Schusteria ugraseni Marshall & Pugh, 2000

Hugo-Coetzee K, Elizabeth A., K, Julia Baumann, K, Jan-Andries Neethling, Bardel-Kahr, Iris & PfingstlK, Tobias, 2022, Ontogeny of South African intertidal oribatid mite species (Acari, Oribatida, Ameronothroidea) and supplements to adult morphology., Acarologia 62 (3), pp. 721-753 : 736-739

Schusteria ugraseni Marshall & Pugh, 2000

Adult

Measurements: females (n=9): length 368-389 (378), width 227-244 (227), males (n=9): length

351-394 (369), width 220-245 (229); neotype (female): length 384, width 236; no difference in size between individuals from the two locations (Sheffield Beach and Winterstrand); measurements in the original description are within close range, females: length 331, 334, width 205, 220.

Integument ( Figures 8 and 9 ): brown in colour, antero-medial notogaster with lighter area, ventrally the area posterior to genital plates darker than the anterior area, genital and anal plates dark with small foveolae; legs lighter brown, except trochanter III and IV dark brown; femora distally with faint striae; body distinctly granulate with large granules interspersed with small granules, larger granules on PdI.

Prodorsum ( Figures 8A, C ): rostrum rounded in dorsal view; ro, le, in short (6-11), fine, smooth, ex as alveolus; bothridium, large, rectangular with small lateral incision and small opening for bs ; bs with relative long stem and clavate, spinose head (38-55).

Gnathosoma: similar to S. littorea (see Grandjean 1968).

Notogaster ( Figures 8A, C ): oval in dorsal view; dorsosejugal furrow incomplete medially; 15 pairs (c 1-3, da, dm, dp, la, lm, lp, h, p 1-3) fine, short, smooth setae, all of similar length (10-18), c 3 not necessarily closer to c 1 than to c 2 as in original description, but indeed c 3 closer to lyrifissure im than to ia ; five pairs of distinct lyrifissures: ia next to anterior lateral border of notogaster, im posterior to c 3, ih laterally to lm and lp, ips laterally to p 3, ip between p 2 and p 3 ;

1-3

gla postero-laterally to im.

Lateral aspect ( Figure 8C ): PdI directed anteriorly, rounded; discidium rounded

Ventral ( Figures 8B, C ): all setae smooth, fine; epimeral setation 1-0-1-1, seta 1b very long

(43-56)> 3b (8-11)> 4b (6-8); three pairs of genital (5-7), two pairs of anal and two pairs of adanal (7-8) setae; lyrifissure iad parallel, antero-laterally to anal plates; setae ad 3 posterior to iad, ad 2 and ad 3 close together; genital plates (length 49-60, width 26-30) and anal plates

(length 79-86, width 29-33) large; pre-anal organ triangular in ventral view.

Legs ( Figures 9 A-D): monodactylous, hooked claw with small tooth proximo-ventrally;

most setae barbed, except thickened blunt antiaxial lateral seta on genua I-IV; Fe I, II with only three setae (as in S. littorea ), on tarsi seta u′ longer than u″ ; for setation and solenidia see Table

3.

Figures

Figure 8 Schusteria ugraseni Marshall & Pugh, 2000. Neotype, adult, Sheffield Beach. A. dorsal view (legs omitted), B. ventral view (legs omitted), C. lateral view (legs and some ventral setae omitted).

Figure 9 Schusteria ugraseniMarshall & Pugh, 2000. Adult, legs, Sheffield Beach A. leg I, right, paraxial view, B. leg II, left, antiaxial view, C. leg III, right, paraxial view, D. leg IV, right, paraxial view.