Phyllhermannia luxtoni, Colloff, 2011

Colloff, Matthew J., 2011, 2770, Zootaxa 2770, pp. 1-60 : 35-37

Phyllhermannia luxtoni sp. nov.

( Figs. 21, 34m)

Dimensions. Holotype female length 606 µm breadth 308 µm. Ratio of length of prodorsum to total length: 0.39 (holotype).

Female. Prodorsum: rostrum acute, without inverted V-shaped ridge; rostral seta (ro) 34 µm, setiform, slightly curved, smooth ( Fig. 21a). Lamellar seta (le) 52 µm, stout, curved, smooth, on small flat tubercle on lateral margin of prodorsum; without transverse lamellar ridge. With well-developed lateral ridge extending between base of lamellar seta and acetabulum of leg I. Interlamellar seta (in) 58 µm long, phylliform, smooth, pointed apically, on shallow inverted V-shaped interbothridial ridge. Bothridial seta (bs) elongate, 127 µm, evenly thick, apex pointed, smooth. Exobothridial seta (ex) 14 µm long. Interbothridial region densely porose, divided medially by non-porose region. Median condyles present with shallow ridge between them divided by median invagination.

Notogaster: ratio of length to breadth 1.23. Dorsosejugal suture smooth; notogaster with network of minute tubercles: narrow lines between median file and transverse lines between c series, between setae of median and lateral files ( Fig. 21a). Setae straight, pointed, phylliform, constricted basally, barbed and sharply pointed apically ( Fig. 21c); not overlapping; p series shorter (17–21 µm) than others (28–41 µm). Setae of c series all directed posteriorly, c 2 equidistant between c 3 and c 1; distance between setae c 1 0.8 × that between d 1; distance between d 2 1.7 × that between d 1; distance between e 1 equidistant to that between f 1. Lyrifissurae im acute.

Coxisternum: Lateral margins of rostrum smooth, lateral margins of epimeres I sparingly tuberculate; posteriolateral margin not in form of blunt spur ( Fig. 21b). Sternal apodeme smooth, straight. Apodeme III slightly convex, no broader than others, smooth, without median U-shaped ridge. Posterior margin of epimere IV with line of welldeveloped tubercles, opposed by ridge of sparse tubercles anterior of genital plate. Epimeral setal formula 3-1-3-5. Setae 1a, 2a, 3a short, sub-equal (8-11 µm); 1b and 4b longer (15–21 µm); 1c 34 µm). Lateral setae 3b and 3c long, subequal (54–73 µm), on medial part of epimeral plate III; setae 4c, 4d and 4e on median part of epimeral plate IV; 4c slightly shorter (41 µm) than 4d and 4e (55–62 µm).

Anogenital region: Genital and anal plates not surrounded by zone of sclerotised cuticle ( Fig. 21b). Each genital plate 96 µm long, 48 µm broad with six short subequal setae (7–10 µm) in median file and three longer (16–21 µm) setae in lateral file. Aggenital setae subequal in length to median genital setae. Pre-anal organ pointed. Each anal plate 138 µm long, 38 µm broad, with two short (12 µm) setae on central and posterior part of plate. Adanal setae sub-equal (21–29 µm, long).

Legs: Femur I 154 µm long, with well developed posteriolateral projections proximally; medial projection absent ( Fig. 34m). Setae d and l ” short, squat, slightly phylliform, smooth, pointed, subequal (15–17 µm). Seta l ' slightly curved, smooth, pointed, much longer (55 µm) and thinner than d and l ”. Seta v ” 23 µm long.

Material examined. Holotype female, pyrethrin knockdown from tree trunk in callidendrous rainforest dominated by Nothofagus cunninghami , in a protected gulley between Mount Michael and Little Mount Michael (ca. 9 km east of Weldborough , Tasmania, 41°10'S, 148°00'E, ca. 740 m., coll. H. Mitchell, 27.ix.1989. Holotype deposited in the Australian National Insect Collection, CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, Canberra.

Etymology. Phyllhermannia luxtoni is named in honour of Dr Malcolm Luxton, in recognition of his contribution to acarine taxonomy and systematics.

Remarks. Phyllhermannia luxtoni can be differentiated from other member of the genus based on the following combination of characters: 1) the smooth, setiform lamellar setae; 2) the shallow, curved, invaginated ridge between the median prodorsal condyles; 3) the straight, flat notogastral setae, broadened basally, barbed and pointed apically; 4) the notogaster with a network of lines of minute tubercles between the setae; 5) the distance between setae e 1 sub-equal to that between f 1; 6) the smooth perigenital region; 7) the weakly tuberculate lateral margins of the rostrum and epimeres; 8) with epimeral seta 3b and 3c considerably longer than other lateral epimeral setae, but with relatively short setae on epimeral plates IV; 9) the short sub-equal lateral genital setae; 10) the short, squat, smooth, pointed setae d and l ” on femur I, with seta l ' longer, curved, smooth and pointed.

Phyllhermannia luxtoni is morphologically most similar to P. acalepha (cf. above) in the shape of the notogastral, lamellar, bothridial and interlamellar setae, though differs in the pattern of tubercles on the ventral surface and in that the lateral setae on epimeral plates IV are short and sub-equal in length, a character state it shares with P. strigosa sp. nov. (cf. below).