Phymatodiscus malayicus, 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 : 184-188

Phymatodiscus malayicus sp. n.

( Figs 20–27 )

Material examined. Holotype, female. MAY–044, West Malaysia, Batu Caves, 30.XII.2010, rain forest on lime-stone bedrock, GPS 03°14’50“N, 101°41’17“E, wet site with rich brushwood,

sample of leaf litter, leg. J. FARSKÁ. Paratypes: six females, (two females deposited in ISB, two females in NHMG and two females in HNHM), locality and date same as for holotype .

Description. Female. Length of idiosoma 600–620 µm, width 500–510 µm (n = 7). Shape oval.

Dorsal idiosoma ( Fig. 19 ). Marginal and dorsal shields separated completely. Dorsal shield bearing short (ca. 10–15 µm) smooth setae and four pairs of long (ca. 38–42 µm) setae on row J. One pair of deep, eye-like transversal furrows situated at level of coxae IV, bordered with long, marginally pilose and smooth setae ( Fig 21 ). Dorsal shield laterally covered by irregular pits ( Fig. 20 ), central surface smooth. Marginal setae short (ca. 18–20 µm), smooth and needle-like. Marginal shield without sculptural pattern ( Fig. 20 ), its caudal section with undulate posterior margin.

Ventral idiosoma ( Fig. 22 ). Ornamentation on sternal shield absent. Sternal setae short (ca. 6–7 µm), smooth and needle-like. St1 situated near anterior margin of sternal shield, St2 and St3 at gnathosoma, palp, tritosternum and coxae I level of posterior margin of coxae II, St3 at level of posterior margin of coxae III, near posterior corners of genital shield ( Fig. 25 ). Ventral setae smooth, needle-like (ca. 8–13 µm), except one pair of setae at level of anal opening, which long and needle-like (ca. 20 µm). Caudal margin of ventral idiosoma with several pairs of long setae (ca. 8–10 µm) ( Fig. 24 ). Ventral shield without ornamentation, except metapodal area, which covered by reticulate sculptural pattern ( Fig. 23 ). Stigmata situated between coxae II and III, peritremes hook-shaped. Genital shield scutiform, covered by alveolar pits basally and without process on its apical margin ( Fig. 25 ). Base of tritosternum narrow, tritosternal laciniae subdivided into three serrate branches ( Fig. 26 ).

Gnathosoma ( Fig. 26 ). Corniculi horn-like, internal malae longer than corniculi, their margins pilose. Hypostomal setae h1 (ca. 30 µm) long, smooth h2 short (ca. 27 µm), smooth, h3 long (ca. 32 µm), smooth and situated near insertion of h2, h4 short (ca. 8–11 µm), apically serrate. Epistome apically pilose. Chelicerae not clearly visible.

Nymphs, larvae and male unknown.

Etymology. This new species is named after the country where the specimens were collected.

Remarks. Eleven species of Phymatodiscus have been described from New Guinea, Japan, Indonesia ( WIŚNIEWSKI & HIRSCHMANN 1993) and Vietnam ( KONTSCHÁN & STARÝ 2011). Four ( Ph. oculatus HIRSCHMANN, 1977 ; Ph. aokii HI- RAMATSU, 1985; Ph. haradai HIRAMATSU, 1985; Ph. kuni KONTSCHÁN & STARÝ, 2011 ) described species have a pair of deep, eye-like, transversal furrows, bordered with long, setiform setae at level of coxae IV. The distinguishing characters between the three mentioned and the new species are summarized in Table 1.

Figures

Figs 20–22. Phymatodiscus malayicus sp. n.: 20 = female, holotype, dorsal view, 21 = eye-like transversal furrow, 22 = setae and ornamentation on margin of idiosoma

Figs 23–27. Phymatodiscus malayicus sp. n.: 23 = female, holotype, ventral view, 24 = caudal area of ventral idiosoma, 25 = marginal area of ventral idiosoma, 26 = genital shield, 27 = ventral view of

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