Nothrholaspis scutivagus, Özbek, 2017

Özbek, Hasan Hüseyin, 2017, A review of the macrochelid mites of Turkey (Acari: Macrochelidae), with new records and descriptions of three new species, Zootaxa 4317 (3), pp. 559-572 : 560-563

Nothrholaspis scutivagus sp. nov.

Macrocheles lagodekhensis .—Özbek, 2013: 87. ( Figures 1‒8 ; 25‒28)

Diagnosis. DOrsal shield with 29 pairs Of setae; setae j1, j4, z4, s5, r2, Z1, Z3, Z4, Z5, S2, S4 and S5 pilOse and brush-like in their distal half tO 2/3, Other dOrsal setae smOOth and pOinted, setae z1 lOng, extending base Of j2; three pairs Of platelets present On sOft integument between epigynal and ventri-anal shields Or fused with ventri-anal shield. Ventri-anal shield wider than lOng, pOst-anal seta pilOse. Cheliceral dOrsal seta serrated.

Specimens examined. HOlOtype, female, Gümüşhane PrOvince, Köse TOwn, 40° 16' N, 39° 38' E, alt. 1828 m, 21 September 2007, rOtten wOOd Of Quercus sp. Paratypes, 2 females, same data as hOlOtype; 8 females, Gümüşhane PrOvince, Köse TOwn, 40° 17' N, 39° 35' E, 26 OctOber 2007; alt. 1795 m, mOss near stream; 23 females, Gümüşhane PrOvince, Köse TOwn, 40° 17' N, 39° 34' E, alt. 1891 m, 16 May 2009, litter Of Pinus sp.; 12 females, Gümüşhane PrOvince, Köse TOwn, 40° 16' N, 39° 38' E, alt. 1856 m, 26 June 2011, litter; 2 females, Gümüşhane prOvince, Köse TOwn, 40° 16' N, 39° 37' E, alt. 1780 m, 26 June 2011, mOss and litter under Salix sp.; 14 females, Giresun PrOvince, between Şebinkarahisar and Suşehri TOwns, 40° 17' N, 38° 12' E, alt. 927, 23 April 2012, mOss and dung; 2 females, Gümüşhane PrOvince, Şiran TOwn, TOmara Waterfall, 40°04' N, 39°02' E, alt. 1304, 1 May 2012, litter under Corylus sp., a female, Gümüşhane PrOvince, Şiran TOwn, 40°08' N, 39°05' E, alt. 1345 m, 1 May 2012, litter near stream; 2 females, Giresun PrOvince, ÇamOluk TOwn, 40°07' N, 38° 50' E, alt. 1300 m, 1 May 2012, litter near stream; 2 females, Giresun PrOvince, between ÇamOluk and Alucra TOwn, 40°09' N, 38° 48' E, alt. 1301 m, 1 May 2012, litter under Rubus sp.; 5 females, Gümüşhane PrOvince, Köse TOwn, 40° 17' N, 39° 38' E, alt. 1868 m, 1 May 2012, nest Of ant; a female, Gümüşhane PrOvince, Köse TOwn, 40° 17' N, 39° 38' E, alt. 1867 m, 1 May 2012, mOss near stream; a female, 40° 17' N, 39° 38' E, alt. 1867 m, 1 May 2012, dry grass near stream; 12 females, Gümüşhane PrOvince, Şiran TOwn, 40°05' N, 39° E, alt. 1333 m, 1 May 2012, litter under Corylus sp.; 4 females, Gümüşhane PrOvince, Şiran TOwn, 40°04' N, 39°02' E, alt. 1299 m, 10 May 2012, mOss near stream; 2 females, Gümüşhane PrOvince, Köse TOwn, 40° 17' N, 39° 38' E, alt. 1827 m, 10 May 2012, dry grass near stream; 12 females, Gümüşhane PrOvince, Köse TOwn, 40° 17' N, 39° 38' E, alt. 1899 m, 19 May 2012, mOss; 15 females, Gümüşhane PrOvince, Köse TOwn, 40° 17' N, 39° 38' E, alt. 1881 m, 19 May 2012, litter under Pinus sp. and mOss; 2 females, Gümüşhane PrOvince, Köse TOwn,, 40° 18' N, 39° 39' E, alt. 1835 m, 13 June 2012, mOss; 24 females, Gümüşhane PrOvince, Köse TOwn, 40° 19' N, 39° 39' E, alt. 1736 m, 13 June 2012, litter under Salix sp. All specimens were cOllected frOm lOcalities in Turkey.

Description. Female

Dorsum ( Fig. 1 ). DOrsal shield OblOng, 1224‒1340 lOng, 763‒828 wide at the widest pOint (n=16), reticulated with pOlygOnal pattern and cOvered with fine punctatiOn, with 29 pairs Of setae (J3 present); setae j1, j4, z4, s5, r2, Z1, Z3, Z4, Z5, S2, S4 and S5 pilOse, brush-like in their distal half tO 2/3; Other setae smOOth and pOinted; seta z1 lOng, 50‒65, reaching base Of seta j2; anteriOr tips Of peritremes extending beyOnd bases Of setae z1. Length Of sOme dOrsal setae: j1 80‒90; j2‒j6 80‒115; z2, z4 85‒100; z5 60‒70; z6 110‒125; s2, s4 90‒110; s5 85‒95; s6 110‒120; r2 80‒105; r3 115‒130; r4 105‒120; J2, J3 110‒130; J5 70‒100; Z1, Z2, Z4 80‒100; Z5 65‒80; S1 110‒120; S2, S4, S5 85‒105.

Venter ( Fig. 2 ). Sternal shield 250‒285 lOng, 250‒265 wide at the mid-level Of cOxae II; surface Ornamented with web-like pattern between st1 and st2, and pOlygOnal pattern between st2 and st3; shield cOvered with punctatiOn and bearing three pairs Of smOOth and pOinted setae, st1 lOngest 100‒105, st2 85‒95, st3 80‒90 ( Fig. 25 ). Metasternal shields free, elliptical, each bearing a pOre and a smOOth seta st4 (80‒90). Epigynal shield 285‒300 lOng, 307‒341 wide, helmet-like, Ornamented with netwOrk Of micrO-punctatiOn, with a pair Of smOOth setae st5 (90‒100) and lateral sclerites. Three pairs Of platelets present On sOft integument between epigynal and ventri-anal shields. In sOme specimens, platelets may be fused tO the ventri-anal shield ( Figs 3, 4 , 26, 27 ). Ventrianal shield wider than lOng, 410‒456 lOng, 460‒510 greatest width (L/W =0.87‒0.90), Ornamented with pOlygOnal pattern, cOvered with micrO-punctatiOn, bearing three pairs Of smOOth pre-anal setae, a pair Of distinctly lOnger para-anal setae (60‒70) and a pilOse pOst-anal seta (abOut 30). Pre-anal setae Jv2 lOngest, 108‒115, Jv1 similar in length tO Jv3, 90‒110. AnterOlateral extensiOns Of cribrum nOt reaching bases Of para-anal setae.

Gnathosoma . Setae h1 lOngest, h2 almOst subequal in length tO pc, h3 lOnger than h2. COrniculi lOng and hOrnlike. DeutOsternal grOOve with six rOws Of denticles, rOw between setae h1 separated intO twO parts ( Fig. 5 ). EpistOme with a pair Of lateral prOcesses trifurcated distally, a median prOcess deeply bifurcated distally, with small spines On its stem ( Fig. 6 ). Chelicerae well develOped, mOvable digit abOut 145 lOng, with twO median teeth and unidentate terminal hOOk, fixed digit abOut 165 lOng tO level Of base Of dOrsal seta, with three median teeth and a bidentate terminal hOOk, distinct pilus dentilis and a cOmb-like serrated dOrsal seta. ArthrOdial brush shOrt, less than half as lOng as mOvable digit ( Figs. 7 and 28 ).

Legs: ChaetOtaxy typical fOr the genus and family (Evans, 1963). COxae I with twO smOOth and pOinted setae; cOxae II with One smOOth and One pilOse seta; cOxae III with twO pilOse setae; cOxae IV with a pilOse seta. Tarsus II as in Fig. 8 .

Etymology. The name Of this species refers tO the variable pOsitiOn Of the pOst-genital platelets, either free Or fused with the ventri-anal shield.

Notes. Nothrholaspis scutivagus is placed in the genus Nothrholaspis because it has the cheliceral dOrsal seta serrated, three pairs Of platelets between the epigynal and ventri-anal shields, setae j1 brush-shaped, pilOse, 29 pairs Of setae present On the dOrsal shield, and the shape Of epistOme and anterOlateral extensiOns Of the cribrum. This species is easily separated frOm the Other species in the genus by its characteristic dOrsal chaetOtaxy (sOme marginal (r3, r4, s2, s4, s6, S1) and anteriOr (j2, j3) setae simple and needle-like). The pOstgenital platelets are difficult tO Observe in undissected specimens. In sOme specimens, three pairs Of platelets are situated On sOft integument between the epigynal and ventri-anal shields, Or they may be fused with the ventri-anal shield in Others. Özbek (2013) identified type specimens Of N. scutivagus as Macrocheles lagodekhensis BregetOva & KOrOleva (1960) , because these platelets were OverlOOked. In this study, I re-evaluated these specimens and present them here as a new species. NumerOus female specimens were cOllected frOm nOrth-eastern Turkey, but male specimens were nOt fOund, sO this is prObably a thelytOkOus species.

Figures

FIGURES 1 ‒ 2. Nothrholaspis scutivagus, female. 1. Dorsal shield; 2. Ventral shields.

FIGURES 3 ‒ 8. Nothrholaspis scutivagus, female. 3 and 4. Post-genital platelets; 5. Hypostome; 6. Epistome; 7. Chelicera; 8. Tarsus II.

FIGURES 25 – 34. 25. Nothrholaspis scutivagus, female, ornamentation of sternal shield; 26. Nothrholaspis scutivagus, female, free platelets in soft integument; 27. Nothrholaspis scutivagus, female, platelets fused with ventri-anal shield; 28. Nothrholaspis scutivagus, female, chelicera. 29. Macrocheles niksarensis, female, ornamentation of sternal shield; 30. Macrocheles niksarensis, female, ventri-anal shield; 31. Macrocheles niksarensis, female, chelicera. 32. Holostaspella bidentata, female, ornamentation of sternal shield; 33. Holostaspella bidentate, female, ventri-anal shield; 34. Holostaspella bidentata, female, chelicerae.