Ceratoppia longicuspis, Lindo, Zoe, 2011

Lindo, Zoe, 2011, Five new species of Ceratoppia (Acari: Oribatida: Peloppiidae) from western North America, Zootaxa 3036, pp. 1-25 : 7-10

Ceratoppia longicuspis n. sp.

Material examined. Holotype: Adult female. Canada, British Columbia, Vancouver Island, Upper Walbran Valley (48°39’N, 124°35’W) 5 September 2005 (Z. Lindo) from suspended soil at 35 m in canopy of western redcedar ( Thuja plicata D. Don ); deposited in the CNC, type No. 23975. Paratypes: 20 with same data as holotype. Canada, British Columbia, Vancouver Island: Upper Carmanah Valley (48°44’N, 124°37’W), 3 July 1990 (N. Winchester), two from moss in canopy of Sitka spruce ( Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr. ); Cowichan Lake (48°50’N, 124°10’W), 16 June 1979 (I.M. Smith), four from damp litter near creek. USA, Oregon, Benton County, Mary’s Peak Botanical Special Interest Area (44°30’N, 12332’W), 28 June 1983 (I.M. Smith), eight from foliage sweepings. Paratypes deposited in the CNC, PFC, RNC, and ZLC.

Other material examined. Canada, British Columbia, Vancouver Island: Moyeha Watershed, Clayoquot Sound (49°24’N, 125°54’W); Bamfield Marine Station (48°45’N, 125°10’W); Hwy 19, 26 km N of Hwy 28 (50°14’N, 125°34’W); Pacific Rim National Park (49°0’N, 125°36’W); Heather Mountain (48°57’N, 124°28’W); Caycuse (48°53’N, 124°21’W); Goldstream Provincial Park (48°28’N, 123°32’W); Brooks Peninsula (50°7’N, 127°46’W). British Columbia: Winter Inlet, Pearse Island (54°49’N, 130°26’W); Newcombe Harbour, Pitt Island (53°43’N, 130°5’W); Graham Island, Haida Gwaii (53°29’N, 130°20’W); Tweedsmuir South Provincial Park (53°4’N, 126°16’W). USA, Oregon: Tillamook State Forest (45°30’N, 123°39’W); Siuslaw National Forest (44°21’N, 123°48’W); Alsea Falls (44°20’N, 123°31’W); H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest, Willamette National Forest (44°10’N, 123°13’W); Mt. Hood National Forest (45°35’N, 122°4’W); Siskiyou National Forest (42°30’N, 123°57’W); Burnt Hill (42°14’N, 124°23’W). California, Salt Point State Park (38°57’N, 12332’W).

Etymology. This species is named for the relatively long length of the lamellar cusps.

Diagnosis. Adult. Total length 600–770 µm, with character states of Peloppiidae ( Grandjean, 1954; as Ceratoppiidae ), and character states of Ceratoppia as described above. This species can be differentiated from other Ceratoppia by the presence of three pairs of very small posterior setae (p1, p2, p3), in particular setae p2 minute, often not discernable; lamellae long, reaching insertion of rostral setae, with 2/3 free cusps; lamellar setae much shorter than rostral setae; large medial rostral tooth with lateral denticles; interlamellar setae long, reaching ends of lamellae; one pair of hypostomal setae.

Description. Adult. ( Figs. 8 –15)

Measurements: Mean total length: females (n = 6) 735 µm (range 690–770); males (n = 4) 660 µm (range 600–700) ( Figs. 8 –10). Mean notogastral width: females (n = 6) 460 µm (range 430–480); males (n = 4) 400 µm (range 370–420).

Integument: Smooth to microtuberculate. Integument laterad of bothridial setae between acetabula III and IV tuberculate. Prodorsum: Rostrum with large triangular rostral tooth and one or two lateral teeth, well posterior to rostrum (Fig. 12). Seta ro 85–103 µm long, barbed, tapering to a sharp point, extending well beyond rostrum ( Figs. 1 , 11). Lamellae about 284 µm long to end of cusps, reaching well beyond insertion of ro (Fig. 12). Lamellar cusps about 183 µm long with large lateral denticle (Fig. 11). Seta le about 51 µm long, barbed, tapering, extending anteriorly beyond rostrum. Seta in barbed, 277 µm long, extending anteriorly just to or beyond tips of lamellae (Figs. 12, 14). Mutual distance of setal pairs ro–ro, le–le, and in–in, about 45, 102 (variable), and 86 µm, respectively. Seta ex not observed; alveoli well removed anteriolaterally from bothridia ( Fig. 8 ). Bothridial seta 138 µm, thick, barbed. Lateral aspect of prodorsum: Pedotectum I well developed, dentate anteriorly, with dorsal cusp about 20 µm (Fig. 14). Notogaster: Subequal length to width, (ratio l:w = 1.01:1); hysterosoma often fattened with 6– 21 eggs of considerable size (about 237 µm long). Notogastral setae reduced to alveoli, except for three pairs of posterior setae. Alveoli h1 variable in position. Posterior notogastral setae p1, about 23 µm long (range 15–28, n = 14), minutely barbed (Figs. 10, 14); setae p2 present, very small, about 5 µm, setose (Fig. 15), not discerned on all specimens; setae p3 about 19 µm long (range 13–30, n = 12), minutely barbed (Figs. 13–15). Lyrifissures im, ip, ih, and ips present, all about 10 µm long. Ventral region: Apodeme IV forming shallow furrow with minitectum on anterior portion, thinning near genital aperture. Coxisternal setae smooth or with a few barbs, acuminate, relatively long; formula (epimeres I to IV) 3–1–3–3. Setae lengths as follows: 1a, 1b, 1c about 43, 77, 76 µm, respectively, 2a, 3a, 3b, 3c about 39, 30, 104, 25 µm, respectively, and 4a, 4b, 4c about 35, 34 and 25 µm, respectively. Six pairs of genital setae ranging in length from 18–25 µm, with longest g4 and g5, setose. Aggenital seta about 26 µm long, setose. Two pairs of anal setae about 18 µm long, setose. Three pairs of adanal setae; ad3 about 23 µm, simple to minutely barbed; ad1 and ad2 thicker, barbed, about 25 and 26 µm long, respectively (Fig. 15). Lyrifissure iad 8 µm long, anterior to ad3. Gnathosoma: Subcapitular mentum without tectum; one pair of setae h about 45 µm long; gnathosomal setae m 48 µm long, and a about 36 µm long (Fig. 11).

Legs: Ratio of leg IV to body length about 0.7:1. Approximate lengths of leg segments (femur, genu, tibia, tarsus; in µm): I 144, 41, 89, 146; II 120, 27, 85, 137; III 86, 39, 115, 131; IV 96, 67, 149, 174. Pretarsus tridactylous with large smooth empodial and slightly thinner lateral claws. Setation (I–IV, number of solenidia in parentheses): trochanters 1–1–2–1; femora 5–4–3–2; genua 3(1)–3(1)–2(1)–3; tibiae 4(2)–4(1)–3(1)–3(1); tarsi 20(2)–15(2)–15– 12; setation indicated in Table 2. Seta d absent from genua and tibiae of adult, no evidence of retention associated with socket of solenidion ϕ1, as illustrated for Ceratoppia bipilis ( Grandjean 1935) . Leg I genua setae l” thick and barbed compared to other leg I setae. Leg I tarsal solendia ω1 and ω2 subequal in length. All tarsal setae barbed except p which is simple, straight, short on leg I, increasing in length and becoming curved, almost flagellate on subsequent legs.

Remarks: Rostral tooth of C. longicuspis n. sp. and cusps of lamellae prominent, generally larger and longer than other species of Ceratoppia . Possible similar but undescribed species from the east coast of Canada with large rostral tooth and long lamellar cusps with short lamellar setae. Patterns of posterior setal expression among the Ceratoppia reveal two main forms; a dominant state with two pairs of posterior seta (p1 and p3) expressed, and a subdominant combination of three pairs of posterior notogastral seta expressed (h1, p2, p3) ( Seniczak & Seniczak 2010). However, while Ceratoppia longicuspis posterior setal expression is similar to C. sexpilosa with three pairs of posterior setae, it is p1 rather than h1 that is expressed with p2 and p3. All setae are short, in particular, setae p2 are minute and not observable in most specimens. A similar expression of p -series notogastral setae is found within the Gustavioidea in Gustavia fusifer ( C.L. Koch, 1841) ( Seniczak & Seniczak 2010) .

Distribution: Ceratoppia longicuspis n. sp. is the dominant Ceratoppia in arboreal habitats, primarily epiphytic bryophytes, through most of the Pacific Northwest coastal temperate rainforest biogeoclimatic zone, but also co–occurring in lesser abundance in forest floor habitats with other Ceratoppia species described herein.

Widely distributed and abundant on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, the distribution extends southward through to northern California, and northward to Haida Gwaii (formerly Queen Charlotte Islands) and the north coastal of British Columbia (Pearse Island, Pitt Island, Tweedsmuir Provincial Park). Ceratoppia longicuspis has a mainly coastal distribution, but occurs occasionally in interior British Columbia, Washington and Oregon.

FIGURES 10–15. Ceratoppia longicuspis n. sp., scanning electron microscope images of adult. 10, habitus, dorsal aspect, posterior setae (p1); 11, gnathosoma, ventral aspect, gnathosomal setae (a), (m), hypostomal setae (h), lamellar setae (le), and rostral setae (ro); 12, prodorsum in dorsal aspect, interlamellar setae (in), lamellar setae (le), and rostral tooth; 13, habitus, ventral aspect, posterior setae (p3); 14, habitus, lateral aspect, bothridial setae (bo), interlamellar setae (in), posterior setae (p1, p3), pedotectum I (Pd); 15, posterior ventral plate, ventral aspect, adanal setae (ad1, ad2), posterior notogastral setae (p2, p3). Scale bars = 300 µm (Figs. 10, 13, 14), 200 µm (Fig. 12), and 100 µm (Fig. 11, 15).

Figures

FIGURES 8 – 9. Ceratoppia longicuspis n. sp., adult female. 8, Dorsal aspect; 9, Ventral aspect. Legs removed. For description of setae see Materials and methods. Scale bars = 300 µm.

FIGURES 1 – 2. Ceratoppia indentata n. sp., adult female. 1, Dorsal aspect; 2, Ventral aspect. Legs removed. For description of setae see Materials and methods. Scale bars = 300 µm.