Paraquanothrus spooneri, Norton & Franklin, 2018

Norton, Roy A. & Franklin, Elizabeth, 2018, Paraquanothrus n. gen. from freshwater rock pools in the USA, with new diagnoses of Aquanothrus, Aquanothrinae, and Ameronothridae (Acari, Oribatida), Acarologia 58 (3), pp. 557-627 : 578-579

Paraquanothrus spooneri n. sp.

Zoobank: 2A262155-A209-4824-9724-4C539A518082

Diagnosis — With traits of Paraquanothrus n. gen. (above). Adult. Total length 645-737

μm. Cuticle modestly sclerotized, mostly smooth, without folds, wrinkles or ridges, except prodorsum with distinct pair of carinate costulae. Notogaster with vague central dome and rim; border with distinct tectum in posterior half, covering well-defined, circumgastric scissure; setation 13 pairs (lacking two setae in p -row). Without vertical ridge or epimeral tooth posterior to acetabula I, II; leg acetabulum III about equidistant between II and IV. Leg IV (claw not included) 0.50-0.55 times body length. Trochanters III, IV with concave porose area, all femora with conspicuous saccule. Iteral setal pair present on tarsi I, II, it″ on tarsus III (it′ absent), no iteral setae on IV; seta d of femora I, II inserted in distal half of segment, d and l′ conspicuously straight, rigid, erect. Juveniles. Hysterosoma with integumental plications relatively widely spaced; leathery patches distinct, dark even in preserved specimens. Larva lacking gastronotic seta h3 and coxisternal seta 3a, both added in protonymph.

Etymology — The species epithet honors Dr. John D. Spooner, Distinguished Professor

Emeritus at the University of South Carolina, Aiken. An expert in entomology and on the biology of Heggie’s Rock, he discovered this species, studied aspects of its biology and provided specimens for our study.

Type locality — U.S.A., Georgia, Columbia County, near Appling ; Heggie’s Rock Preserve, lat 33.5472, lon -82.2569, elevation ca. 100 m a.s.l.

Material examined — The holotype female and 48 paratype adults, along with 73 non-type juveniles, were collected from the type locality on 27 January 1997 by John D. Spooner, from coarse sand lining shallow weathering depressions in a granite outcrop that support ephemeral rain pools. The holotype, five paratype adults and five juveniles are deposited in alcohol in the mite collection of the USNM. Five paratype adults and five juveniles in alcohol are deposited in the CNC and the Georgia Museum of Natural History (Natural History Building, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia). Two paratype adults are in INPA, and the remaining paratype adults (eight in alcohol, 28 dissected and slide-mounted) and 63 juveniles (alcohol and slide-mounted) are retained by the first author.