Fedrizzia abradoalves Seeman

Seeman, Owen D., 2007, Revision of the Fedrizziidae (Acari: Mesostigmata: Fedrizzioidea), Zootaxa 1480, pp. 1-55 : 16-22

Fedrizzia abradoalves Seeman sp. nov.

( Figs 22 – 26 )

Type specimens: Holotype, F, 2 km E Sunday Ck, JSF, 16.iii.1996, O. Seeman, ex Pharochilus dilatatus (Dalman) ( S73928 ). Paratypes, AUSTRALIA: Southeast Queensland: 3 F, 3 M, Duck Ck, LNP, 20.iii.1995, D. E. Walter ( S73998 -74003); F, M, Cherry Plain, BM, 12.ii.1996, O. Seeman ( S74004 -5); 3 F, 3 M, Dandabah, BM, 12.ii.1996, O. Seeman ( S74006 -11); 3 F, 5 M, 2 km E Sunday Ck, JSF, 16.iii.1996, O. Seeman ( S74015 -19). All specimens collected from P. dilatatus and deposited in QM. F, M, same data as holotype, deposited in ANIC.

Diagnosis. Both sexes: idiosoma 1020 –1070 long, with 8–10 large pores; ventral shield with mesh-like pattern; marginal and ventrianal shields with lineate reticulations; anterolateral corner of ventrianal shield fused with ventral shield; exopodal patterning between CxII–III spotted; pedofossae III absent; CxIV-marginal suture absent; femur III and IV without lamellae, seta pv1 not significantly thickened; femur IV elongated; seta h1 unmodified. Female: setae st2-4 7-9 long; lyrifissure stp2 anterior of stp x; sternogynial shield with honeycomb-like reticulations, not flanked by a cluster of pores, and surrounded by a smooth area extending 109–130 posterior of genital shield. Male: sternoventral shield with suture behind genital opening demarking anterior smooth and posterior reticulated areas; genital opening not flanked by pores; seta h3 positioned posterior of h2.

Description. Female: Idiosoma 1020 –1070 long, 750–780 wide, with 8–10 large pores (10–15 diameter) medially and posteriorly; anterior hyaline projection with 1 pair of barbed setae 55–68 long. Marginal setae 8– 13 long. Tritosternum base 35–40 long, 45–52 wide. Tetartosternum and sternal shield smooth; tetartosternum rectangular, 29–32 long at midline, 128–134 wide; st1 smooth, 25–30 long; st2-4 7–9 long; posterolateral margin of sternal shield acutely pointed, st3-4 on posterior margin, eye-like pore stp x posterior stp2. Sternogynial shield 131–145 long, 163–172 wide, with honeycomb-like reticulation. Sternogynial shield surrounded by smooth area that extends 109–130 posterior of sternogynial shield; remainder of ventral shield with meshlike pattern. Sternogynial shield flanked by 5 pairs of setae (5–10 long), smooth area surrounding sternogynial shield with 1 pair of setae medially. Ventral shield with a large pore (10–15 diameter) posteromedial of CxIV, 2 pairs of eye-like pores laterad of CxIV, ca. 15 pairs of small round pores, 10 pairs of setae, the most posterior and lateral are 12–18 long. Ventrianal shield 150–160 long, 435–480 wide, with transverse linear reticulation, 1 pair setae anterior of anus 10–12 long, 3 lateral pairs 18–22 long, paranal setae 27–28 long; anterolateral corner of ventrianal shield fused with ventral shield. Marginal shields with lineate reticulation.

Legs. TrI with seta pv1 with minute barbs, not thicker than seta av1. FeI with seta pv3 similar to seta pv1 and pv2. FeII with lamella distal to seta pv1, seta ad1 smooth and thickened. FeIII without lamella, seta pv1 not spine-like. FeIV enlarged, 205–222 long, 105–110 wide at distal end, without lamella, seta pv1 not spinelike, seta pd2 more proximal than seta ad2. TaII and III with seta av2 setiform, longer than seta av3. Legs II– IV with thickened ad and pd setae, especially on femora and genua.

Gnathosoma . Seta h1 smooth, straight, 73–80 long, distance between h1-h1 45–50; h2 smooth 52–60 long; h 3 7–10 long, posterolaterad h2; palpcoxal seta 16–17 long. Corniculi on tubercles ca. 10 long. Palp, seta av1 on trochanter with 9–10 branches up to 18 long, seta av2 with small barbs, spur with accessory spine. Chelicera, fixed digit 195–200 long, movable digit 69–73 long, fixed digit with 2 large and 2 minute teeth; excrescences arise from an enlarged base of digit and comprise a large brush-like process, a ribbon-like process with a serrate edge, and a ribbon-like process with a crenate and toothed edge; processes extend at least 90 past end of chelicerae.

Male: Idiosoma . 1020–1050 long, 720–800 wide. Tetartosternum 23–29 long at midline, 83–90 wide; st1 smooth, 30–42 long; st2 smooth, 10–12 long; st3 smooth, 22–25 long. Genital opening 69–78 long, 80–84 wide. Small, medial smooth areas level with Cx IV and just anterior of ventrianal shield. Suture behind genital opening separates smooth sternogenital shield from ventral shield. Ventral and ventrianal shield with meshlike reticulations. Gnathosoma . Seta h3 blade-like, 7–9 long, and posterior to h2 and closer to midline than h2. Palpcoxal seta 10–12 long.

Remarks. The sternal region of Mesostigmata usually has four pairs of setae and three pairs of slit-organs (lyrifissures). Members of the Fedrizziidae and Klinckowstroemiidae have four pairs of setae, but appear to have three pairs of lyrifissures and a pore-like structure. Three lyrifissures are identifiable: in females, stp1 is on the tetartosternum, stp2 is on the sternal shield and stp3 is on the sternogynial shield. The additional porelike structure is on the sternal shield. This structure is not shaped as a typical lyrifissure and probably represents a gland. Herein, I refer to this gland-like structure as stp x.

Lyrifissure stp2 is posterior of stp x in most species of Fedrizziidae . However, in F. abradoalves and F. sellnicki stp2 is anterior of stp x ( Fig. 25 ), and in F. bornemisszai , F. c a r a b i and F. derricki , stp2 and stp x are level with each other.

An unusual positional change is that of seta h2 and h 3 in male and female Fedrizziidae and Klinckowstroemiidae . In females, seta h3 is tiny (<15 long), and setae h1 and h2 are large (> 30 long), but in males, the tiny seta is placed between the large setae ( Figs 4 , 23, 24 ). Therefore, either the position of h3 changes, or seta h2 takes on the form of seta h3, and vice versa. The latter interpretation is used in the Klinckowstroemiidae ( Rosario and Hunter 1987) , but I prefer the former explanation for the following reasons. The position of the tiny seta in male Fedrizziidae is generally posterior of h1, but anterior of the other large hypostomal seta ( Fig. 4 b). However, in F. abradoalves and F. s e l l n i c k i this seta is posterior of both the large hypostomal setae ( Figs 4 a, 23). Therefore, the position of the small seta is variable. Additionally, the size of the small seta in the male is always similar to that of the female, further suggesting that seta h 3 in male Fedrizziidae and Klinckowstroemiidae is in an unusual position medial of seta h2.

Etymology. The specific name is Latin for “shaven belly” and alludes to the smooth, bare region surrounding the genital opening.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Gnathosomal region of male (A) Fedrizzia abradoalves sp. nov. and (B) Neofedrizzia vidua. Abbreviations: h 1 – 3 = hypostomal setae 1 – 3; av 1 = first anteroventral seta of palp trochanter. Arrow points to hypostomal tubercle. Scale bar = 10.

FIGURES 22 – 26. Fedrizzia abradoalves sp. nov. 22, chelicera; 23, gnathosoma of female; 24, gnathosoma of male; 25, venter of female; 26, venter of male. Scale bar = 50 for 22 – 24; 100 for 25, 26.