Bitabulata kelycoxae, Goldschmidt, 2008

Goldschmidt, Tom, 2008, Taxonomical, ecological and zoogeographical studies on anisitsiellid water mites (Acari: Hydrachnidia: Anisitsiellidae Koenike, 1910) from Madagascar, Zootaxa 1954 (1), pp. 1-120 : 77-81

Bitabulata kelycoxae sp. nov.

( Figs 178–183 , Table 10)

Type: Holotype female, MD 160 , Joffreville (Montagne d’Ambre, Antsiranana), riparian springs at right bor- der of Rivière Antomboka downstream sacred cascade, 1000 m asl, 18.0 °C, 20 µS/cm, 19.11.2001, mounted.

Habitat: Spring at 1000 m asl.

Distribution: Madagascar (Montagne d’Ambre).

Derivatio nominis: Kely (Malagasy) — small, coxae (Latin) — hips; referring to the very small Cx-I to - III.

Diagnosis: Characters of the genus; anterior and posterior dorsal plates relatively slender; lyrifissures and one pair of platelets (lateral beside posterior dorsal plate) in dorsal furrow; ventral shield rectangular-oval; caudal margin of Cx-IV curved, genital field broad pear-shaped; setae of Vgl-1 very long, Vgl-2 and -4 on platelets posterior caudal margin of ventral shield; legs relatively compact; capitulum elongated; palp relatively slender (especially P4).

Description, female (n = 1): Idiosoma broad, rectangular-oval ( Fig. 178 ), purple-brownish; dorsal shield relatively slender (L/W 667/363), anterior plate trapezoid, laterally undulated, anteriorly relatively straight to convex, caudal margin medially straight, caudo-lateral corners oblique to anterior (L/W 265/314), bearing post-ocular setae; posterior plate with antero-lateral corners extended bearing Dgl-4, Dgl-5 fused lateral, lateral and caudal margin undulated (L/W 402/363); antero-medial area of plates slightly raised against anterolateral margins ( Fig. 179 ); Dgl-2 and - 3 in indentations of lateral margin of anterior plate, Lgl-4 and Dgl- 6 in indentations of latero-caudal margin of posterior plate in dorsal furrow, Lgl-1 beside anterior plate, Lgl-2 and -3 beside posterior plate (between these one pair of mid-sized platelets); five pairs of lyrifissures in dorsal furrow, lateral to dorsal plates and posterior to ventral shield; soft integument lined; setae of Dgl-3 to -5 large, others mid-sized ( Fig. 179 ); lateral eyes elongated oval, separate from each other, free under integument (in slide preparation one pair lateral to anterior dorsal plate, one pair antero-lateral of ventral shield ( Figs 178, 179 )); venter nearly completely covered by ventral shield (L/W 687/520); Cx-I to -III small, anteriorly surpassing ventral shield, lateral to Cx-III ventral shield dorso-laterally far extended beyond anterior coxae ( Fig. 178 ); Cx-I/II slender, medially long; Cx-II laterally overlapping Cx-III, centrally Cx-I, -II and -III fused, medial margins of Cx-III fused ( Fig. 178 ); Cxgl-2 and -4 at anterior margin of Cx-III, setae at Cxgl-4 not visible; Cx-IV oblique rectangular, antero-medial margin not visible, convex beside genital field, caudally straighter, forming very tight genital bay, medio-caudal corner rounded, caudal margin of Cx-IV oblique to anterior, insertion of leg-IV lateral to anterior end of genital field, lateral margin of Cx-IV not visible, ridge on Cx-IV very short, far anterior, lateral to Cx-III ( Fig. 178 ); genital field rectangular to broad pear-shaped, laterally straight to concave, anteriorly transverse, antero-laterally rounded, posteriorly rounded, slightly extended beyond caudal margin of Cx-IV; acetabula elongated, slender, touching each other (Ac3 remote from caudal end of genital flaps), setae on genital flaps tiny; small area of articular membrane lateral and posterior to genital field ( Fig. 178 ); setae of Vgl-1 very long, directly posterior to caudal margin of Cx-IV, Vgl-3 relatively near to posterior caudal margin of Cx-IV; Vgl-2 and Vgl-4 posterior to ventral shield in indentations of caudal margin, not fused; legs relatively compact, at distal ends of segments bearing many heavy setae (especially leg-IV), claws on leg-I to -III with dorsal and ventral clawlet ( Fig. 180 ); leg-IV-6 with two very small peg-like terminal setae and mid-sized, pinnate sub-terminal seta ( Fig. 181 ); capitulum strongly elongated, especially ventrally, lacking dorsal apodemes ( Fig. 182 ); chelicera slender, with flat dorsal hump; basal palp segments compact; P2 with one lateral seta and five dorsal setae; P3 with three dorsal and one lateral setae; P4 slender, proximally straight, ventral margin without distinct hump ( Figs 182, 183 ).

Male: Unknown.

Remarks: See below under B. sagai .

Figures

FIGURES 178–183. Bitabulata kelycoxae gen. et sp. nov., female holotype (MD 160): 178, idiosoma, ventral view; 179, idiosoma, dorsal view; 180, leg-II; 181, leg-IV (segment 1 broken); 182, capitulum with left palp and chelicera, lateral view; 183, right palp (segments 2–5), medial view. Scale bars = 100 µm.