Trichoribates punctatus

Bayartogtokh, B. & Schatz, H., 2008, Trichoribates and Jugatala (Acari: Oribatida: Ceratozetidae) from the Central and Southern Alps, with notes on their distribution, Zootaxa 1948, pp. 1-35 : 16-20

Trichoribates punctatus Shaldybina, 1971

(Figs. 9, 10)

Trichoribates punctatus Shaldybina1971, p. 27, fig. 3.

Trichoribates punctatus : Shaldybina 1975, p. 292, fig. 707; Pavlitschenko 1994, p. 70, fig. 23; Bayartogtokh & Aoki 1998, p. 3, figs. 3 – 5.

Murcia punctata : Subías 2004, p. 177; 2008, p. 333.

Trichoribates trimaculatus (part.): Schatz 1995, p. 138.

Diagnosis. Prodorsum, notogaster and ventral plate with dense round granules of cerotegument. Rostrum rounded, mostly smooth, but sometimes with a pair of minute lateral dens; rostral, lamellar and interlamellar setae densely barbed; lamellae wide, with broad translamella; lamellar cusp with strong lateral and small medial dens; sensillus short, with minutely barbed, club-shaped head; tutorium broad, with distally pointed cusp; 11 pairs of notogastral setae medium long, barbed, dp present; porose areas oval to round; epimeral seta lc, anal and adanal setae barbed, other ventral setae smooth.

Measurements. (n = 6) Body length 517-547 (536) µm; length of notogaster 441-479 (460) µm; width of notogaster 365-403 (390) µm.

Integument. Body colour dark brown to deep reddish brown. Dorsal and ventral plates with thick cerotegument, roughened by relatively large round granules. Faintly microtuberculate on cuticle of prodorsum, notogaster, ventral plate, leg segments and subcapitular mentum.

Prodorsum (Fig. 9A-C, E, F). Rostrum rounded, with a pair of minute lateral dens, and with a nose-like protuberance dorsally. Rostral and lamellar setae medium long, nearly same in length, densely barbed. Interlamellar seta slightly longer than ro and le, barbed, not reaching tip of rostrum. Lamella wide, with longitudinal striations along its lateral margin; translamella long and wide; lamellar cusp with streng lateral and small medial dens. Sensillus medium long, with minutely barbed club-shaped head. Bothridium small, with pointed bothridial scale svm (Fig. 9B). Tutorium broad, distally pointed, with oblique striations (Fig. 9C, E, F).

Notogaster (Figs. 9A, 10A). Oval, about 1.1 x longer than wide. Anterior margin of notogaster arched anteriad, lenticulus well developed. Pteromorph curved ventrally, its anterior portion slightly protruding anteriad. Eleven pairs of notogastral setae, dp present, all setae long, barbed. Porose areas oval to round, Aa largest, much larger than other porose areas. Lyrifissures ia, im, ih, ip, ips and opisthosomal gland opening small.

Gnathosoma (Fig. 9D). Subcapitular mentum conspicuously wider than long, covered with round granules. Hypostomal setae a, h, m short, thin, smooth. Palp and chelicera typical for family, same as those in T. scilierensis sp. nov.

Epimeral region (Fig. 9D). Most of epimeral setae thin, smooth; setae lb and lc conspicuously longer and thicker than other setae, lc barbed; setal formula 3-1-3-3. Custodium short, not reaching anterior margin of pedotectum II; discidium conspicuously projected laterally.

Ano-genital region (Figs. 9D, 10A). Anal aperture distinctly larger than genital one. All genital and aggenital setae thin, smooth, but anal and adanal setae barbed; setal formula same as in the previous species. Distance between bases of aggenital setae nearly equal to that between adanal setae ad3-ad3. Adanal lyrifissure iad short, situated at level slightly posterior to anal setae an2, adjacent and parallel to anterolateral margin of anal aperture (Fig. 9D). Postanal porose area very long, narrow, far longer than distance between bases of adanal setae ad2 (Fig. 10A).

Legs (Fig. 10B-E). Formula of leg setation (including famulus): I (1-5-3-4-20); II (1-5-3-4-15); III (2-2-1-3-15); IV (1-2-2-3-12); formula of solenidia: I (1-2-2); II (1-1-2); III (1-1-0); IV (0-1-0). Most leg setae distinctly barbed, except (p) and (u) on tarsi I-IV Setae l" on tibiae and genua I-IV very thick, heavily barbed.

Material examined. Austria, East Tyrol, Virgental, above Obermauern , in lichens and dry moss growing on rock (1320 m a.s.l., 16 October 1993, six specimens (all males), leg. H. Schatz, sub. T. trimaculatus (part.); Schatz 1995).

Remarks. The main character states of the examined specimens agree with those of the specimens studied by Shaldybina (1971), Pavlitshenko (1994), and Bayartogtokh and Aoki (1998). In the material from the Alps we observed very minute lateral dens on the rostrum. None of the other authors reported the presence of rostral dens. Moreover, the body size of the specimens examined here is relatively smaller than that of the other authors (576-688 µm). This species is very similar to T. novus and T. trimaculatus , but it differs by having the rough granular cerotegumental structure on dorsal and ventral plates as well as a smaller body size.

Distribution. This species was found in some places of the Eastern Palaearctic region, but it has not been recorded in Central Europe yet. In Asia, this species was found in Tuva Republic of Russia, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Mongolia (Shaldybina 1971, 1979; Karppinen et al. 1986; Pavlitshenko 1994; Rahimbaeva 1995; Bayartogtokh & Aoki 1998).