Copidognathus bruneiensis, Chatterjee, Tapas, Marshall, David J & Pešić, Vladimir, 2012

Chatterjee, Tapas, Marshall, David J & Pešić, Vladimir, 2012, New records of Copidognathus mites (Acari: Halacaridae) from mangroves in Brunei Darussalam with descriptions of two new species, Zootaxa 3269, pp. 18-30 : 23-27

Copidognathus bruneiensis sp. nov.

( Figures 4–6 )

Material examined: Holotype, 3, Brunei Darussalam, Kota Batu, Sangai Brunei Estuary and Bay, 4º56'N, 115º1'E, 10.iii.2011, mud flats and algae covering the pneumatophores of Avicennia marina mangrove trees, leg. T. Chatterjee & D. J. Marshall. Paratypes: three 33 and three ƤƤ, collection data same as holotype.

Description: Male: Idiosoma 300–337 µm long. All dorsal plates separate. AD with one anterior and one fused middle areolae. Areolae and costae on dorsal plates made up of porose panel. Pair of ds1 anteriorly of middle areola on AD. A pair of gland pores near anterolateral margin of AD. AD 87 µm long, 92 µm wide. OC 97 µm long, 50 µm wide (length to width ratio about 1.92), posteriorly caudiform; each with two corneae (in a few specimens posterior cornea slightly constricted in the middle); areola ventromedially between the two corneae; gland pore close to cornea (away from lateral margin); pore canaliculus present on lateral margin of OC and posterior to posterior cornea; ds2 located at anteromedial part of OC. PD 218 µm long, 158 µm wide, arched anteriorly; paired middle costae two porose panels wide, paired lateral costae one-two porose panels wide, middle and lateral costae joined anteriorly, rest of the plate reticulately panelled; ds3-ds5 on PD between middle and lateral costae. A pair of gland pores on posterior part of PD at middle costae.

All ventral plates separate. AE 105 µm long, 87 µm wide, with three pairs of setae and a pair of epimeral pores. Epimeral process absent. Each PE with three ventral setae and one dorsal seta. GA longer than AE. GA 159 µm long, 132 µm wide, GO 51 µm long. Distance between anterior end of GO and that of GA, 69 µm, about 1.40 times the length of GO, 14–16 PGS present, four pairs of SGS present, first, second and fourth pair thin, while third pair thick and spur-like. Spermatopositor large, extending 50 µm ahead from anterior margin of GO. Distance between posterior end of GO and that of GA 36 µm.

Gnathosoma 108 µm long, 62 µm wide, about 1.70 times longer than wide. Rostrum about 0.75 times longer than gnathosomal base, 0.43 of total gnathosoma; rostrum tip extending near anterior end of P2. Palp consisting of four segments. P1 and P3 without a seta. P2 with one dorsal seta distally. P4 with three long proximal setae, one minute distal seta. P2 longer than P4. Proto- and deuto- rostral setae situated at tip of rostrum., tritorostral setae (long maxillary setae of rostrum) on anterior half of rostrum (at about 0.36 of total rostrum length), gnathosomal base with a pair of setae (basirostral setae) anteriorly. Rostral sulcus extending near tritorostral setae. Gnathosomal base ventrolaterally porose. Tectum slightly arched.

Chaetotaxy of legs: trochanters I–IV, 1-1-1-0; basifemora I–IV, 2-2-2-2; telofemora I–IV, 5-5-2-2; genua I–IV, 4-4-3-3; tibiae I–IV, 7-7-5-5; tarsi (PAS excluded) I–IV, 7-4-4-4. Telofemora III and IV devoid of ventral setae. Tibia I with two long, smooth, pointed ventral setae and one short, thick, proximoventral seta. Tibia II with one slender, smooth ventral seta and two ventromedial bipectinate setae (distal bipectinate seta longer than proximal seta). Tibia III with one thick, bipectinate ventromedial seta. All setae of tibia IV smooth. Tarsus I with three dorsal setae, one solenidion, three ventral setae and two doublet eupathidia PAS. Tarsus II with three dorsal setae, one solenidion and two doublet eupathidia PAS. Tarsus III –IV each with four dorsal setae (distance between two basal setae almost equal or slightly more than height of tarsus) and two PAS (one small spur-like and one seta like). All legs with two lateral claws and a bidentate median claw. Lateral claws with accessory process dorsally. Lateral claws of tarsi II–IV with delicate tines.

Female: Idiosoma 299–305 µm long. Structure and armature of body parts resemble the male except that of the GA region. GA 159 µm long, 120 µm wide, GO 69 µm long; distance between anterior end of GO and that of GA 62 µm, about 1.30 times of length of GO. Three pairs of PGS present, anterior pair just above the level of anterior margin of GO, middle pair near the middle and third pair near posterior side of GO. Ovipositor small, just extending beyond anterior margin of GO. Pair of SGS on anterior part of genital sclerites.

Etymology: Named after the country where collected.

Remarks: The new species has some similarities with members of the ‘ pulcher group’ ( Bartsch 1984, 1998; Chatterjee & Chang 2006), in having areolae and costae comprising the porose panel, rosette pores lacking, a pair of gland pores near anterolateral margin of AD, a single pair of gland pores in the posterior portion of PD, the basal-most of the three ventral setae on tibia I short and thick; telofemora III–IV without a ventral seta. However, Copidognathus bruneiensis sp. nov., differs from the species of the ‘ pulcher group’ in having tarsi III–IV each with four dorsal setae. The OC in the ‘ pulcher group’ is small and triangular, while in the present species OC is bigger and caudiform posteriorly. Most of the species of the ‘ pulcher group’ also contain two pairs of basirostral setae on the gnathosoma (or more than two pairs in males of some species) whereas one pair of basirostral setae is found in C. bruneiensis . Among the members of the ‘ pulcher group’ C. triops Viets, 1936 from Caribbean area and C. uniscustatus Bartsch, 1984 from Philippines and Mexico ( Viets 1936; Bartsch 1984; Chatterjee & De Troch 2001) have one pair of basirostral setae but differ from the new species in having a pectinate seta on tibia IV. All dorsal plates are fused in C. uniscustatus . C. bengalensis Chatterjee, Annapurna & Chang, 2003 from India ( Chatterjee et al. 2003), a species related to the ‘ pulcher group’, lacks the bipectinate setae on tibia IV (as in the present species) but differs in having a completely subdivided posterior cornea on OC, small triangular OC, two pairs of basirostral setae in female, ds3 on membranous integument and tarsi III–IV with three dorsal setae each. Moreover, in the present new species ds2 is on the anteromedial part of the OC.

The present new species shares some characters with members of the ‘ curassaviensis group’ ( Bartsch 1996), including having dorsal plates with porose panels, enlarged gland-pores, the PD with a single pair of gland pores posteriorly, a small ovipositor extending only slightly beyond the GO, telofemora III–IV with two setae each (and no ventral setae) and genu IV with three setae. However, the present species cannot be assigned to the ‘ curassaviensis group’ because it has the rostrum extending only up to the end of P2 (the palp slightly extends beyond the rostrum in ‘ curassaviensis group’). Further, in the ‘ curassaviensis group’, tibia I has two thick spur-like ventral setae, while the present species has only one small similar seta proximoventrally on tibia I.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Copidognathus bruneiensis sp. nov. (A, B, D – F, male; C, female) A— idiosoma, dorsal, male; B—idiosoma, ventral, male; C—idiosoma, ventral female; D—OC, E—gnathosoma, F—porose panel of costae on PD. (Scale bars: A – C = 100 µm, D – F = 20 µm)

FIGURE 5. Copidognathus bruneiensis sp. nov. (male) A – D—legs I – IV, E—posterior areolae on AD (from another male). (Scale bars: A – D = 20 µm, E = 100 µm)

FIGURE 6. Copidognathus bruneiensis sp. nov. A—anterior part of AD, B—magnified view of part of costae on PD, C—magnified view of reticulated panels between costae on PD. (Scale bar: A = 50 µm, B, C = 10 µm)