Austrophthiracarus parapulchellus Niedbała, 2016

Niedbała, W. & Ermilov, S. G., 2016, Checklist of ptyctimous mites (Acari, Oribatida) of New Zealand with descriptions of three new species, Acarologia 56 (2), pp. 203-211 : 205

Austrophthiracarus parapulchellus Niedbała n.sp.

( Figure 1 )

Measurement of holotype — Prodorsum: length 273, width 197, height 116. Setae of prodorsum: rostral 40, lamellar 13, sensilli 35. Notogaster: length 520, width 369, height 333. Setae of notogaster: c 1 88, c 1 / c 1 - d 1 =0.6, c 3 45, h 1 and ps 1 91. Genitoaggenital plate 131 × 94, anoadanal plate 190 × 114.

Integument — Colour light brown. Body surface densely punctated.

Prodorsum — With well discernible long sigillar fields. Lateral carinae and posterior furrows absent. Sensilli short, with narrow pedicel and globular, roughened head. Interlamellar and exobothridial setae vestigial, lamellar setae minute, rostral setae semierect, roughened.

Notogaster — With neotrichy of notogastral setae; 19 pairs of rigid, slightly recurved setae, covered with small spines in distal half. Setae c 3 about once shorter than other setae of row c. Additional setae, one in rows h and three in row ps. Setae c 1 and c 3 situated near anterior margin, setae c 2 far from margin. One of posterior setae of row ps (ps 3 ’) situated above a row. Vestigial setae f 1 situated posterior of h 1 setae. Two pairs of lyrifissures ia and im present.

Ventral region — Setae h of mentum vestigial. Arrangement of genital setae: 9(4+5): 0. With neotrichy of adanal setae. Anoadanal plate with 6 pairs of setae, 2 anal and 4 adanal. Two posterior adanal setae longer than anal setae, two anterior adanal setae shortest.

Chaetome of legs — Complete. Formulas of leg setation and solenidia: I (1-4-2-5-17) [2-1-3], II (1-3- 2-3-12) [1-1-2], III (2-2-1-2-10) [1-1-0], IV (2-1-1-2-10) [0-1-0]. Setae d on femora I long, situated almost in the middle of article.

Material examined — Holotype and one paratype: New Zealand, North Island, Manawatu- Wanaganui region, 39°45’37.218”S, 175°14’24.759”E, 288 m a.s.l., Pinus radiata plantation (pines ∼ 23 yrs old), in litter, 29.I.2004 (leg. M. Minor ).

Type deposition — The holotype (ethanol) is deposited in the New Zealand National Arthropod Collection, Auckland, New Zealand ; paratype (ethanol) is deposited in the collection of the Department of Animal Taxonomy and Ecology , Adam Mickiewicz University, Pozna ´n, Poland .

Etymology — The prefix para is Latin meaning "near" and refers to the similarity of new species with Austrophthiracarus pulchellus Niedbała, 1993 .

Comparison — The new species is morphologically very similar to Austrophthiracarus pulchelus Niedbała, 1993 (see Niedbała 1993). It is distinguishable from the latter by setae c 3 shorter than other setae of row c (versus not shorter), presence of 19 pairs of notogastral setae (versus 18 pairs), vestigial setae of subcapitular mentum (versus well developed), presence of complete chaetome of femora I (versus absence of setae v").

Figures

FIGURE 1: Austrophthiracarus parapulchellus Niedbała n. sp. (holotype): A – prodorsum, dorsal view; B – prodorsum, lateral view; C – opisthosoma, lateral view; D – mentum of subcapitulum; E – left genitoaggenital and anoadanal plates; F – trochanter and femur of leg I. Scale bars (A-C, E) 100 µm, scale bars (D, F) 50 µm.