Phthiracarus paracrispus, Niedbała & Starý, 2016

Niedbała, W. & Starý, J., 2016, Six new species of ptyctimous mites (Acari: Oribatida) from Madagascar, Acarologia 56 (4), pp. 485-496 : 489

Phthiracarus paracrispus n. sp.

( Figures 3 )

Description

Measurements of holotype — Prodorsum: length 283, width 202, height 101; prodorsal setae: sensillus (ss) 66, interlamellar (in) 126, lamellar (le) 101, rostral (ro) 68, exobothridial (ex) 58; notogaster: length 581, width 379, heigh 328; notogastral setae: c 1 152, c 1 / c 1 - d 1 =1.1, h 1 and ps 1 94.

Species of medium size; colour greyish.

Prodorsum — with median and lateral fields distinct long and narrow. Lateral carinae long, exceeds the sinus. Posterior furrows not visible. Sensilli (ss) long, thin, smooth, enlarged in their proximal third and ending in a point. Interlamellar (in) and lamellar (le) setae fine, smooth, semi-erect; rostral setae (ro) curved and directed downwards; exobothridial setae (ex) rather long, almost as long as ss and ro; relative length of prodorsal setae in> le> ro = ss> ex.

Notogaster — with fine, rather long notogastral setae (c 1> c 1 - d 1); setae c 1 and c 3 slightly remote from anterior notogastral margin, setae c 2 far from the margin. Vestigial notogastral setae f 1 located posteriorly of h 1 setae; two pairs of lyrifissures ia and im present.

Ventral region — Setae h of subcapitular mentum shorter than distance between them. Genitoaggenital plate with 9 genital setae with formula: 7(4+3): 2. Anoadanal plates with five pairs of welldeveloped setae; anal setae considerably longer than adanal setae, adanal setae ad 1 and ad 3 short, ad 2 minute.

Legs — Chaetome of legs complete; setae d of femora I thin, remote from distal end of article.

Material examined — Holotype is deposited at DATE from locus typicus: Madagascar, Ankarafantsika National Park, 23. IV. 2011, lowland forest, latitude 16°18’05,9" S, longitude 46°49’06,4" E, altitude 71 m, sifted sample of forest litter, Winkler apparatus extraction, leg. L. S. Rahanitriniaina and R. Raveloson;

Etymology — The prefix para is Latin meaning "near" and refers to the similarity of the new species with P. crispus Hammer, 1972 .

Comparison — The new species is similar to P. crispus Hammer, 1972 in the characters of prodorsum, especially in the shape of sensilli. It is distinguishable by longer notogastral setae c 1; c 1> c 1 - d 1, (versus c 1 <c 1 - d 1); notogastral setae c 1 and c 3 slightly remote from anterior margin, setae c 2 far from margin (versus c 3 almost near margin and c 1 and c 2 slightly remote from margin); vestigial notogastral setae f 1 located posterior of h 1 (versus anterior of h 1); setae h of subcapitular mentum shorter than distance between them (versus, longer of distance); formula of genital setae 7(4+3): 2, versus: 7(4+2): 3; adanal setae ad 2 minute (versus ad 2 rather long, similar in the length to other adanal setae); chaetome of legs complete (versus chaetome of legs incomplete) ( Hammer 1972).

Figures

FIGURE 3: Phthiracarus paracrispus n. sp. (holotype): A – prodorsum, dorsal view; B – prodorsum, lateral view; C – opisthosoma, lateral view; D – mentum of subcapitulum; E – anoadanal plates; F – trochanter and femur of leg I.