Proparholaspulus elongatus, Bhattacharyya & Kheto, 2016

Bhattacharyya, A. K. & Kheto, S., 2016, A new species of Proparholaspulus (Acari: Parholaspidae) from India, Acarologia 56 (4), pp. 633-637 : 633-636

Proparholaspulus elongatus n. sp.

( Figures 1-2 )

Diagnosis — Hypertrichous dorsal chaetotaxy; 48 pairs of setae on dorsal shield and 26 pairs on lateral soft integument. Female with paired, daggershaped presternal platelets; male with three presternal platelets. Corniculi longer than internal malae.

Bhattacharyya A.K. and Kheto S.

Cheliceral brush pilose. Femur and genu of leg II in male with thumb-like apophysis.

Material examined — Holotype ♀, India, West Bengal, Hooghly, Harihar ; 22°49.917’N, 87°57.801’E; soil under bamboo leaf litter; 29 July, 2014; S. Kheto coll. Paratype: 1♂, collection data same as for holotype .

Female: Dorsum ( Fig. 1A ) — Dorsum elongated, sclerotized, faintly reticulate apically, 691 µm long, 298 µm wide at level of coxae II. Holodorsal shield (662 µm long, 298 µm wide) truncated posteriorly, with 48 pairs of setae – 23 pairs of simple setae anteriorly, 25 pairs of pilose setae posteriorly; lateral membrane with 26 pairs of pilose setae. Setal length ranges from 24 µm to 53 µm; chaetotaxy of dorsum as in Fig. 1A .

Venter ( Fig. 1B ) — Tritosternum 152 µm long, bipartite, with long plumose laciniae (122 µm); tritosternal base narrow, flanked by paired daggershaped presternal platelets. Sterno-metasternal shield (243 µm long, 141 µm wide at its widest point) distinctly reticulated, with three pairs of sternal setae and one pair of metasternal setae (st1-35 µm, st2-39 µm, st3-25 µm and st4-39 µm), fused with presternal shield anteriorly. Geniti-ventrianal shield (293 µm long, 226 µm wide at its widest point), with simple, paired, genital setae (st5-49 µm) and six pairs of setae of which the four most posterior pairs are pilose, with three perianal setae (18 µm).

Ophisthogastric integument with 18 pilose setae (28 – 32 µm). Paired metapodal shield small, closely adjacent to widest portion of geniti-ventrianal shield. Peritreme narrow; stigma small, situated at mid-level of coxae III and IV; peritrematal shield wide, reticulated posteriorly, fused anterolaterally with geniti-ventrianal shield.

Gnathosoma ( Figs. 1 C-E) — Hypostomal groove narrow, denticles not obviously discernible ( Fig. 1C ); shape of tectum as in Fig. 1D ; corniculi 81 µm long; hyposomatic setae (22 – 53 µm) simple; palp apotele three-tined.

Cheliceral fixed digit (131 µm) tridentate, movable digit (125 µm) bidentate; pilus dentilis short and simple; cheliceral brush (39 µm) pilose ( Fig. 1E ).

Legs ( Fig. 1F ) — Tarsus of leg I with small claws and pulvilli, tarsi II-IV well-developed ( Fig. 1F ); length (excluding ambulacra) of legs I-IV: 739 µm, 432 µm, 413 µm and 490 µm respectively.

Male: Dorsum ( Fig. 2A ) — Dorsum 595 µm long, 288 µm wide; dorsal chaetotaxy ( Fig. 2A ) similar to that of female; dorsal setal length ranges between 21 µm and 53 µm.

Venter ( Fig. 2B ) — Tritosternum with long pilose laciniae. Holoventral shield distinctly reticulated, with three presternal platelets of which lateral pair is pentagonal in shape while the median platelet is roughly triangular in shape, arranged as illustrated. Sternitigenital shield (282 µm long, 131 µm wide) widened anteriorly, narrowed posteriorly reticulated, with five pairs of setae; st1, st3 and st4 subequal (28 µm) in length; st2 and st5 35 µm and 38 µm long respectively. Genital aperture placed at anterior margin of sternitigenital shield. Holoventral shield with nine pairs of setae, most posterior six pairs are pilose. Ophisthogastric integument with 16 pairs of pilose setae ( Fig. 2B ).

Gnathosoma ( Figs. 2 C-D) — Generally similar to that of female. Tectum anteriorly concave ( Fig. 2C ). Movable digit of chelicerae with long, slightly sinuous spermtaodactyl that exceeds the length of bidentate fixed digit; movable digit unidentate; pilus dentilis short, simple ( Fig. 2D ).

Legs ( Fig. 2E ) — Legs I-IV 710 µm, 422 µm, 403 µm and 430 µm long (excluding ambulacra) respectively, with simple, spine-like setae; femur, genu and tibia of leg II with a strong ventral spur as illustrated ( Fig. 2E ).

Etymology — The specific epithet elongatus refers to the elongated shape of the specimens.

Differential diagnosis — The female of P. elongatus n. sp. superficially resembles to P. pasohensis ( Ishikawa, 1976) in having only one pair of presternal platelets, in the shape of holodorsal shield, peritrematal shield, and in cheliceral morphology. However, the two species differ in the shape of geniti-ventrianal and presternal shield, and in the relative lengths of the tritosternal laciniae. P. elongatus differs from all other known species of Proparholaspulus in the general shape of the tectum and its marginal variation between male and female, as well as in the nature and number of the setae on dorsum and venter.

Figures

FIGURE 1: Proparholaspulus elongatus n. sp., female: A – Dorsum; B – Venter; C – Gnathosoma; D – Tectum; E – Chelicera; F – Leg II.

FIGURE 2: Proparholaspulus elongatus n. sp., male: A – Dorsum; B – Venter; C – Tectum; D – Chelicera; E – Leg II.