16. Echiniscus scabrospinosus Fontoura, 1982

Figures 26–27

Terra typica: Portugal, Serra do Buçaco.

Additional localities: (1) Tanzania, Kilimanjaro Region, Marangu (Binda & Pilato 1995); (2) Portugal, the Azores, Faial Island, Miradouro da Praia Norte (Fontoura et al. 2008); (3) 38°41’32’’N, 9°25’18’’W, 16 m asl: Portugal, Cascais (Gąsiorek et al. 2019b); (4) a number of records from South Africa (Gąsiorek et al. 2022); (5) 32°44’06”N, 16°53’10”W, 900 m asl: Madeira, Ribeiro Frio, lichens from rock in laurel forest, Dorota Lachowska-Cierlik coll. on 20 th September 2021 (2 ♀♀).

Etymology: From Latin scaber = rough/scabrous + spinosus = spiny, stressing the delicate serration of spines Dd and E. An adjective in nominative singular.

Shortened description. Small to medium-sized (ca. 170–250 μm). Body appendage configuration A-C-D-Dd- E, with frequent asymmetries. Spine Dd usually the longest among all spines. Spines Dd and E may be serrated (see Gąsiorek et al. 2022) or smooth (Fig. 26). Dorsal plate sculpturing of the spinulosus type, with large pores containing dark intracuticular rings (Fig. 27A, black arrowheads). Caudal plate often with epicuticular ridges forming faceting (Figs 26, 27A, white arrowheads). Dentate collar IV with numerous (usually more than 10) short teeth. Claws small, with minute, needle-like primary spurs closely positioned to claw bases (Fig. 26A, insert). Larvae with reduced chaetotaxy, their body appendage formula: A-(E), where spines E are frequently missing (Fig. 27B). Anterior portions of pI–II, m2, and the entire m3 with poorly developed sculpturing.

Phylogenetic position: The sister species of E. oreas Gąsiorek et al., 2022 (Figs 1–2) within the spinulosus morphogroup.

Remarks: This species has a broad geographic distribution extending from the South-Western Palaearctic to the southernmost localities in the Afrotropical region (Gąsiorek et al. 2022). The species is quite variable and was confused in the past with other species from completely unrelated clades of Echiniscus (Pilato et al. 2008) .