Achipteria nitens ( Nicolet, 1855 )

Bayartogtokh, B. & Ryabinin, N. A., 2012, The Soil Mite Family Achipteriidae (Acari: Oribatida) In Mongolia And The Russian Far East, Acarologia 52 (2), pp. 135-156 : 140-142

Achipteria nitens ( Nicolet, 1855)

( Fig. 3 )

Oribata nitens: Nicolet, 1855: 433 , tab. 4, fig. 6.

Notaspis mixtus: Sellnick, 1943: 23 .

Notaspis nitens: Oudemans, 1914: 40 ; 1927: 130, fig. 7-13; Sellnick, 1928: 8; Willmann, 1931: 178, fig. 302; Balogh, 1943: 97, tab. 17, fig. 13.

Achipteria nitens: Grandjean, 1929: 407 ; van der Hammen, 1952: 111, fig. 10c, i-k, 11c, h; Schweizer, 1956: 337, Abb. 302; Grandjean, 1962: 398, fig. 1; Dubinina et al., 1966: 116, fig. 54-56; Bulanova- Zachvatkina, 1967: 217; PØrez-Iaeigo, 1972: 270, fig. 19; 1980: 229; 1993: 129, fig. 48A, B; Moskacheva, 1973: 278, fig. 2; Seniczak, 1977: 741, figs. 2B, 3D; 1978, p. 93, figs. 8, 11, 14; Shaldybina, 1975: 344, fig. 867; Moraza et al., 1980: 20, fig. 55; Marshall et al., 1987: 324; Mahunka and Mahunka-Papp, 1995: 85; Weigmann, 2006: 352 , fig. 187A-C; Seniczak and Seniczak, 2007: 534, figs. 9, 10; Bayartogtokh, 2007: 355, fig. 281; 2010: 327, fig. 83.

Achipteria acuta: sensu Subías, 2004: 167 .

Diagnosis — Total length 600 – 780 µm, dorsal and ventral plates with minute granular cerotegument, with character states of Achipteria ; lamellae fused medially, but lamellar cusps well separated from each other; lateral dens small or rounded; sensillus with slightly expanded fusiform or elongateoval head, smooth or finely barbed; notogastral setae c and la very long, longer than other setae; coxisternal setal formula 3-1-3-2(3); tutorium narrow, slightly widening anteriorly in long cusp pointed distally; pedotectum I with distinct anterior tooth.

Measurements — Body length: 603 – 640 (626) µm, length of notogaster 429 – 472 (452) µm, width of notogaster 368 – 391 (379) µm.

Integument — Body color yellowish to dark brown, strongly sclerotized species with minute microtubercles on lateral part of podosoma, exobothridial and lenticular regions. Granular cerotegument clearly evident at base of prodorsum and ventral plate.

Dorsal aspect — Rostrum pointed in both dorsal and lateral views, curved ventrally. Rostral seta long, barbed, curving medially, and extending well beyond tip of rostrum ( Fig. 3C and E ). Lamellae fused medially, with large cusp; lateral dens small or rounded. Lamellar seta shorter than ro, thin, smooth, inserted medially on ventral side of lamellar cusp ( Figs. 3A and B ). Interlamellar seta long, thin, smooth, extending anteriorly beyond tip of lamella. Exobothridial seta minute, hardly discernable. Sensillus with slightly expanded fusiform or elongate-oval head about half total length, smooth or finely barbed ( Fig. 3D ). Notogaster longer than wide, ratio 1.3:1, flat in lateral view; anterior margin nearly triangular, posterior margin broadly rounded. Lenticular region weakly visible and lacking true lenticulus. Notogastral setae nearly as long as lamellar seta, thin, smooth ( Fig. 3A ). Sacculi small, but clearly visible; lyrifissure im, ih and ips well developed, ip not evident ( Fig. 3G ). Pteromorph with large knife-like process, tip of which almost reaching level of rostrum.

Lateral aspect — Tutorium narrow, appearing pointed in dorsal aspect, but slightly widening anteriorly in distinct cusp pointed distally ( Fig. 3F ). Genal tooth rounded to sharply pointed distally, with genal notch extending posterior to insertion of seta ro. Pedotectum I well developed, fully covering acetabulum I, with anterior tooth; pedotectum II small, ear-shaped, covering less than a quarter of acetabulum II. Lateral edge of pteromorph with striations.

Ventral aspect — Subcapitular mentum with granular cerotegument; setae h, m and a medium long, smooth. Capitular angle of coxisternum strongly projecting as sharp tooth. Chelicera chelate-dentate. Axillary saccule absent from base of palp. Epimeral setae relatively long, thin, apparently smooth, 1b longest, formula 3-1-3-2, seta 4c not evident. Six pairs of genital, one pair of aggenital, two pairs of anal and three pairs of adanal setae thin, smooth. Lyrifissure iad adjacent and parallel to anal aperture ( Fig. 3E ).

Legs — Each tarsus with large empodial claw and thin, longer lateral claws. Formula of setation, including famulus: I (1-5-3-4-20), II (1-5-3-4-15), III (2-3-1-3-15), IV (1-2-2-3-12), formula of solenidia I (1-2-2), II (1-1-2), III (1-1-0), IV (0-1-0).

Material examined — Four specimens (three males and one female): Sikhote-Alin Mountains , Chope stream, Tumnin river , Vanino District , Khabarovsk Krai, Russian Far East, litter and soils under larch forest with Bergenia pacifica , 700 m. a.s.l., 31 August 2005, Col. N. Ryabinin ; two specimens (females): Khonin Nuga area , District Mandal, Province Selenge, Mongolia, litter and soils un- der shrubs, 49 o 15’N, 108 o 40’E, 1420 m. a.s.l., 27 July 2002, Col. B. Bayartogtokh.

Remarks — The character states of specimens examined here accord well with those studied by PØrez-Iaeigo (1972, 1993), Moskacheva (1973), Seniczak (1977, 1978), Weigmann (2006) from Europe. Only the slight difference is epimeral setae of the specimens examined by us were relatively longer than those of European specimens. Seniczak (1978) showed three pairs of setae on epimere IV in tritonymph of this species, but we observed only three pairs of setae. Mahunka and Mahunka-Papp (1995) synonymized A. acuta Berlese, 1908 with A. nitens as a junior synonym of the latter species, but more recently, Subías (2004) accepted A. acuta as a valid species. The latter author was contrarily listed A. nitens as a junior synonym of A. acuta . However, Weigmann (2006) correctly considered A. nitens as a valid species, and confirmed its priority over A. acuta . Additionally, according to the article 23.1 of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, A. acuta cannot be deemed a senior synonym of A. nitens as the latter species was described earlier than the former one.

Figures

FIGURE 3: Achipteria nitens (Nicolet, 1855): A – Dorsal view of idiosoma, legs omitted; B – Lamellar cusps; C – Rostral seta, right; D – Sensillus and bothridium, lateral view; E – Ventral view of idiosoma, legs omitted; F – Tutorium, right, lateral view; G – Some of notogastral setae, opisthosomal gland opening and lyrifissures, dorso-lateral view.