Phyllhermannia leei, Colloff, 2011

Colloff, Matthew J., 2011, 2770, Zootaxa 2770, pp. 1-60 : 25-27

Phyllhermannia leei sp. nov.

( Figs. 13, 34j)

Dimensions. Holotype female length 625 µm breadth 308 µm. Paratype females (n = 4) mean length 597 µm (range 585–631 µm) mean breadth 310 µm (range 303–323 µm). Paratype males (n = 5) mean length 489 µm (range 480–501) µm, mean breadth 237 µm (range 230–243 µm). Ratio of length of prodorsum to total length: 0.32 (holotype).

Female. Prodorsum: rostrum acute, without inverted V-shaped ridge; rostral seta (ro) 24 µm, curved, setiform, smooth ( Fig. 13a). Lamellar seta (le) 29 µm, curved, smooth, slightly phylliform, waisted and then broad basally, thin and pointed apically, on squat tubercle on lateral margin of prodorsum. Transverse lamellar ridge absent. With lateral ridge between base of lamellar seta and acetabulum of leg I inflated laterally, then waisted. Surface of prodorsum porose, smooth. Interlamellar setae (in) 28 µm, phylliform, narrow, pointed and finely barbed apically, smooth basally, on broad, smooth inverted V-shaped interbothridial ridge. Bothridial seta (bs) elongate, 170 µm, evenly thick, apex tapering, sharply pointed, smooth. Exobothridial seta (ex) 17 µm long. Interbothridial region densely and strongly porose, divided medially by non-porose region. Median condyles present.

Notogaster: ratio of length to breadth 1.28. Dorsosejugal suture smooth. Notogaster smooth ( Fig. 13a). Setae flat, slightly curved, pointed, phylliform setae, finely barbed apically, smooth basally, each with a well-developed basal stalk; not overlapping. Setae of c series all directed posteriorly, c 2 closer to c 3 than c 1. Distance between bases of setae c 1 about 0.6 × that between c 1 and c 2 and 0.5 × that between bases of d 1. Distance between d 2 1.5 × that between d 1; distance between bases of e 1 1.3 × that between those of f 1. Lyrifissurae im transverse.

Coxisternum: Posteriolateral margins of rostrum smooth, lateral margins of epimeres I without tubercles or alveoli; posteriolateral margin of epimere I rounded, not spur-shaped ( Fig. 13b). Anterior sternal apodeme undulating. Apodeme III transverse, broader than other apodemata, with curved median ridge. Tubercles absent from epimere III. Posterior margin of epimere IV with line of well-developed tubercles, but ridge of tubercles anterior of genital plate absent. Epimere IV without sclerotised projection laterally. Epimeral setal formula 3-1-3-5. Setae 1a, 2a and 3a very short, sub-equal (ca. 6–9 µm); 1b and 4b longer (ca. 12–15 µm). Setae 4e longest of epimeral setae (70 µm) then 3c (58 µm); setae on epimeral plate III on anterior part of plate. Setae 4c shortest of lateral setae on epimeral plate IV (47 µm); 4d 58 µm long. Setae of epimeral plate IV on median part of plate.

Anogenital region: Posterior and lateral regions of genital plates surrounded by narrow zone of smooth cuticle, slightly more heavily sclerotised than rest of ventral plate ( Fig. 13b). Each genital plate 108 µm long, 50 µm broad with six short (10–14 µm), thick spiniform setae in median file; g 1 displaced laterally from others. With three setae in lateral file, anteriolateral seta (g 4) long (36 µm), thin, setiform; others same length as median setae. Aggenital setae sub-equal in length to genital setae in median file. Ventral plate with smooth, porous cuticle but with lateral regions of denser, larger pores between setae ag 1 and ad 2. Pre-anal organ pointed. Each anal plate 126 µm long, 42 µm broad, with two short (10–16 µm) setae on anterior and central part of plate. Adanal setae ad 1 slightly longer (21 µm) than others (15 µm).

Legs: Femur I 142 µm long, with prominent posteriolateral spur proximally; medial projection slight ( Fig. 34j). Cuticle sparsely alveolate. Setae d (20 µm) and l ” (17 µm) straight, phylliform, barbed, pointed, with a distinct basal constriction; seta l ' on prominent tubercle, curved, barbed basally, smooth apically, with long, thin, tapering point and basal constriction, much longer than others (57 µm). Seta v ' 19 µm long.

Material examined. Holotype female, four paratype females, five paratype males, ANIC 298 , litter, wet sclerophyll forest, Black Spur, south of Marysville , Victoria, 37°30'S 145°53'E, 380 m., coll. R. W. Taylor & R. J. Bartell, xi.1970 . Holotype and paratypes deposited in the Australian National Insect Collection, CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, Canberra .

Etymology. Phyllhermannia leei is named in memory of my friend and colleague, the late Dr David Lee (South Australian Museum, Adelaide), in recognition of his contribution to the systematics and taxonomy of Australian oribatid mites.

Remarks. Phyllhermannia leei can be differentiated from other member of the genus based on the following combination of characters: 1) the curved, smooth lamellar setae; broad basally, pointed apically; 2) the pointed rostrum and strongly waisted lateral ridge between the base of the lamellar seta and the acetabulum of leg I; 3) the smooth notogastral plate; 4) the slightly curved, barbed, phylliform interlamellar and notogastral setae, each with a well-developed basal stalk; 5) the smooth lateral margins of epimere I; 6) the anterior genital region opposite the posterior margin of epimere IV lacking tubercles; 7) with epimeral setae 4a 2–3 × longer than 4b; 8) the smooth perigenital region; 9) genital seta g 4 are longer than others in the lateral file; 10) the regions of dense, large pores on the ventral plate; 11) the minute anal setae on the anterior and central regions of the anal plates; 12) the curved, barbed seta l '; smooth apically, with a long, tapering point and basal constriction.

Phyllhermannia leei is morphologically most similar to P. hunti , but without the network of wrinkled cuticle on the notogaster. They have identical bothridial and notogastral setae and very similar morphology of the prodorsum, especially the sharply pointed rostrum and waisted lateral ridge between base of lamellar seta and acetabulum of leg I. They differ in the morphology of the lamellar setae (narrowly phylliform and smooth in P. leei , broader and barbed in P. hunti ); the absence of the regions of dense, large pores on the ventral plate in P. hunti ; the smooth epimere III in P. leei and in the morphology of the dorsal and lateral setae on femur I, with those of P. leei all phylliform, constricted basally and l ' barbed basally with a very long, thin, smooth tapering point and only d and l ” of P. hunti phylliform, but without a basal constriction and l ' curved, stout and barbed apically. The prominent medial spur on the proximal part of femur I of P. hunti is reduced to a slight protuberance in P. leei .