Benoibates bolivianus Balogh & Mahunka, 1969(a)

Ermilov, Sergey G., Alvarado-Rodriguez, Olman, Kontschan, Jeno & Retana-Salazar, Axel P., 2014, The oribatid mite genus Benoibates (Acari, Oribatida, Oripodidae), ZooKeys 442, pp. 51-72 : 54

Taxon classification Animalia Oribatida Oripodidae

Benoibates bolivianus Balogh & Mahunka, 1969(a) Figs 1-42

Diagnosis.

Body size: 514-597 × 265-332. Body surface weakly foveolate. Rostral, lamellar and interlamellar setae setiform, barbed; latter are longest. Bothridial setae short, clavate. Ten pairs of notogastral setae of medium size (24-32). Sacculi Sa large than other. Subcapitular setae h longer than a and m. Apodemes 2 connected medially and to anterior margin of genital aperture. Pedotecta II with one pointed tip anteriorly Genital and aggenital setae short. Anal and adanal setae very long, flagellate.

Description.

Measurements. Body length: 514-597 (three specimens); notogaster width: 265-332 (three specimens).

Integument. Body color yellowish brown to brown. Body surface weakly foveolate: prodorsum with distinct, round foveoles, larger in antero-medial part (up to 4) than in basal part (up to 1); notogaster, epimeral region, subcapitular mentum and gena, and genital figs with weak, round foveoles (up to 2); anogenital region and legs with distinct (except weak between genital and anal apertures), round or oval foveoles (up to 4), simultaneously also with longitudinal foveoles (length up to 16). Body surface of notogaster and ventral side covered by microgranular cerotegument (less than 1; visible only high magnification, × 1000).

Prodorsum. Rostrum weakly protruding, rounded. Lamellae (lam) located dorso-laterally, half length of prodorsum (measured in lateral view), without cusps. Translamella absent. Prolamellar lines (plam) thin, reaching the insertions of rostral setae and bend ventrally to meet the rostral margins. Sublamellar lines (slam) distinct, long. Sublamellar porose areas (Al) small, rounded (4-6). Keel-shaped ridges (kf) well developed. Rostral (ro, 55-61), lamellar (le, 77-86) and interlamellar (in, 94-106) setae setiform, barbed. Interlamellar setae long, reaching the insertions of lamellar setae. Bothridial setae (ss, 32-41) with short stalk (16-21) and clavate, barbed head (16-20). Exobothridial setae (ex, 16) thin, smooth.

Notogaster. Anterior notogastral margin weakly convex, trapezoid. Dorsophragmata (D) elongated, not reaching pleurophragmata (P). Notogastral shoulders rectangular in dorsal view, anterior margin almost transverse straight. Ten pairs of notogastral setae of medium size (24-32), setiform, indistinctly barbed (visible under high magnification, × 1000). Insertions of setae h1-h3 varies. Four pairs of sacculi developed: Sa largest, located postero-medially to setae c; S1 - postero-laterally to lyrifissures im; S2 - between setae h2 and h3; S3 - anteriorly to p1. Lyrifissures ia located medially to setae c; im - between setae lm and lp, in transverse position; ip - laterally to p1; ih - anteriorly to p1; ips - between p2 and p3. Opisthonotal gland openings (gla) located antero-laterally to lyrifissures im.

Gnathosoma. Subcapitulum longer than wide (118-127 × 86-98). Subcapitular setae setiform, slightly barbed; h (53-61) longer than a and m (both 28-32). Setae m thinnest. Two pairs of adoral setae (or1, or2, 20) setiform, densely ciliate. Palps (length 77) with setation 0 –2–1–3– 9(+ω). Solenidion attached to eupathidium. Chelicerae (length 127-139) with one barbed setae (cha, 36-41), chb and their alveoli absent. Trägårdh’s organ (Tg) long, tapered.

Epimeral and lateral podosomal regions. Apodemes 1, 2, 3, sejugal and sternal apodemes distinct. Apodemes 2 (ap2) connected medially and to anterior margin of genital aperture. Sternal apodeme of medium size, not reaching the apodemes 2. Epimeral setal formula: 3 –1–3– 2. Centroventral setae 1a, 2a, 3a smooth, other slightly barbed; 1b (41-53) longer than 3b (24-28), 4a (20), 4b, 3c (16-18), 1c, 2a (10) and 1a, 3a (6-8). Setae 3c thickest. Pedotecta I (Pd I) large, concave (measured in dorsal view) and scale-like (measured in lateral view); pedotecta II (Pd II) smaller, trapezoid, with one pointed tip anteriorly (measured in ventral view) and scale-like (measured in lateral view). Discidia (dis) elongated, weakly triangular. Circumpedal carinae (cp) distinct.

Anogenital region. Two pairs of genital (g1, g2, 10) and one pair of aggenital (ag, 8) setae setiform, thin, smooth. One pair of anal (an) and two pairs of adanal (ad1, ad2) setae (all 176-196) very long, flagellate. Lyrifissures iad located close to and parallel anal figs.

Legs. Median claw weakly thicker than two lateral claws; all with several minute barbs on dorsal side. Lateral claws with ventral tooth. Formulae of leg setation and solenidia: I (1 –5–2–4– 16) [1 –2– 2], II (1 –5–2–4– 13) [1 –1– 2], III (2 –3–1–3– 13) [1 –1– 0], IV (1 –2–2–3– 11) [0 –1– 0]; homology of setae and solenidia indicated in Table 1. Famulus short, straight, slightly dilated distally, truncated. Solenidia ω 2 on tarsi I, ω 1 and ω 2 on tarsi II, σ on genua II, III of medium size, thickened, blunt-ended. Other solenidia long, setiform.

Remarks.

Costa Rican specimens of Benoibates bolivianus are similar in all morphological characters to Bolivian specimens from the original description ( Balogh and Mahunka 1969a), except slightly shorter epimeral setae 1b.

Distribution.

Neotropical region.