Eupelops fusiformis Ermilov, 2016

Ermilov, S. G., Tolstikov, A. V. & Salavatulin, V. M., 2016, Additions to the Cuban oribatid mite fauna (Acari, Oribatida), including new records and descriptions of two new species from the genera Eupelops (Phenopelopidae) and Malaconothrus (Malaconothridae), Acarologia 56 (1), pp. 99-114 : 102-108

Eupelops fusiformis Ermilov n. sp.

( Figures 1-4 )

Diagnosis — Body size: 365 – 448 × 298 – 332. Notogaster and ventral side covered by thick foveolate cerotegument. Rostral and lamellar setae similar in length, setiform, barbed. Bothridial setae fusiform, barbed. Anterior notogastral tectum slightly concave medially. Notogastral setae of medium size, barbed; c, la, lm, lp and h 3 thick, stiff, rounded distally, h 1, h 2, p 1 - p 3 well dilated apically. Porose areas A1 adjacent to insertions of lp and h 3. Epimeral setal formula: 2-1-3-3. Two pairs of adanal setae present, all in postanal position. Tridactylous.

Description — Measurements — Body length: 365 (holotype: male), 365 – 448 (6 paratypes: 2 females and 4 males); notogastral width: 298 (holotype), 298 – 332 (6 paratypes). Without sexual dimorphism.

Integument ( Figs 1 A-C; 2A, B; 4A, F) — Body color brown to dark brown. Body surface smooth, covered by thick cerotegument layer on notogaster, ventral side and basal parts of pteromorphs. Cerotegument represented by large foveolae (their diameter up to 6) and parts with dense microfoveolae (their diameter less than 1) and rounded or slightly elongated microgranules (their diameter and length less than 1). Subcapitular mentum heavily longitudinally striate.

Prodorsum ( Figs 1A, B ; 2A; 4B, C ) — Rostrum triangular, narrowly rounded. Anterior part of prodorsum with median, longitudinal hump. Lamellae located dorso-laterally, half as long as prodorsum (measured in lateral view), with distinct triangular cusps. Rostral (ro) and lamellar (le) setae similar in length (57 – 65), setiform, barbed. Interlamellar setae (in, 118 – 131) broadly phylliform, barbed. Exobothridial setae and their alveoli absent. Bothridial setae (bs, 61 – 65) fusiform, barbed, stalks and heads similar in length. Tutoria (tu) with knife-like cusps about one-third length.

Notogaster ( Figs 1A, B ; 2A, B; 4D, E ) — Anterior notogastral tectum well-developed, slightly concave medially. Lenticulus oval, with amorphous borders. Pteromorphs with distinct hinges. Ten pairs of notogastral setae of medium size (28 – 36), barbed; c, la, lm, lp and h 3 thick, stiff, rounded distally, h 1, h 2, p 1 - p 3 distinctly dilated apically. Four pairs of porose areas (Aa, A1, A2, A3) rounded, small, similar in diameter (4); A1 adjacent to insertions of lp and h 3. Lyrifissures and opisthonotal gland openings usually not visible under cerotegument.

Gnathosoma ( Figs 1 B-D; 2A, C) — Subcapitulum longer than wide (118 – 123 × 57 – 65). Subcapitular setae setiform, smooth, a and m (both pairs 32 – 36) longer than h (20 – 24). Axillary saccules (sac) slightly elongated, distinct. Palps (length 69) with setation 0-2-1-3-9(+ω). Postpalpal setae e (4) thickened, barbed. Chelicerae (length 135 – 139) with two setiform, indistinctly barbed setae, cha (16) shorter than chb (24).

Epimeral and lateral podosomal regions ( Figs 1B ; 2A; 4F ) — Apodemes 2 longer than apodemes 3. Sejugal apodemes (apo.sj) longest, by little not reaching the genital aperture. Epimeral setal formula: 2-1-3-3. Setae 1c and their alveoli absent, 2a and 3a represented by alveoli, other setae setiform, smooth; 3b and 3c (24 – 28) longer than 1b, 4a and 4b (12) and 1a and 4c (8). Pedotecta I large, concave (in dorsal view) and scale-like (in lateral view). Pedotecta II smaller, rounded anteriorly (in ventral view) and scale-like (in lateral view). Discidia (dis) triangular. Circumpedal carinae (cp) strong, very long, reaching pedotecta I.

Anogenital region ( Figs 2A, B, D) — Six pairs of genital (g 1 - g 6, 12), one pair of aggenital (ag, 12), two pairs of anal (an 1, an 2, 6 – 8) and two pairs of adanal (ad 1, 20 – 24; ad 2, 12) setae setiform, smooth. Adanal setae in postanal position. Adanal lyrifissures (iad) located close and slightly diagonal to anal plates. Ovipositor elongated (139 – 147 × 45 – 53), blades (90 – 94) longer than length of distal section (beyond middle fold; 49 – 53). Each of three blades with four smooth setae; ψ 1 ≈ τ 1 (32) setiform, ψ 2 ≈ τa ≈ τb ≈ τc. Six coronal setae (k, 8) thorn-like.

Legs ( Figs 3 A-D; 4G) — Morphology of leg segments, setae and solenidia generally typical for Eupelops (see Grobler 1989; Bayartogtokh and Aoki 1999). Tridactylous, median claw thicker than laterals, all serrate dorsally. Porose areas on femora and trochanters III, IV well visible. Formulas of leg setation and solenidia: I (1-5-3-4-18) [1-2-2], II (1-5- 3-4-15) [1-1-2], III (2-3-1-3-15) [1-1-0], IV (1-2-2-4-12) [0-0-0]; homology of setae and solenidia indicated in Table 1.

Material examined — Holotype (male) and 6 paratypes (2 females and 4 males): locality Cuba-1 (see "Material and methods" section).

Type deposition — The holotype (alcohol) is deposited in the in the collection of the Senckenberg Institution , Frankfurt, Germany ; six paratypes (alcohol) are deposited in the collection of the Tyumen State University Museum of Zoology , Tyumen, Russia .

Etymology — The specific name " fusiformis " refers to the fusiform bothridial setae.

Remarks — Eupelops is a genus comprising 64 species, which collectively have a cosmopolitan distribution (see Subías 2004, online version 2015). The main generic characters were summarized by Sitnikova (1975), Bayartogtokh and Aoki (1999) and Weigmann (2006).

Eupelops fusiformis Ermilov n. sp. is morphologically most similar to E. geminus ( Berlese, 1916) from the Palaearctic region (see Berlese 1916; Mahunka 1992), E. occultus (Koch, 1835) from the Palaearctic region (see PØrez-Iaeigo 1972; Weigmann 2006) and E. torulosus (Koch, 1839) from the Palaearctic and Ethiopian regions (see Weigmann 2006) in having strong notogastral setae in anterior part of notogaster and somewhat dilated apically setae in posterior part of notogaster, and localization of porose areas A1 adjacent to insertions of lp and h 3. However, the new species differs from the listed species by the presence of well-developed notogastral setae p 2 and p 3 (versus minute in E. geminus , E. occultus and E. torulosus ) and medially concave anterior notogastral tectum (versus distinctly wavy in E. geminus , E. occultus and E. torulosus ).

Figures

FIGURE 1: Eupelops fusiformis Ermilov n. sp.: A – dorsal view; B – anterior part of body, lateral view (gnathosoma and legs I, II not illustrated); B – ventral view (gnathosoma and legs except basal parts not illustrated); C – subcapitulum, ventral view; D – chelicera, right, antiaxial view. Scale bar (A, B) 50 µm, scale bar (C, D) 20 µm.

FIGURE 4: Eupelops fusiformis Ermilov n. sp., microscope images of dissected specimen: A – cerotegument in centro-dorsal part of notogaster; B – lamella, lamellar and interlamellar setae, lateral view; C – medio-distal part of bothridial seta; D – porose areas A3 and notogastral setal alveoli h1 and p1; E – notogastral seta p2; F – part of epimeral region on right side, including cerotegument, epimeral seta 3b, apodeme 2, sejugal apodeme, pedotectum II and part of circumpedal carina; G – medio-distal part of tarsus III, right, paraxial view. Scale bar 20 µm.

FIGURE 3: Eupelops fusiformis Ermilov n. sp.: A – leg I, without tarsus, trochanter and basal part of femur, left, paraxial view; B – leg II, without tarsus and trochanter, left, paraxial view; C – leg III, without tarsus and tibia, left, antiaxial view; D – leg IV, left, antiaxial view. Scale bar 20 µm.