Protogamasellus mica ( Athias-Henriot, 1961 )

Yamada, Mariana & De Moraes, Gilberto J., 2020, A key to the species of Protogamasellus (Acari: Ascidae), with a new species from the Brazilian Pantanal, Zootaxa 4801 (2), pp. 343-354 : 344-345

Protogamasellus mica ( Athias-Henriot, 1961)

Rhodacarellus mica Athias-Henriot, 1961: 488 .

Protogamasellus mica .— Karg, 1977: 409; 1993: 341; 2007: 120; Evans, 1982: 306; Nasr et al., 1988a: 926; Halliday, 1998: 119; Halliday et al., 1998: 40; Gwiazdowicz, 2007: 118; Mineiro et al., 2009: 26.

Protogamasellus (Protogamasellus) micus .— Farrier & Hennessey, 1993: 47.

Protogamasellus primitivus Karg, 1962: 54 (Synonymy by Evans, 1982: 306; Farrier & Hennessey, 1993: 47; Karg, 1993: 341; Halliday et al., 1998: 40).

Protogamasellus primitivus .— Lindquist & Evans, 1965: 61; Karg, 1971: 326; 1977: 409; 2007: 120.

Protogamasellus primitivus primitivus .— Genis et al., 1967: 339.

Morphology (females, five specimens measured).

Gnathosoma. Fixed cheliceral digit 20 (19–21) long, with five relatively large teeth followed by a series of about seven smaller teeth; with short, setiform pilus dentilis. Movable digit 23 (22–24), with two large teeth followed basally by a line of about six tiny teeth mediad of the line formed by the large teeth; with an antiaxial basal membrane covering the arthrodial area of the chelicera. Epistome anteriorly tripartite, with serrate margin. Deutosternum with a smooth transverse line, followed by seven transverse lines with 6–9 very small teeth each. Corniculi slender, sinuous and about subparallel to each other.

Dorsal idiosoma. Idiosoma 245 (235–255) long and 102 (99–105) wide at level of r 3. Podonotal shield with lines forming an anterior trapezoidal ornamentation, whose margins continue behind to reach the lateral margin at level of s 3; with a transverse line at the level of z 6; with three scleronoduli immediately behind j 5; 124 (119–128) long and 96 (89–102) wide at level of s 3; with 17 pairs of setae, four pairs of poroids and a pair of solenostomes; setae j 2 well posteriad j 1. Unsclerotised lateral cuticle with five pairs of setae (s 2, r 2– r 5). Opisthonotal shield with a transverse line at the level of J 1, interrupted between J 1 setae; 121 (116–126) long and 96 (90–102) wide at level of S 1; with 15 pairs of setae, six pairs of poroids and two pairs of solenostomes. Unsclerotised lateral cuticle with eight pairs of setae ( R 1 – R 6 and two pairs of UR setae). Setal lengths: j 1 7 (6–8), j 2 9 (8–9), j 3 11 (10–12), j 4 11 (10–12), j 5 13 (12–13), j 6 12 (11–13), J 1 15 (13–16), J 2 19 (17–20), J 3 20 (18–21), J 4 20 (18–22), J 5 13 (11–14), z 1 7 (6–8), z 2 13 (12–14), z 3 13 (11–14), z 4 13(11–15), z 5 14 (12–15), z 6 14 (13–15), Z 1 22 (20–23), Z 2 21 (19–22), Z 3 20 (18– 22), Z 4 18 (16–19), Z 5 13 (12–14), s 1 10 (9–10), s 2 10 (9–11), s 3 9 (8–11), s 4 15 (14–15), s 5 16 (14–17), s 6 17 (15–18), S 1 19 (17–21), S 2 21 (19–23), S 3 17 (15–18), S 4 17 (15–18), S 5 11 (9–13), r 2 8 (7–8), r 3 6 (5–7), r 4 6 (4–7), r 5 5 (4–6), R 1 7 (6–8), R 2 7 (6–7), R 3 8 (7–8), R 4 8 (6–9), R 5 10 (8–11); R 6 10 (9–11); UR 1 6 (5–6); UR 2 6 (5–7); setae aciculate and smooth.

Ventral idiosoma. Base of tritosternum 18 (17–19) long and 8 (6–9) wide proximally; laciniae 27 (25–29), separated for about 60% of their total length, pilose. Pre-sternal area not punctate and pre-sternal platelets absent. Sternal shield smooth; 63 (61–65) long and 40 (38–42) wide at level of setae st 2; with three pairs of simple setae and three pairs of poroids; distances st 1– st 3 50 (48–52), st 2– st 2 30 (28–32). Metasternal plates indistinguishable, fourth pair of sternal setae (st 4) on unslcerotised cuticle. Genital shield with slightly convex posterior margin, st 5 off the shield; 65 (63–67) long and 23 (20–26) wide at widest level; distance st 5– st 5 22 (20–23); poroids iv 5 on unsclerotised cuticle. Two pairs of metapodal platelets, the mediad ovoid and the laterad slender. Ventrianal shield smooth, with a longitudinal incision at level of setae Jv 1– Zv 1 of each side; 91 (85–96) long and 79 (76–82) wide at widest level; with five pairs of setae in addition to the circumanals; Zv 1 (anterior most opisthogastric seta) on unsclerotised cuticle; para-anal inserted slightly behind level of anterior anal margin; anal opening 18 (16–19) long. Endopodal and exopodal platelets indistinct. Setal lengths: st 1 11 (9–12), st 2 11 (9–12), st 3 10 (9–11), st 4 10 (9–11), Jv 1 8 (6–9), Jv 2 9 (7–10), Jv 3 9 (7–11), Jv 4 12 (10–13), Jv 5 14 (12–15), Zv 1 9 (7–10), para-anal 9 (8–10), post-anal 8 (7–9); setae aciculate and smooth.

Peritreme and peritrematic plate. Peritreme short, extending anteriorly to level of r 4; peritrematic plate reduced to short projection at the posterior end of the peritreme.

Spermathecal apparatus. Indistinct.

Legs. Lengths of legs (not including pretarsus): I: 180 (180–182); II: 133 (132–135); III: 117 (115–118); IV: 165 (165–167). Setation (legs I–IV): coxae: 2, 2, 2, 1; trochanters: 1 0/1, 1/2 1; 1 0/1, 0/2 1; 1 0/1, 0/2 1; 1 0/1, 0/2 1; femora: 2 3/1, 2/2 2; 2 3/1, 2/2, 1; 1 2/1, 1/0 1; 1 2/1, 1/0 1; genua: 2 3/2, 3/1 2; 2 3/1, 2/1 2; 2 2/1, 2/0 1; 2 2/1, 3/0 0; tibiae: 2 3/2, 3/1 2; 2 2/1, 2/1 2; 2 1/1, 2/1 1; 2 1/1, 3/1 1; tarsi: I: not counted, 18, 18, 18. All legs with pretarsus containing claws and pulvillus.

Adult male. Not found.

Materials examined. Three females from soil of natural vegetation of the Pantanal , on September 2018; five females from the same substrate, on December 2018 ; 24 females from soil of soybean field, on September 2018 ; 15 females from the same substrate, on December 2018 ; seven females from soil of soybean field, on September 2018 ; three females from the same substrate, on December 2018 ; one female from soil of corn field, on March 2019 ; one female from soil of sorghum field, on June 2019 ; 12 females from pasture soil, on September 2018 .

Remarks. In comparison with the original description and the redescription of this species provided by Evans (1982), the specimens collected have a distinct pair of solenostomes anterolaterad s 2, on the line behind to reach the lateral margin at level of s 3; a pair of poroids anteriad S 1. The dimensions of the podonotal, opisthonotal and ventrianal shields of the specimens collected are similar to those of the redescription provided by Evans (1982).