Neogalumna aethiopica, Mahunka & Mahunka-Papp, 2009

Mahunka, S. & Mahunka-Papp, L., 2009, New and little known oribatids from Kenya, with descriptions of two new genera (Acari: Oribatida), Journal of Natural History 43 (11 - 12), pp. 737-768 : 763-765

Neogalumna aethiopica sp. nov.

Diagnosis

Rostrum widely rounded. Rostral setae longest, ciliate, lamellar and interlamellar setae very short or minute. Sensillus long, its head lanceolate, distinctly pilose. Ten pairs of alveoli, four pairs of unframed porose areas and six or seven small median pori present on the notogaster. Lamellar and sublamellar lines distinct, lamellar setae inserted between the two lines. Surface of genital and anal plates finely foveolate. Lyrifissures iad located far from the anal openings.

Material examined

Holotype Kenya, Muguga , near Nairobi, 20 November 2004. Leg. Cs. Csuzdi (Afr- 978). Seven paratypes from the same sample . Holotype (1699-HO-2005) and five paratypes 1699-PO-2005): HNHM, two paratypes: MHNG .

Measurements

Length of body 288–314 Mm, width of body 200–208 Mm.

Prodorsum

Whole surface finely punctate. Rostral part conspicuously wide, without apex, its distal end rounded. Lamellar and sublamellar lines visible also in dorsal view, lamellar setae arising between them. A wide transversal band on the anterior part also present. Rostral setae relatively long, distinctly pilose. Lamellar and interlamellar setae very short, smooth, but observable ( Figure 12A ). Areae porose

dorsosejugalis small, elongated. Peduncle of the sensillus thin, long, its head lanceolate, bearing short cilia, arranged in longitudinal rows.

Notogaster

Dorsosejugal suture well developed, convex. Behind, a weaker, parallel line and also parallel, a string of irregular pearls on the notogastral surface. Surfaces of notogaster finely punctate, of pteromorphae finely striate, consisting of dots arranged in lines. Lyrifissure ia on pteromorphae uncertainly discernible. Ten pairs of setal alveoli and four pairs of small, irregular porose areas present. Areae porosae Aa the largest, all unframed, without distinct margin. Lyrifissures im located medially, close to each other. Six or seven alveoli present in the posteromedian part of the notogaster.

Lateral part of podosoma ( Figure 12C )

Lamellar and sublamellar lines run parallel to each other, position of setae clearly visible. Lines E and T also present.

Ventral regions

Epimeral surface framed by a wide well-sclerotized transversal band (bo.4) posteriorly. Epimeral setae short, mostly barely visible. Epimeral setal formula 1- 1-2-1. On the anterior margin of the genital plates three pairs of setae inserted. Surface of the genital and anal plates ornamented by small foveolae, arranged in longitudinal lines. Aggenital and anal setae short, adanal ones longer than the others. Setae ad 1 and ad 2 in posteromarginal position, lyrifissures iad located far from the anal aperture in apoanal position ( Figure 12B ).

Legs

All legs tri- and heterodactylous.

Remarks

On the basis of the position of lyrifissures iad the new spepcies is clearly to be assigned to the genus Neogalumna Hammer, 1973 . Until now only two species belong to this genus ( Neogalumna antenniger Hammer, 1973 and Neogalumna curviporosa Balakrishnan, 1986 ), from West Samoa (Upolu island) ( Hammer 1973) and from India. Both differ from the new species by the absence of median alveoli or pori and the shape of the sensillus. Only the position of the lyrifissures iad is a unique feature, which is common to these three species.

Etymology

Named on the basis of the zoogeographic distribution of the new species.

Figures

Figure 12. Neogalumna aethiopica sp. nov. (A) Body in dorsal view, (B) body in ventral view, (C) prodorsum in lateral view.