Hutufeideria thailandica, Kontschán, Jenő, 2011

Kontschán, Jenő, 2011, Uropodina mites with unusual chelicerae from Thailand (Acari: Mesostigmata), Zootaxa 2984, pp. 54-66 : 59

Hutufeideria thailandica sp. nov.

( Figs 12–22 )

Material examined. Holotype. Female, Thailand, Trat prov., Ko Chang, West side, near Kai Bae beach, 2–6 November 2006, A. Schultz coll. Paratypes. Two males, same data as holotype.

Description. Female. Length of idiosoma 850 µm, width 640 µm (n=1). Shape oval, dorsally domed and strongly sclerotized.

Dorsal aspect of idiosoma ( Fig. 12 ). Dorsal and marginal shields fused anteriorly, dorsal setae on central area short (ca. 40–45 µm) and smooth ( Fig. 13 ), other dorsal setae marginally pilose ( Fig. 14 ), ca. 70 µm long near caudal margins and ca. 40 µm long near lateral margins. Dorsal shield covered by small, oval pits laterally and with web-like sculptural pattern in central area. Marginal shield with marginally pilose setae ca. 50 µm long ( Fig. 15 ). Marginal shield covered by irregular oval pits on its surface. Postdorsal shield present, with a large, weakly sclerotised, membranous caudal appendix.

Ventral aspect of idiosoma ( Fig. 16 ). Surface of sternal shield smooth, only two pairs of sternal setae clearly visible on the single specimen, St1 (ca. 18 µm) smooth, needle-like, situated at level of anterior margins of coxae II, St5 (ca. 50 µm) needle-like and smooth, placed near basal edges of genital shield. Ventral shield covered by web-like sculptural pattern extending posterior to a transverse row of ventral setae; caudally from this line surface smooth with several longitudinal furrows. Ventral setae ( Fig. 17 ) ca. 90 µm long, positions as shown in Fig. 16 . Adanal setae ( Fig. 18 ) short (ca. 30 µm), smooth, postanal setae absent. Pedofossae deep, their surface smooth, without separate furrows for tarsi IV. Genital shield linguliform, anteriorly rounded, its surface with web-like sculptural pattern. Stigmata situated between coxae II and III, peritremes M-shaped. Tritosternum with narrow base, laciniae subdivided into four marginally pilose branches ( Fig. 19 ).

Gnathosoma ( Fig. 19 ). Hypostomal setae h1 (ca. 60–62 µm) subdivided into two branches, one smooth and other one marginally pilose, h2 short (ca. 18–20 µm), smooth, h3 and h4 marginally serrate, short (ca. 16–18 µm). Corniculi short and horn-like, with five lateral spines, internal malae longer than corniculi and marginally pilose. Epistome apically pilose. Chelicerae not clearly visible.

Legs. Leg I without ambulacral claws, each leg with smooth and pilose setae.

Male. Length of idiosoma 820–850 µm, width 530–540 µm (n=2). Shape and dorsal aspect of idiosoma as in female.

Ventral aspect of idiosoma ( Fig. 20 ). Surface of sternal shield covered by web-like sculptural pattern, four pairs of sternal setae (ca. 25–35 µm long) present anterior to genital opening, one pair (ca. 35 µm) near lateral margin, and one pair (ca. 50 µm) near posterior margin of genital plate. Setae St3 marginally pilose, other sternal setae smooth. Position and shape of ventral setae and ornamentation of ventral shield as in female. Genital shield circular, without sculptural pattern, situated between coxae IV. Tritosternum with narrow base, laciniae subdivided into four marginally pilose branches ( Fig. 21 ).

Gnathosoma ( Fig. 22 ). Hypostomal setae h1 (ca. 43–50 µm) subdivided into two branches, one smooth, one marginally pilose, h2 short (ca. 10 µm) and smooth, h3 and h4 marginally serrate, short (ca. 7–9 µm). Corniculi short and horn-like, with five lateral spines, internal malae longer than corniculi, marginally pilose. Epistome apically pilose. Apical part of chelicerae long, narrow, without visible teeth.

Etymology. The name of the new species refers to the country where it was collected.

Remarks. The new species is unique in the genus Hutufeideria in having the genital shield of the female, the sternal shield of the male and the ventral shield of both sexes covered by a web-like sculptural pattern.

Figures

FIGURES 12 – 19. Hutufeideria thailandica sp. nov., holotype, female. 12. Body in dorsal view; 13. Wide dorsal setae; 14. Marginally pilose dorsal setae; 15. Marginal setae; 16. Body in ventral view; 17. Marginally pilose ventral setae; 18. Adanal setae; 19. Tritosternum and gnathosoma in ventral view. (Scale bars: 100 µm.) Inset, peritreme, enlarged.

FIGURES 20 – 22. Hutufeideria thailandica sp. nov., paratype, male. 20. Intercoxal region; 21. Tritosternum; 22. Apical part of epistome and chelicerae, gnathosoma in ventral view. (Scale bars: 100 µm.)