Notophthiracarus hallidayi, Niedbała, 2012

Niedbała, W., 2012, An Updated Study Of Ptyctimous Mite Fauna (Acari: Oribatida) Of The Australasian Region With A Description Of Thirteen New Species, Acarologia 52 (2), pp. 183-228 : 203-206

Notophthiracarus hallidayi n. sp.

( Figure 9 A-F)

Type material — Holotype and 14 paratypes (seven in ANIC, seven in NHC): NAM-009, Namagi NP, renewed Eucalyptus forest, dry un-sieved litter between stones, 11 Aug. 2007, coll. J. Błoszyk and S. Konwerski.

Measurements of holotype — Prodorsum: length 242, width 127, height 91, sensillum 76, setae: interlamellar 111, rostral 66; notogaster: length 485, width 313, height 278, setae: c 1 88, h 1 76, p 1 71; genitoaggenital plate 110 × 101; anoadanal plate 197 × 129.

Description — Body shagreen-like. Shape of body hexagonal in outline. Colour light brown. Surface of the notogaster covered with feeble foveae.

Prodorsum with short sigillar fields, median longer than laterals. Lateral carinae absent. Sensilla long, of equal width, covered with small cilia in distal half. Interlamellar setae long, rod-like, erect covered with cilia in distal half. Lamellar setae vestigial. Rostral setae of equal width, bent inward, covered with cilia in distal half, not pointed distally.

Notogaster with 15 pairs of rather short (c 1 <c 1 - d 1), rigid, setae, sparsely covered with short cilia. Setae c 1 and c 3 situated close to the anterior border, setae c 2 shifted away from the border. Vestigial setae f 1 not observed. Two pairs of lyrifissures, ia and im, present.

Ventral region — Arrangement of genital setae: 5: 4, setae g 6-9 remarkably longer than setae g 1-5. Anoadanal plates with five pairs of setae. Anal setae narrow and filiform, attenuate, adanal setae rigid, rough, setae ad 1 and ad 2 longer than other setae.

Legs — Setation of complete type. Seta d on femora I short and inserted at the distal end of segment, setae l situated at the middle of segment.

Other localities — NAM-010, Namagi NP, Eucalyptus forest, sieved litter, sample 1, 11 Aug. 2007, coll. J. Błoszyk and S. Konwerski - 10; NAM-006, Namagi NP, Eucalyptus forest, sieved litter, sample 2, 11 Aug. 2007, coll. J. Błoszyk and S. Konwerski - 7; NAM-008, Namagi NP, Eucalyptus bushes outside of park, dry sieved litter, 11 Aug. 2007, coll. J. Błoszyk and S. Konwerski - 31, NSW-003, Lake George near Canberra, parking near HWZ, remains of Eucalyptus forest, sieved litter under old pines, 16 Aug. 2007, coll. J. Błoszyk and S. Konwerski - 2.

Etymology — It is my pleasure to name this species after Dr. B. Halliday, an outstanding Australian acarologist.

Comparison to related species — The new species is similar to Notophthiracarus szeptyckii Niedbała, 2009 in the shape and length of interlamellar, lamellar and notogastral setae. However, the new species is distinguishable from the other by the shape of sensilla, rostral setae and implantation of setae l of femora I.

Figures

FIGURE 9: Notophthiracarus hallidayi n. sp. (holotype): A – prodorsum, dorsal view, B – prodorsum, lateral view, C – lateral view of opisthosoma, D – mentum of infracapitulum, E – genitoaggenital and anoadanal plates, F – trochanter and femur I.