Uropoda gigantea, Kontschán & Starý, 2012

Kontschán, J. & Starý, J., 2012, New Uropodina Species And Records From Malaysia (Acari: Mesostigmata), Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 58 (2), pp. 177-192 : 181-184

Uropoda gigantea sp. n.

( Figs 11–19 )

Material examined. Holotype, female. MAY-004, Malaysia, Pahang, Cameron Highlands, Tanan Rata village environs, altitude ca. 1470–1550 m, near Parit Fall, sifting of leaf litter and rotten wood, 25.IV–15.V.2009, leg. P. Baňař (in HNHM). Paratypes : One female and two males (in ISB), one female and one male (in NHMG) and two females and two male (in HNHM), locality and date same as in holotype .

Description. Female. Length of idiosoma 1930–1950 µm, width 1640–1660 µm (n = 9). Shape oval, anterior margin with a wide indentation, posterior margin rounded.

Dorsal idiosoma ( Figs 11 & 17 ). Dorsal and marginal shields separated completely. All dorsal setae strongly curved, smooth and needle-like, central area bearing longer setae (ca. 130–160 µm) than lateral area of dorsal shield (ca. 47–50 µm). Caudal region of dorsal shield emended from surface, this area bearing long and smooth setae (ca. 150 µm). Dorsal shield covered by small oval pits. Marginal shield reduced on caudal area, marginal shield covered by characteristic sculptural pattern ( Fig. 16 ), and bearing long (ca. 150–170 µm) and smooth setae. Caudal area of dorsal idiosoma bearing four pairs of long (ca. 120–130 µm) and smooth setae which situated on membranous cuticle.

Ventral idiosoma ( Figs 12 & 18 ). Sternal shield without ornamentation with two deep, longitudinal furrows situated between anterior margin of sternal shield and anterior margin of genital shield. Setae St1 and St2 short (ca. 22–24 µm), needle-like and situated near anterior margin of genital shield. St3 short (ca. 30 µm) and placed on level of central region of coxae III, St4 (ca. 50 µm) on level of posterior margin of coxae III, St4 (ca. 65 µm) near basal edges of genital shield. Ventral shield covered by small oval pits on caudal area, several large oval pits present near basal line of genital shield and irregular pits situated on pedofossae. Ventral setae smooth and needle-like, V1, V3, V4, V5 and V6 ca. 140–160 µm, V2 ca. 70 µm, their position illustrated on Fig. 12 . Setae ad1 and ad2 smooth, needle-like and short, postanal seta absent. Several smooth and needle-like setae (ca. 130–140 µm) situated near caudal margin of ventral shield. Stigmata situated between coxae II and III, peritremes hook-shaped. Genital shield placed between coxae III and IV, its shape rounded, with reticulate sculptural pattern and without anterior process. Tritosternum with narrow basis, laciniae divided into four smooth branches ( Fig. 13 ).

Legs. All segments with simple and smooth setae and claws absent at the tip of leg I.

Gnathosoma ( Figs 14 & 19 ). Corniculi horn-like, internal malae long, narrow and apically pilose. Hypostomal setae h1 smooth and needle-like (ca. 105 µm), placed near anterior margin of hypostoma, h2 (ca. 20 µm) smooth and needle-like, h3 (ca. 27 µm) and h4 (ca. 20 µm) marginally serrate. Palp trochanter with one short and smooth, and one long and smooth setae situated on a long and projecting bases. Epistome marginally pilose (lateral part illustrated on Fig. 19 ). Chelicerae with two teeth on movable digit and one tooth on the fixed digit, internal sclerotized node absent, a bulbiform apical process present on fixed digit ( Fig. 15 ).

Male. Length of idiosoma 1900–1920 µm, width 1560–1570 µm (n = 4). Shape oval, posterior margin rounded. Dorsal idiosoma. Ornamentation and chaetotaxy as for female.

Ventral idiosoma. Ornamentation and chaetotaxy of ventral shield as for female. Sternal shield ornamented by reticulate sculptural pattern, all sternal setae smooth and needle-like. St1, St2 and St3 short (ca. 28 µm), St3 and St5 long (ca. 42 µm), St1 situated near anterior margin of sternal shield, St2 placed at level of central region of coxae II, St3 at level of central region of coxae III, St4 at level of anterior margin of coxae IV, St5 near lateral margins of genital shield. Genital shield bearing one pair of smooth setae (ca. 100 µm), its shape oval and placed between coxae IV ( Fig. 16 ). Gnathosoma and other appendages same as in female.

Nymphs and larva are unknown.

Etymology: The name of new species refers to the large size of idiosoma.

Remarks. The new species belongs to the Uropoda splendida -group (common character is the strongly sclerotized dorsal lines), the new species is closely related to Uropoda shibai HIRAMATSU, 1980, because the other species from this group have either strongly sclerotized E-shaped line on dorsal shieldor bear pilose caudal setae which cannot be found in the new one. The most important differences are the followings: female of the new species has oval pits on ventral shield near the basal line of genital shield; this character is missing in the known species. The new species has six pairs of ventral setae; in contrast, the known species bears only five pairs of ventral setae. Anterior margin of genital shield of female is serrate in the known species, but smooth in the new one. The sternal shield of male is covered by reticulate sculptural pattern, contrary, the sternal shield of the new species is smooth.

Figures

Figs 11–16. Uropoda gigantea sp. n.: 11 = female, holotype, dorsal view, 12 = ventral view, 13 = tritosternum, 14 = ventral view of gnathosoma, 15 = chelicera, 16 = intercoxal region of male

Figs 17–19. Uropoda gigantea sp. n., scanning micrographs: 17 = dorsal view, 18 = ventral view, 19 = ventral view of gnathosoma