Notophthiracarus tuberculus, Niedbała & Starý, 2014

Niedbała, Wojciech & Starý, Josef, 2014, New species of Notophthiracarus (Acari: Oribatida: Phthiracaroidea) from Tanzania, Journal of Natural History 49 (15), pp. 905-914 : 908-911

Notophthiracarus tuberculus sp. nov.

( Figures 2 , 3 )

Material examined

Holotype. Holotype is deposited at DATE from the locus typicus: TAN-028, Tanzania, Uluguru Mts , Tchanzema village , 11 November 2010, 07°06 ′ 50 ″ S, 37°36 ′ 18 ″ E, altitude 2318 m asl, mid-altitude afromontane deciduous forest, leaf litter sifting, leg. V. Grebennikov, five paratypes deposited at DATE, three paratypes deposited at ISB and two paratypes deposited at NHMG from the locality: TAN-018, Tanzania, Uluguru Mts, Bunduki village, 23 November 2010, 07°03 ′ 23 ″ S, 37°37 ′ 24 ″ E, altitude 2051 m asl, mid-altitude afromontane deciduous forest, leaf litter sifting, leg. V. Grebennikov

Measurements of holotype

Prodorsum: length 258, width 195, height 137, sensillus 126, prodorsal setae: in 40, le and ro 35; notogaster: length 586, width 374, height 303, notogastral setae: c 1 30, c 1 / c 1 – d 1 = 0.1; genitoaggenital plate 152 × 106, anoadanal plate 169 × 119.

Description.

Colour brown. Surface of body, especially of notogaster covered with numerous tubercles.

Prodorsum with powerful median crista. Lateral carinae short. Sigillar fields not well observable. Posterior furrows present. Sensilli in holotype and one paratype (sample TAN-018) long, narrow, flagellate, smooth. However in nine paratypes (sample TAN-018) sensilli baciliform, covered with small cilia in distal end ( Figure 3D–F ). (For the first time such a distinct difference in a single morphological feature has been observed in one population. Perhaps it is an expression of sexual dimorphism?) Prodorsal setae short, spiniform, smooth, except vestigial exobothridial setae.

Notogaster with strong anterior collar; notogastral setae short, rather smooth, spiniform, dilated proximally and whip-like distally. Setae of row c 1–3 situated at collar. Only lyrifissures im visible; vestigial setae not observable.

Ventral region, setae h of mentum longer than distance between them. Formula of genital setae: 5: 4; genital setae g 1 – 4 shorter than setae g 5 – 9; adanal setae situated closely to paraxial border, near of anal setae, all setae of anoadanal plates short, similar in length, smooth.

Legs, chaetome of legs of ‘complete type’. Setae d of femora I slightly remote from distal ends of articles, setae l ″ very short.

Etymology

The specific name tuberculus refers to the tubercle-covered surface of notogaster.

Comparison

This species is easily distinguishable from its congeners by the numerous tubercles covering of surface of the notogaster, the powerful prodorsal, median crista and all adanal setae situated near the paraxial border. Slightly similar are Notophthiracarus rafalskii Niedbała, 1997 from Madagascar, Notophthiracarus samarensis Niedbała, Corpuz-Raros et Gruezo, 2006 from the Philippines, Notophthiracarus deminutus Niedbała, 2006 from South Africa and Notophthiracarus trojani Niedbała, 2009 from Australia in the shape and length of the setae, the strong crista of the prodorsum and the situation of the setae in the anoadanal plates, but they are easily distinguishable by the absence of an anterior collar and tubercles on the surface of the notogaster ( Niedbała 1997, 2006, 2009; Niedbała et al. 2006).

Figures

Figure 2. Notophthiracarus tuberculus sp. nov. (holotype): (A) prodorsum, lateral view; (B) prodorsum and anterior part of notogaster, dorsal view; (C) genitoaggenital and anoadanal plates (left side); (D) opisthosoma, lateral view; (E) seta h2; (F) seta h1.

Figure 3. Notophthiracarus tuberculus sp. nov. (holotype and paratype): holotype: (A) notogaster dorsal view; (B) mentum of subcapitulum; (C) trochanter and femur of leg I. Paratype: (D) prodorsum, lateral view; (E) sensillus; (F) prodorsum, dorsal view.