Zercon dentatus UJVÁRI et CĂLUGĂR, 2010

Ujvári, Zs. & Cälugär, A, 2010, New Zerconid Mite Species (Acari: Mesostigmata: Zerconidae) From Romania, Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 56 (3), pp. 235-255 : 241-244

Zercon dentatus UJVÁRI et CĂLUGĂR sp. n.

( Figs 5–8 )

Type material. Female holotype and one male paratype: Romania, Oltenia, Dâmbova, oak-hornbeam mixed forest, N44°56,995’, E23°11,667’, 458 m a.s.l., from leaf litter, 30.10.2007, leg. CS. CSUZDI , J. KONTSCHÁN and V. POP. Two female paratypes: Romania, Cerna Valley , Băile Herculane, 06.04.1938, leg. K. Dorn. All type material is deposited in the HNHM .

Diagnosis. Anterior margin of ventroanal shield with one pair of setae. Marginal r- and R-setae finely barbed distally. Setae I3–5 elongated, thickened, smooth or very finely pilose on distal half. I5 situated posterolaterally to I4. Z3 reaching the bases of Z4. I6, Z4 and S4 long, apically pilose, with wide hyaline sheaths. Pores Po3 situated below the line connecting I5 and Z4, near I5. Marginal serration deep and acuminous. Dorsal cavities of general size and appearance. Anterior surface of opisthonotum covered by tile-like pattern, posterior part punctuated.

Description. Female. Length of idiosoma 423 µm in holotype (417–434 µm in 3 paratypes; mean 425 µm); width 352 µm (348–360 µm; 355 µm).

Dorsal side ( Fig. 5 ). Podonotum with 22 pairs of setae: i-row with 6 pairs, z-row with 2 pairs, s-row with 6 pairs, r-row with 6 pairs, p-row with 2 pairs. Setae i1 distally serrated, marginal setae r3–6 with fine apical pilosity, thickened, approximately 1.5 times longer than the remaining short and needle-like podonotal setae. Podonotum covered by tile-like ornamentation.

Opisthonotum with 22 pairs of setae: I-row with 6 pairs, Z-row with 5 pairs, S-row with 4 pairs and R-row with 7 pairs. Setae I1–2 short, smooth and needle-like, never reaching bases of followings. Setae I3–5 similar in shape, elongated, thickened, their length growing posteriorly. Last three pairs scarcely pilose, serration most pronounced on I5 with low distal ridge, but without hyaline sheaths on them. Setae I5 lying posterolaterally to I4, I3 and I4 reaching beyond bases of following setae in the serie. Setae I6 elongated, apically pilose, bearing hyaline endings. Setae Z1–2 similar in shape to I1–2, not reaching following’s bases. Setae Z3 similar in length to I3, but differ in shape by bearing distinct hyaline sheaths. Setae Z4 similar in shape to I6, setae Z5 smooth, setiform. S-setae growing in size posteriorly. S1 setiform, smooth, S2 similarly to r- and R-setae, scarcely pilose on their distal half, S3 resembling Z3, with hyaline endings, not reaching margin of idiosoma, S4 similar in shape to I6. Marginal R-setae thickened, approximately twice longer than setae I1–2, very finely pilose on their distal half. Lengths of setae and distance between setal bases as in Table 4. Marginal serration of dorsal shields deep and acuminous. Anterior surface of opisthonotum bearing tile-like pattern, posteriorly – through a reticulate pattern – finely punctuated ornamentation can be observed. Dorsal cavities of general size and appearance, uniform, saddle-like, with smooth anterior margin and with axes parallel to that of body.

Poroidotaxy. Pores po1 lying on line connecting bases of setae i2 and s2, po2 below line connecting i4 and s4, po3 below line connecting z1 and s5. Pores Po1 situated anterolaterally to Z1, Po2 lying below line connecting Z2 and S2, Po3 below line connecting I5 and Z4, near I5, Po4 on line connecting Z5 and S4, behind S4.

Ventral side ( Fig. 6 ). Chaetotaxy, poroidotaxy and shape of ventral shields typical for genus Zercon . Peritremes firmly curved. Sternal shield well sclerotized, 77 µm long and 61 µm wide at level of setae st2, with reticulate surface and slightly arcuate posterior margin. Adgenital platelets with three pairs of gland-openings. Ventroanal shield covered by tile-like pattern and finely punctuated. Anterior margin of ventroanal shield with one pair of setae. Seven pairs of preanal setae short, smooth and needle-like, postanal seta prolonged, smooth. Ventroanal pores situated posterolaterally to adanal setae.

Male ( Figs 7–8 ). Length of idiosoma: 330 µm; width: 255 µm (n = 1).

Chaetotaxy and poroidotaxy of dorsal shields as in female, except: setae I3–5 with more distinct pilosity, setae Z3 and S3 reaching the followings bases, and marginal serration deeper and more strongly acuminous. Sternogenital shield bearing five pairs of setae, a weakly sclerotized band between st1 and st2 can be observed. Ventroanal shield expanded laterally, with wide, straight anterior margin.

Immature stages. Unknown.

Etymology. The epithet “dentatus ” means dentate, which refers to the shape of marginal serration of dorsal shields.

Differential diagnosis. The new species belongs to the group with full complement of podonotal and opisthonotal setae, deep and acuminous marginal serration, and is morphologically similar to Zercon gurensis MIHELČIČ, 1962 described from the Tirol Alps by the position and shape of setae I3–5. The two species can be distinguished according to the following features: in Zercon dentatus sp. n. setae I3–5 smooth or very finely pilose, setae Z3 two times shorter than Z4 and not reaching their bases, setae S3 not reaching the margin of idiosoma, the posterior surface of opisthonotum punctuated and Po3 situated near I5; in Zercon gurensis setae I3–5 densely pilose on their distal half, setae Z3 similar to Z4 and reaching their bases, setae S3 expanding beyond the margin of idiosoma, posterior surface of opisthonotum smooth and Po3 situated near Z4.

Figures

Figs 5–8. Zercon dentatus sp. n.: 5 = dorsal view of female, 6 = ventral view of female, 7 = dorsal view of male, 8 = ventral view of male