Praoppiella MIKO et MOUREK, 2012

Miko, Ladislav, Mourek, Jan, Meleg, Ioana N. & Moldovan, Oana T., 2012, Oribatid Mite Fossils From Quaternary And Pre-Quaternary Sediments In Slovenian Caves I. Two New Genera And Two New Species Of The Family Oppiidae From The Early Pleistocene, Acta Musei Nationalis Pragae Series B 68 (1 - 2), pp. 23-34 : 28

Praoppiella MIKO et MOUREK gen. nov.

Text-fig. 4 , Pl. 3

D i a g n o s i s: Oppiid mites with large cup-like bothridia with indistinct postbothridial tubercles not fused with bothridial rim, with rounded rostrum, short lamellar costulae and well developed interbothridial tubercles. Two pairs of tubercles, larger postbothridial (humeral) and smaller central, present on anterior margin of notogaster.

T y p e s p e c i e s: Praoppiella oanae MIKO et MOUREK sp. nov.

R e m a r k s: General body form and development of prodorsum (interbothridial tubercles, lamellar costulae, position of setae) indicate similarity to recent species of Oppiella sensu lato, e.g. Oppiella (Moritzoppia) SUBIAS et RODRIGUEZ, 1988 . However, large cup-like bothridia and presence of two pairs of tubercles on anterior border of notogaster broadly resemble characters of the suctobelbid group of oribatids. Some important characters (ie. subcapitulum and chelicerae, legs, genital plates etc.) are unfortunatelly lost from the single available specimen. Some characters resemble species of the family Machuellidae (eg. small body size, form of sensillus, epimeral setae 4a-c inserted in one row on posterior border of epimeres etc.), but notogastral and interbothridial tubercles are unknown in Machuellidae . Therefore, including the genus in Oppiidae , in the vicinity of Oppiella , seems to us the most appropriate, though it should be seen as provisional.

Figures

Text-fig. 4. Praoppiella oanae MIKO et MOUREK gen. et sp. nov. (holotype). A – dorsal view of the body (notogaster largely detached from body, rostral part of prodorsum partly invaginated); B – ventral view; C – dorsal view of detached part of notogaster; D – anterior margin of notogaster as drawed before detachment from the rest of the body; E – bothridium and sensillus. Bars indicating 50 µm (for A,B, C and D, above) and 25 µm (for E, below). For explanation of acronyms see page 31.