Carabodes (Klapperiches) dedzaensis, Ermilov & Kontschán, 2022

Ermilov, Sergey G. & Kontschán, Jenő, 2022, A new species of Carabodes (Klapperiches) (Acari, Oribatida, Carabodidae) from Malawi, with a key to known species of the subgenus from the Afrotropical region, Persian Journal of Acarology 11, pp. 387-395 : 388-392

Carabodes (Klapperiches) dedzaensis sp. nov. ( Figs. 1–7)

Diagnosis

Body length: 480–540. Prodorsum, notogaster and anogenital region tuberculate. Lamella with long distal triangular projection. Translamella absent. Tutorium dentate dorsally. Rostral and lamellar setae setiform, curved and directed anteromedially, barbed. Interlamellar seta setiform, curved and directed anteriorly, barbed. Bothridial seta long, slightly fusiform, barbed. All notogastral setae thickened, erect, barbed; p 1 – p 3, h 3 shorter than others. Epimeral setae 1a, 1c, 2a, and 3a minute; other epimeral setae as well as genital, aggenital and anal setae setiform, erect, slightly barbed. All adanal setae thickened, erect, barbed. Leg tarsus IV with 12 setae.

Description

Measurements – Species of comparatively large size. Body length: 525 (holotype: male), 480, 540 (two paratypes, both males); notogaster width: 300 (holotype), 270, 315 (two paratypes). Body ratio (length/width): 1.7.

Integument – Body color brown. Body covered by thick layer of gel-like cerotegument including masses of natural dirt, forming a solid crust on the surface of prodorsum and notogaster. Body densely microtuberculate; in addition, prodorsum, notogaster and anogenital region tuberculate (diameter of tubercle up to 8). Tutorium and subcapitular mentum foveolate (diameter of foveola up to 6). Lateral (outer) side of pedotecta I and II slightly rugose. Genital plate with some indistinct longitudinal stria.

Prodorsum – Rostrum broadly rounded. Lamella long and broad, with distal triangular projection reaching level of insertion of rostral seta (visible in lateral aspect). Translamella absent. Tutorium long, ridge-like, heavily dentate dorsally. With elongate depression between lamella and tutorium. Rostral and lamellar setae (26–30) setiform, curved and directed anteromedially, barbed; le inserted on dorsal side of lamella. Interlamellar seta (56–64) setiform, curved and directed anteriorly, barbed, inserted on tubercle. Bothridial seta (97–105) with long stalk and shorter, slightly developed, elongate, fusiform head, barbed. Bothridium interrupted ventrally. Exobothridial seta not observed.

Notogaster – Anterior notogastral margin slightly convex medially. Humeral processes indistinct. Ten pairs of notogastral setae (p 1 – p 3, h 3: 34–37; others: 49–56) thickened, erect, barbed. Opisthonotal gland opening and lyrifissures ia and im slightly visible; ip, ih and ips not observed.

Gnathosoma – Typical for Carabodidae (e.g., Ermilov 2016; Ermilov and Starý 2020). Subcapitulum size: 120–131 × 86–94. All subcapitular setae (a: 19–22; m: 11–13; h: 9–11) setiform, roughened; a thickest. Postpalpal setae (9) bacilliform, roughened. Palp (length: 63–67) setation: 0–2–1–3–9(+ω). Chelicera (131–139) with two setiform, barbed setae (cha: 37; chb: 22).

Epimeral and lateral podosomal regions – Epimeral setation: 3–1–3–3. Epimeral setae 1a, 1c, 2a, and 3a short (4–5), setiform, smooth; others (22–26) setiform, erect, slightly barbed. Discidium tubercle-like.

Anogenital region – Genital (11–15), aggenital (11–15) and anal (19–22) setae setiform, erect, slightly barbed. Adanal setae (ad 1, ad 2: 30–34; ad 3: 19–22) thickened, erect, barbed. Adanal lyrifissure visible, removed from anal aperture and located lateral to adanal setae ad 3.

Legs – Claw of each leg strong, sparsely barbed dorsally. One porose area on all femora distinct, porose areas on trochanters III, IV not observed. Formulas of leg setation and solenidia: I (1–4–3–4–16) [1–2–2], II (1–4–3–3–15) [1–1–2], III (2–3–1–2–15) [1–1–0], IV (1–2–2–2–12) [0– 1–0]; homology of setae and solenidia indicated in Table 1. Famulus of tarsus I short, erect, slightly swollen distally, located posterior to solenidion ω. Phylliform seta l” absent on femora and genua.

Remarks

In having tuberculate body surface, dorsally dentate tutorium and medium-sized, thickened, erect notogastral setae, Carabodes (Klapperiches) dedzaensis sp. nov. is most similar to C. (K.) coronatus Mahunka, 1986 from South Africa. However, the new species can be distinguished from the later by the larger body size (480–540 × 270–315 versus 422 × 246), distinctly longer bothridial seta (as long as length of three notogastral setae versus as long as length of two notogastral setae) and fusiform bothridial seta having narrowed distally head (versus bothridial seta dilated distally, brush-shaped), flexible (versus erect) interlamellar seta, longer lamellar cusp (reaching insertion of rostral seta versus not reaching), and the absence (versus presence) of foveolae on genital and anal plates.

Type material

Holotype and two paratypes: Central Malawi, Dedza District, Dedza Mountain , 14° 21′ 13.4′′ S, 34° 19′ 36.3′′ E, 2032 m a.s.l., sifted forest litter, Winkler extraction, 29.XI.2012 (leg. P. Baňař and P. Hlaváč).

Type deposition

The holotype is deposited in the collection of the Senckenberg Museum of Natural History, Görlitz, Germany; two paratypes are deposited in the collection of the Tyumen State University Museum of Zoology , Tyumen, Russia . All specimens are preserved in ethanol with a drop of glycerol.

Etymology The species name dedzaensis refers to the place of origin, Dedza Mountain.