate 177×152, anoadanal plate 318×151.

Measurements of paratype I. Prodorsum: length 338, width 252, height 131; notogaster: length 656, width 485, height 454.

Description. Colour brown. Surface of body punctated.

Prodorsum with fine striation laterally between bothridium and sinus. Lateral carinae and posterior furrows absent. Sigillar fields short. Sensilli short, narrow, slightly fusiform. All prodorsal setae short, needleform, their mutual length: ex> in> ro> le.

Notogaster with neotrichy of filiform, rather short (c 1/ c 1—0.8) setae. Neotrichy appears in row of ps setae. Number of setae variable: 17 pairs on left side and 19 pairs on right side in holotype; 17 pairs on left side and 18 pairs on right side in paratypes I and II; 17 pairs on both sides in paratype III. Notogastral setae c 1 and c 3 considerably remote from anterior margin, setae c 2 more than setae c 1, setae c 3 near anterior border; vestigial setae f 1 situated posterior of h 1 setae. Four pairs of lyrifissures ia, im, ip, ips present.

Ventral region. Setae h of mentum considerably longer than distance between them. Formula of genital setae: 5+4: 0. Genital setae g 6 and g 7 located in unusual position, shifted towards the middle of plates. Setae of anoadanal plates filiform, similar to notogastral setae, 2 pairs longest anal setae and 5 pairs of adanal setae (only paratype III with 6 pairs of adanal setae).

Legs. Chaetome of legs of “complete type ” ( Niedbała 2000). Setae d of femora I rather long and curved, distinctly remote from distal end of article.

Material examined. Holotype and 7 paratypes are deposited at DATE from locus typicus: BOL-005, Bolivia, Santa Cruz, Amboró NP, 7.X.2009, GPS 17o49‘02”S, 64o41’35”W, 2452 m a.s.l., mountain cloudy forest, sifted leaf litter, leg. B. Greenway, 10 paratypes are deposited at DATE from locality: BOL-009, Bolivia, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Amboró NP, 7.X.2009, GPS 17o49‘02”S, 64o41’35”W, 2452 m a.s.l., mountain cloudy forest, sifted leaf litter, leg. B. Greenway. 7 paratypes are deposited at ISB from the locality: BOL-017, Bolivia, Santa Cruz, Amboró NP, Siberia pass, 8.X.2009, GPS 17o50‘19”S, 64o41’55”W, 2448 m a.s.l., mountain cloudy forest, sifted leaf litter, leg. B. Greenway, and 5 paratypes are deposited at NHMG from the locality BOL-009, Bolivia, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Amboró NP, 7.X.2009, GPS 17o49‘02”S, 64o41’35”W, 2452 m a.s.l., mountain cloudy forest, sifted leaf litter, leg. B. Greenway.

Etymology. The specific name of the new species, allocotos , comes from Latinised Greek for “unusual” and refers to the unusual position of the genital setae g 6 and g 7.

Comparison. This species is easily distinguishable from its congeners by the unusual position of genital setae g 5 and g 6, located in the middle of plates, the neotrichy of filiform notogastral setae of row ps and the neotrichy of filiform adanal setae.

Figures

FIGURE 1 A – G. Phthiracarus allocotos sp. nov. (holotype). A, prodorsum, dorsal view; B, prodorsum, lateral view; C, opisthosoma, lateral view; D, mentum of subcapitulum; E, left genitoaggenital plate; F, left anoadanal plate; G, trochanter and femur of leg I.