Selenoribates quasimodo, Pfingstl, Tobias, 2013

Pfingstl, Tobias, 2013, Revealing the diversity of a once small taxon: the genus Selenoribates (Acari, Oribatida, Selenoribatidae), ZooKeys 312, pp. 39-63 : 40-45

Selenoribates quasimodo sp. n.

Type locality.

Bermuda: Coney Island, 32°21'30"N, 64°42'59"W, lower intertidal area, sand and algae growing on mangrove roots, 18 October 2011.

Type specimen.

Holotype: male, preserved in pure ethanol, deposition: Naturhistorisches Museum Wien, collection nr. NHMW 21884. Paratypes: two males, deposition: Senckenberg Museum für Naturkunde Görlitz, collection Nr. 11/48677.

Diagnosis.

Red-brown sclerotized mites. Average length 228 µm, mean width 139 µm. Notogaster rounded in dorsal view, hunchbacked in lateral view. A large anteriorly arched depression on anterior part of notogaster. Lamellar ridges short. Interlamellar seta of normal length and spiniform. Fourteen pairs of spiniform notogastral setae. Uniform median epimeral cavity. Three pairs of genital, two pairs of adanal and two pairs of anal setae present. Legs monodactylous; claw of each leg large. Claw with one proximoventral and a proximodorsal tooth. No porose areas on femora discernable.

Description.

Adult: Females (N=14), length: 222-244 μm (mean 231 μm), width: 136-152 µm (mean 142 µm); males (N=16), length: 212-238 μm (mean 226 μm), width: 131-147 µm (mean 137 µm)

Integument. Colour red brown. Cerotegument appears basically slightly granular. Cerotegument of prodorsum nearly smooth between bothridia, strongly granular anterior and lateral to lamellar ridges. Cerotegument of notogaster and venter slightly granular. Cerotegument of lateral body parts generally finely granular, larger granules in areas surrounding acetabula. Cerotegument of legs slightly granular.

Prodorsum. Rostrum rounded in dorsal view, but slightly projecting anteroventrally in lateral view. Rostral setae (ro) short and smooth. Lamellar setae (le) and interlamellar setae (in) simple, short and smooth. Exobothridial setae (ex) minute. Lamellar ridge conspicuous, but short, not reaching insertions of lamellar setae. Bothridium large cup exhibiting a strongly projecting posterior ridge with three lobe-like protrusions overhanging anterior border of gastronotic region. Sensillus long (ca. 50µm) and flagelliform. Tutorium developed as slightly dorsally curved ridge.

Gnathosoma. Pedipalp pentamerous 0-2-1-3-9 (including solenidion) (Fig. 1A). Solenidion erect, not fused with eupathidium acm. Chelicera chelate, in lateral view forceps-like and each digit with two teeth, whereas from frontal view most distal teeth split into two symmetrical teeth (Fig. 1B). No porose area on proximal part of fixed digit discernable. Seta cha and chb dorsally slightly pectinate, both same length. Distal part of rutellum developed as thin triangular slightly curved inward membrane (Fig. 1C). Setae a and m long and smooth. Mentum regular, setae h simple, thin and long.

Notogaster (Figs 2A, 3A). Rounded in dorsal view, hunchbacked in lateral view. Anterior margin of notogaster distinct. A large, arched depression on anterior part of notogaster showing obvious granulation. Fourteen pairs of simple notogastral setae (approximate length 5-7 µm), c 1-2, da, dm, dp, la, lm, lp, h1-3, p1-3; c3 absent. Notogastral setae sometimes completely covered by a layer of cerotegument. Porose areas or distinct pores absent. Five pairs of notogastral lyrifissures present; ia next to setae c2 close and rectangular to anterior notogastral border; im slightly anterior and laterad of setae la; lyrifissures ih, ip and ips laterally close to lateroventral borders of notogastral plate. Opisthonotal gland openings (gla) located posteriorly to lyrifissures im.

Lateral aspect (Figs 2C, 3C). Pedotectum I small but thick, pedotectum II absent. Lateral parts of anterior margin of notogaster broad and deep, showing conspicuous granules. Enantiophyse consisting of two strong triangular teeth orientated against each other. Discidium developed as strong rectangular bulge between acetabulum III and IV.

Ventral region of idiosoma (Figs 2B, 3B). Epimeral setation 1-0-1-1, seta 1b long reaching trochanter II, setae 3b normal length and 4a short. Internal borders of all epimera well visible, sternal apodemes II, sejugal and III well developed. A densely granulated median sternal cavity on epimeron I. Three pairs of short and fine genital setae, arranged in longitudinal rows, anterior two pairs close to each other. Insertion of tendon β next to anterior corners of genital orifice. Aggenital setae absent. Anal plates triangular. Preanal organ triangular in ventral view. Two pairs of short anal setae, an1-2, present. Two pairs of short and simple adanal setae ad1-2 present, ad3 absent. Lyrifissure iad obliquely, adjacent to anterior corners of anal orifice.

Legs. Monodactylous. Long hook-like claws with one conspicuous proximoventral and one minuscule proximodorsal tooth. Trochanters III and IV with an obvious triangular dorsodistal projection. Femora with slightly projecting ventral carinae. All tarsi with one proximal lyrifissure. No porose areas on femora discernable. Solenidia φ 1 on tibia I long and orientated backwards. Chaetome and Solenidia see Table 1.

Etymology.

The specific name refers to Quasimodo, the famous bell-ringer of Victor Hugo’s historical novel "Notre-Dame de Paris" (1831). This appellation is due to the hunchback of this species shown in lateral view (that does not necessarily mean the species is as ugly as the bell-ringer was supposed to be). The name is given as noun in apposition.

Juvenile instars - common features.

Apheredermous. Colour light brown. Integument strongly plicate, except for centrodorsal plate. Thick layer of cerotegument covering whole body. Prodorsum triangular, rostrum rounded. Rostral and lamellar setae short and smooth. Exobothridial setae reduced to a circular vestigial structure. Interlamellar setae very short. Sensillus long and flagelliform. Bothridium large cup, laterally opened. Gnathosoma no obvious differences to adult instar. Hysterosoma slightly concave, plateau-like. Slightly plicate centrodorsal plate occupying two thirds of dorsal hysterosoma, bearing centrodorsal setae. Hysterosomal cupules not discernable in any instar. Large folds framing centrodorsal plate completely, showing fine granular surface. Orifice of opisthonotal gland laterad of seta ad2. Integument surrounding anogenital area folded. Dorsal setae of tibiae and genua absent. No porose areas detectable in any stage.

Protonymph.

Length (N=3): 172-209 μm (mean 191 μm)

Gastronotic region (Fig. 4A) with 24 pairs of notogastral setae; setae c1-3, da, dm, dp, la, lm and lp duplicated, h1-3 and p1-3 normal. Centrodorsal setae da, dm and dp robust and dorsally serrate, all other setae simple and small.

Ventral region of idiosoma (Fig. 4B). Epimeral setation 1-0-1-0. One pair of short genital setae.

Legs. Chaetome and Solenidia see Table 1.

Tritonymph.

Length (N=9): 228-266 μm (mean 243 μm)

Gastronotic region (Fig. 4C, 5A). 44 pairs of notogastral setae, setae of series c, d, l and h-series further multiplied.

Ventral region of idiosoma (Fig. 4D, 5B). Epimeral setation 1-0-1-1. Three pairs of short genital setae in a longitudinal row. Two pairs of adanal setae ad1-2. Two pairs of anal setae an1-2.

Legs (Fig. 6). Chaetome and Solenidia see Table 1.