Nenteria madagascarensis, Kontschán & Starý & H- & As & Cr & Č, 2012

Kontschán, Jeno & Starý, Josef, 2012, Uropodina species from the Montagne d’Ambre National Park, Madagascar (Acari: Mesostigmata), Revue suisse de Zoologie 119 (3), pp. 89-98 : 93-97

Nenteria madagascarensis sp. n. Figs 13-25

HOLOTYPE: MHNG, without registration number; female; Madagascar, Nord, Montagne d’Ambre National Park , 1100m, litter sifting; 30.10.2010; leg. P. Baňař.

PARATYPES: MHNG, without registration number, one male ; HNHM, one female and one male ; ISB, one female and one male . All with same data as for holotype.

DIAGNOSIS: Dorsal shield with needle-like and marginally pilose dorsal setae, dorsal surface covered by large irregularly outlined and small oval pits. Genital shield of female scutiform, with V-like process on its anterior margin. Paralaciniae on gnathosoma longer and wider than internal malae.

DESCRIPTION OF FEMALE: Length of idiosoma 470-480 µm, width 340-350 µm (n=3). Body shape oval, color reddish brown.

Dorsal aspect of idiosoma (Fig. 13): Dorsal and marginal shields fused anteriorly. Two types of dorsal setae present: first type long (about 14-18 µm) and marginally pilose, situated in central and caudal area. Second type smooth and needlelike, mostly long (about 14-15 µm), but some setae in row j short (about 6-7 µm). These smooth setae present all over dorsal shield, but most numerous in anterior area. Dorsal shield covered by large irregularly outlined and small oval pits. Surface of marginal shield with oval pits, marginal setae short (about 12-13 µm) smooth and needle-like.

Ventral aspect of idiosoma (Fig. 14): Sternal shield ornamented with small oval pits near its anterior margin, other areas of this shield smooth. All sternal setae short (about 3-4 µm), smooth and needle-like. St1 situated near anterior margin of sternal shield, S2-4 at level of anterior margin of coxae II, St3 at level of anterior margin of coxae III, St4 at level of posterior margin of coxae III (Fig. 15). Ventral shield smooth anteriorly, several oval pits situated between coxae IV, surface posterior to setae V2 covered by small and large oval pits. Ventral setae smooth, needle-like, V1 short (about 5 µm), other setae long (about 25-28 µm), adanal and postanal setae smooth, needlelike and about 12 µm long. Two pairs of lyriform fissures present on ventral idiosoma, first pair of them situated near St4, second pair at level of coxae IV. Peritremes U-shaped, poststigmatid part short. Genital shield of female scutiform, placed between coxae II and III, without sculptural pattern and with V-shaped anterior process (Fig. 15), this process W-shaped in one paratype (Fig. 16). Pedofossae deep, their surface smooth, with separate furrows for tarsi IV, metapodal lines well developed. Base of tritosternum narrow, with serrate margins, laciniae trifurcate and marginally serrate (Fig. 17).

Gnathosoma (Fig. 18): Corniculi short, horn-like, internal malae longer than corniculi and smooth, paralaciniae longer and wider than internal malae. Hypostomal setae: h1 long (about 30 µm), smooth and setiform; h2 robust, smooth and short (about 11 µm); h3 (about 27 µm) and h4 (about 31 µm) long and marginally serrate. Epistome smooth, anterior margin rounded. Chelicerae with sclerotised internal nodes, fixed digit longer than movable digit, both digits bearing a single tooth (Fig. 19), palp with needle-like setae (Fig. 20).

Legs (Figs 21-24): All legs bearing claws on tip of tarsi, legs I bearing needlelike setae on all segments and one pilose seta on trochanter. Legs II-IV bearing short and robust setae on each tarsus and needle-like setae on all segments.

DESCRIPTION OF MALE: Length of idiosoma 470-480 µm, width 340-350 µm (n=3). Shape of idiosoma, ornamentation and chaetotaxy of dorsal parts as in female. Sternal setae short (about 6-7 µm) and needle-like, St1 situated at level of central region of coxae II, St2 and St3 near lateral margin of genital opening, St4 at level of central area of coxae IV. Sternal shield covered by some oval pits. Sternal shield bearing two pairs of lyriform fissures, first pair of them situated near anterior margin of sternal shield, second pair at level of posterior margins of coxae IV. Genital shield oval and situated between coxae III (Fig. 25).

Ventral setae and ornamentation as in female.

Larva and nymphs unknown.

ETYMOLOGY: The name of the new species refers to the island where the specimens examined were collected.

REMARKS: Although the new species possesses several unusual characters, it is placed in the genus Nenteria Oudemans, 1915 due to the presence of paralaciniae and due to the shape of the tritosternum and of the processes of the gnathosoma.

The dorsal ornamentation, the shape of the dorsal setae, the shape of internal malae and paralaciniae of the new species were up to now unknown for the widely distributed genus Nenteria .