Oribatula sitnikovae Iordansky, 1991

Ivan, O., 2013, Genus Oribatula S. Str. Berlese, 1896 (Oribatida, Oribatulidae) In Romanian Fauna, Acarologia 7 (2), pp. 175-184 : 180-182

Oribatula sitnikovae Iordansky, 1991

( Figure 6 )

Literature — Iordansky (1991), Weigmann (2006).

Material examined — 3 specimens from Rodna Mountains , 5 specimens from Calimani Mountains (Eastern Carpathians) (subalpine shrubs, mountain meadow respectively) .

Diagnosis — Medium sized species (Table 1), with elongated body. Cuticle smooth, colour light yellowish. Prodorsum with narrow lamella; short thickened lines oriented medially are present at the apex of each lamella. Prodorsal setae robust and finely barbed. Sensillus short, with distal part globulous. Notogaster oval, elongated, the breadth/length ratio having a comparatively low value. The 13 pairs of notogastral setae are relatively long ( Table 2). Areae porosae are small, oval, typically positioned. Ventral side has the aspect and chaetotaxy characteristic for the genus.

Remarks — At present, this species is considered synonym of O. interrupta ( Subias 2004, 2012). However, a number of characters differentiate the two taxa, such as: shape of sensillus, width of lamella, absolute and relative length of notogastral setae (twice as long in O. sitnikovae ) ( Table 2).

Distribution — NW of the former USSR ( Subias, 2004). O. sitnikovae has been recorded in mountain habitats, as meadows and subalpine shrubs from Calimani, and respectively Rodna Mountains (Eastern Carpathians).

Figures

FIGURE 6: Oribatula sitnikovae Iordansky, 1991: a – dorsal view; b – ventral view; scale bar: 100 µm.