Sternoppia (Sternoppia) americaensis, Ermilov & Subías & Shtanchaeva & Friedrich, 2022

Ermilov, Sergey G., Subías, Luis S., Shtanchaeva, Umukusum Ya. & Friedrich, Stefan, 2022, A new subgenus and three new species of Sternoppia (Acari, Oribatida, Sternoppiidae) from Peru, Zootaxa 5195 (4), pp. 373-384 : 379-381

Sternoppia (Sternoppia) americaensis sp. nov.

( Fig. 4 )

Diagnosis. Body length: 465–525. Rostral, lamellar and interlamellar setae setiform, barbed; bothridial seta, setiform, unilaterally with furcate cilia. All notogastral setae setiform, smooth; la, lm and lp medium-sized, others short; lm located anteromedially to la. Length of overlapping epimeral plates longer than length of genital plate. Epimeral and anogenital setae setiform, sparsely ciliated (except 3a densely ciliated); insertions of 3a close to each other.

Description of adult. Measurements. Body length: 510 (holotype: male), 465–525 (10 paratypes: three males and seven females); notogaster width: 285 (holotype), 270–315 (10 paratypes). No difference between males and females in body size.

Integument. Body color brown. Body surface mostly finely granulate (visible under high magnification); lateral side of body between bothridium and acetabula I–II densely tuberculate (diameter of tubercle up to 2); epimeres I, II with sparse tubercles (diameter of tubercle up to 2).

Prodorsum. Costula and postcostular tubercle well developed. Rostrum rounded. Rostral, lamellar and interlamellar setae (52–56) setiform, barbed; exobothridial seta (41) setiform, roughened; bothridial seta (135–146) setiform, unilaterally with three to five furcate cilia. Postbothridial tubercle slightly developed.

Notogaster. Humeral tubercle not observed. Ten pairs of notogastral setae (c: 26–30; la: 56–60; lm, lp: 67– 71; h 1 – h 3, p 1 – p 3: 34–37) present; all setiform, smooth; lm located anteromedially to la. Lyrifissures ia, im, ip and opisthonotal gland opening slightly visible, ih and ips not observed.

Gnathosoma . Similar to S. (A.) tetratuberculata , except sizes. Subcapitulum: 112–116 × 64–67; a: 22–26; m: 41–49; h: 67–75; palp: 71; postpalpal seta: 9; chelicera: 101–105; cha: 30; chb: 19–22.

Epimeral and lateral podosomal regions. Anterior part of epimeral plates overlapping, forming small tectum; length of overlapping plates longer than length of genital plate. Medial and lateral tubercles on epimere I absent. Seta 3a (60–67) densely ciliated; other setae (1a, 2a, 4b: 60–75; 1b, 3b, 3c, 4a, 4b, 4c: 67–79; 1c: 82–94) setiform, sparsely ciliated; insertion of 1c located close to anterior margin of pedotectum I; insertions of 3a close to each other. Discidium subtriangular.

Anogenital region. Genital (g 1, g 4: 41–45; g 2, g 3: 34–37; g 5, g 6: 22–26), aggenital (45–49), anal (26–30), and adanal (41–45) setae setiform, sparsely ciliated. Adanal lyrifissure close and parallel to anal plate.

Legs. Identical to S. (A.) tetratuberculata .

Type material. Holotype (male) and 10 paratypes (three males and seven females): South America, Central Peru, Andes , 09°54'30''S, 76°03'48''W, Huánuco Department , Pachitea Province , Molino District , W Molino, Monte Potrero , 2850–3100 m a.s.l., upper soil and leaf litter in primary mountain cloud forest, Winkler extraction, 15– 17.IV.2016 (S. Friedrich, F. Wachtel and D. Hauth).

The holotype is deposited in the Museo de Historia Natural , Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Peru ; 10 paratypes are deposited in the Tyumen State University Museum of Zoology , Tyumen, Russia .

Remarks. Sternoppia americaensis sp. nov. is similar to S. brasiliensis Franklin & Woas, 1992 in having setiform bothridial seta bearing bifurcate cilia and medium-sized notogastral setae la, lm, lp. However, the new species can be distinguished from the latter by the larger body size (length: 465–525 versus 290), notogastral setae la, lm, lp longer (versus similar in length) than other notogastral setae, and the presence (versus represented by alveolus) of notogastral seta c and sparse tubercles on epimeres I, II.

Etymology. The species name refers to the place of origin, South America.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Sternoppia (Sternoppia) americaensis sp. nov., adult: A—dorsal view (legs not shown); B—ventral view (gnathosoma and legs not shown). Scale bar 100 μm.