Setoppia, Balogh, 1983

Ermilov, Sergey G., Hugo-Coetzee, Elizabeth A. & Khaustov, Alexander A., 2020, Contribution to the knowledge of the oribatid mite genus Setoppia (Acari, Oribatida, Oppiidae), with description of a new species from South Africa, Acarologia 60 (4), pp. 892-902 : 893-900

Main generic traits of Setoppia

Adult — Size. Small, length about 300–800. Prodorsum. Rostrum rounded or medially incised (usually tripartite). Costula absent, rarely very short. Transcostula absent, but slight transverse line sometimes developed. Two or more pairs of interbothridial tubercles often present. Postbothridial tubercle and several pairs of interbothridial muscle sigillae present or absent. Rostral and bothridial setae long, setiform. Lamellar and interlamellar setae short to long, setiform. Notogaster . Without humeral tooth and crista. Ten pairs of setiform setae, c developed or represented by alveolus, often dorsal setae la, lm, lp, and h 2 located in two longitudinal rows and clearly longer than other setae. Gnathosoma . Subcapitulum diarthric. Adoral seta present. Chelicera chelate­dentate. Epimeral and lateral podosomal regions. Epimeral border IV present. Epimeral setal formula: 3­1­3­3, setae setiform. Ventrosejugal tubercle absent. Pedotectum I represented by small lamina. Discidium slightly developed or absent. Anogenital region. With six pairs of genital, one pair of aggenital, two pairs of anal and three pairs of adanal setae, all setiform. Adanal setae ad 1 posterior, ad 2 lateral, ad 3 lateral or anterolateral to anal plate, distance between ad 3 – ad 3 longer than ag–ag and ad 2 – ad 2. Adanal lyrifissure diagonal, located close to anal aperture. Legs. Setae l ″ and v′ present on tarsus I, l ″ present on tarsus II. Tarsus II with two solenidia.

Juveniles — Unknown.

Key to known species of Setoppia

1. Notogastral seta h 3 slightly shorter (3/4 of length) than setae la, lm, lp or similar to them in length............................................................................. (2)

— Notogastral seta h 3 distinctly shorter (less 1/2 of length) than setae la, lm, lp ........... (8)

2. Rostrum tripartite; body size: 367–453 × 198–200................. S. toroki Balogh, 1982

— Rostrum rounded................................................................ (3)

3. Notogastral seta lm located posterior to la .......................................... (4)

— Notogastral seta lm located anteromedial or medial to la ............................. (5)

4. Anterior notogastral seta c long, similar in length to setae la, lm and lp ; notogastral seta la reaching insertion of seta lm ; interlamellar seta of medium length, distinctly longer than diameter of bothridium; body size: 661 × 411......... S ... fortis ( Balogh & Mahunka, 1966)

— Anterior notogastral seta c represented by alveolus, setae la, lm and lp of medium length; notogastral seta la clearly not reaching insertion of seta lm ; interlamellar seta short, not longer than diameter of bothridium; body size: 359 × 195–204............. S. toxotes Balogh, 1982

5. Notogastral seta lm located anteromedial to la ; rostral setae straight, divergent distally; body size: 796–813 × 431–448.................................. S. parrillarensis Ermilov, 2019

— Notogastral seta lm located medial to la ; rostral setae arch­like, not divergent distally... (6)

6. Interlamellar seta long, similar in length to rostral and lamellar setae; notogastral seta lm reaching insertion of seta lp ; interbothridial region with tubercles; body size: 623–632 × 380–384..................................................... S. vanga ( Mahunka, 1994)

— Interlamellar seta short, distinctly shorter than rostral and lamellar setae; notogastral seta lm clearly not reaching insertion of seta lp ; interbothridial region without tubercles...........(7)

7. Rostral seta longer than lamellar seta; lamellar seta located closer to interlamellar seta than rostral seta; body size: 469–527 × 226–245................. S. bornemisszai ( Balogh, 1982)

— Rostral and lamellar setae similar in length; lamellar seta located closer to rostral seta than interlamellar seta; body length: 430.......................... S. mahunkai ( Hammer, 1968)

8. Rostrum incised medially......................................................... (9)

— Rostrum rounded............................................................... (16)

9. Rostrum with broad median indentation and two lateral tubercles; body size: 690–792 × 454–523................................................ S. izinyosa Hugo­Coetzee, 2017

— Rostrum tripartite............................................................... (10)

10. Medial tooth of rostrum distinctly longer than lateral ones; body size: 336–380 × 192–212.......................................................... S. clavimera ( Mahunka, 1985)

— Medial tooth and lateral ones of rostrum slightly different in length.................. (11)

11. Interlamellar seta long, distinctly longer than exobothridial seta.....................(12)

— Interlamellar seta short, distinctly shorter than exobothridial seta.....................(15)

12. Lamellar seta not longer than interlamellar seta................................... (13)

— Lamellar seta longer than interlamellar seta........................................ (14)

13. Notogastral seta c of medium length, longer than diameter of bothridium; body size: 431–475 × 254–275.............................. S. antennata ( Balogh & Mahunka, 1966)

— Notogastral seta c minute; body size: 408–438× 222–258......... S. quattuor ( Kok, 1967)

14. Notogastral seta h 2 short, distinctly shorter than setae la, lm, lp ; interbothridial region with three pairs of muscle sigillae; body size: 418–484 × 237–278........................................................................................ S. verrucosa ( Mahunka, 1985)

— Notogastral seta h 2 long, similar to la, lm, lp in length; interbothridial region with two pairs of muscle sigillae; body size: 381–465 × 215–249.................... S. paraquattuor n. sp.

15. Notogastral seta la reaching insertion of seta lp ; interbothridial region with several pairs of tubercles; body size: 475–533 × 270–303..................... S. tuberosa ( Mahunka, 1984)

— Notogastral seta la distinctly not reaching insertion of seta lp ; interbothridial region without tubercles; body length: 700................................ S. angustopili ( Hammer, 1962)

16. Notogastral seta la located anterolateral to lm ; lamellar seta inserted on short costula; interlamellar seta shorter than exobothridial seta; body size: 587 × 306..................... ............................................................ S. strinovichi ( Balogh, 1982)

— Notogastral seta la located anterior or anteromedial to lm ; lamellar seta inserted on prodorsal surface; interlamellar seta longer than exobothridial seta...............................(17)

17. Interlamellar seta distinctly longer than rostral and lamellar setae; interbothridial region without tubercles.................................................................. (18)

— Interlamellar seta shorter than rostral and lamellar setae; interbothridial region with tubercles.................................................................................. (19)

18. Notogastral seta la located anterior to lm ; body size: 475–500 × 240–295............................................................... S. compressa ( Balogh & Mahunka, 1975)

­– Notogastral seta la located anteromedial to lm ; body size: 611–625 × 325–340........................................................... S. longisetosa ( Balogh & Mahunka, 1975)

19. Notogastral seta c of medium length, distinctly longer than diameter of bothridium; two pairs of interbothridial tubercles; body size: 470–551 × 265–298........................................................... S. karinae ( Mahunka, 1973) (see also Hugo­Coetzee 2017)

— Notogastral seta c short, not longer than diameter of bothridium; numerous tubercles in interbothridial region; body size: 475–533 × 262–296............ S. szaboi ( Mahunka, 1988)

Distribution and habitat of Setoppia

At present, representatives of Setoppia have been recorded only in the Southern Hemisphere, in the Afrotropical, Neotropical and Australasian regions ( Fig. 3 ). Except for two species ( S. angustopili , S. karinae ), the other 18 species have a highly circumscribed geographic distribution, i.e. are endemic, to a single country.

Afrotropical region (11 species). Eight species of Setoppia ( S. antennata , S. clavimera , S. fortis , S. izinyosa , S. quattuor , S. tuberosa , S. verrucosa , and S. paraquattuor n. sp.) were found only in South Africa (see Fig. 4 , for distribution). Some species are only known from their type locality: S. antennata was described from Table Mountain in the Table Mountain National Park, Cape Town in south­western South Africa, without designation of sample ( Balogh & Mahunka 1966); S. clavimera from soil traps of Lottering Forest on Tsitsikamma mountains in Lottering Coast Reserve in southern South Africa ( Mahunka 1985); S. fortis from KwaZulu­Natal Province in north­eastern South Africa, without designation of sample ( Balogh & Mahunka 1966); S. tuberosa from Nature’s Valley in Cape Province in south­eastern South Africa ( Mahunka 1984); S. izinyosa from soil and leaves under shrubs of Vernon Crookes Nature Reserve in KwaZulu­Natal Province in north­eastern South Africa ( Hugo­Coetzee 2017); and S. paraquattuor n. sp. from soil in Golden Gate Highlands National Park near Lesotho in central South Africa (this paper). Other South African species were recorded in more localities: S. verrucosa was described from Lottering Forest on Tsitsikamma mountains in Lottering Coast Reserve in southern South Africa ( Mahunka 1985), but was also recorded in Wilderness National Park, southern South Africa, from leaf litter in forest (data from NMB collection); S. quattuor was described from soil and leaves under poplar trees and Leucosidia sp. at Fouriesburg near Lesotho in central South Africa ( Kok 1967), but has a wide distribution (data from NMB collection) from central to north­eastern parts of South Africa (see Fig. 4 ) and has been recorded in various habitats, from moist to dry soils and leaves in forests, sugarcane and grasslands. Setoppia quattuor was also recorded in Lesotho (data from NMB collection).

Setoppia karinae was originally described from mountainous Chimanimani District (previous Melsetter) of Manicaland Province in eastern Zimbabwe, without designation of sample ( Mahunka 1973). It was also recorded in KwaZulu­Natal Province, north­eastern South Africa, in Vernon Crookes Nature Reserve ( Hugo­Coetzee 2017) and near Leisure Bay (data from NMB collection) from soil and leaves in coastal forest vegetation, and also near Harding from grass under Pine trees. The other two Afrotropical species, Setoppia szaboi was described from soil and litter in Kwamsambia Forest Reserve of Tanga region near Kwamkoro in north­eastern Tanzania ( Mahunka 1988) and S. vanga from soil in primary forest in Nosy Boraha Island at the eastern coast of Madagascar ( Mahunka 1994).

Neotropical region (two species). Setoppia angustopili was originally described from Chile and later recorded in Argentina. It was recorded from moss and fern on moist mouldering soil in forests of bamboo and tall trees in the Andes Mountains near Peulla in central Chile ( Hammer 1962) and from soil, leaf litter and pitfall traps in Austrocedrus chilensis and Nothofagus forests of north­western Patagonia ( Kun et al. 2010), and from an unknown collecting site in Argentina in the north­western Patagonia ( Balogh & Csiszár 1963). Setoppia parrillarensis was described from swamp moss near Laguna Parrillar National Park in southern Chile ( Ermilov 2019).

Australasian region (seven species). Six species of Setoppia ( S. bornemisszai , S. compressa , S. longisetosa , S. strinovichi , S. toroki , and S. toxotes ) were found and described in Australia: S. bornemisszai, S. strinovichi , S. toroki , and S. toxotes were registered from litter in rainforest near Urbenville village in eastern Australia ( Balogh 1982); S. compressa from wet sclerophyllous rain forest on Mount Glorious in Queensland in north­eastern Australia, without designation of sample ( Balogh & Mahunka 1975); and S. longisetosa from black rock, dry sclerophyllous country in Queensland in north­eastern Australia, without designation of sample ( Balogh & Mahunka 1975). Setoppia mahunkai was recorded from Selaginella vegetation and dead leaves under tree­ferns of native forest on the west coast of the North Island near New Plymouth in New Zealand ( Hammer 1968).

Figures

Figure 3 Map on distribution ofSetoppiaspecies. Designations of species: 1 – S. angustopili(Hammer, 1962) (Chile, Argentina); 2 – S. antennata(Balogh & Mahunka, 1966) (South Africa); 3 –S. bornemisszai(Balogh, 1982) (Australia); 4 – S. clavimera(Mahunka, 1985) (South Africa); 5 –S. compressa(Balogh & Mahunka, 1975) (Australia); 6 – S. fortis (Balogh & Mahunka, 1966) (South Africa); 7 –S. izinyosa Hugo­Coetzee, 2017 (South Africa); 8 – S. karinae(Mahunka, 1973) (Zimbabwe, South Africa); 9 – S. longisetosa(Balogh & Mahunka, 1975) (Australia); 10 – S. mahunkai(Hammer, 1968) (New Zealand); 11 – S. parrillarensisErmilov, 2019 (Chile); 12 – S. quattuor(Kok, 1967) (South Africa); 13 – S. strinovichi (Balogh, 1982) (Australia); 14 – S. szaboi(Mahunka, 1988) (Tanzania); 15 – S. toroki (Balogh, 1982) (Australia); 16 – S. toxotes (Balogh, 1982) (Australia); 17 – S. tuberosa(Mahunka, 1984) (South Africa); 18 – S. vanga(Mahunka, 1994) (Madagascar); 19 – S. verrucosa(Mahunka, 1985) (South Africa); 20 – S. paraquattuorn. sp. (South Africa).

Figure 4 Map on distribution ofSetoppiaspecies in South Africa. Symbols of species:S. antennata – filled A;S. clavimera– filled C;S. fortis – filled F;S. izinyosa– filled triangle;S. karinae– filled squares; S. paraquattuorn. sp. – filled P;S.quattuor– filled circles;S. tuberosa– filled T;S. verrucosa– filled crosses. Symbols in red indicate type localities.