Austrophthiracarus rabacalensis Niedbała, 2013

Niedbała, Wojciech & Dabert, Miroslawa, 2013, Madeira’s ptyctimous mites (Acari, Oribatida), Zootaxa 3664 (4), pp. 571-585 : 574-576

Austrophthiracarus rabacalensis Niedbała sp. nov.

( Fig. 1 D–J)

Measurements of holotype. Prodorsum: length 338, width 227, height 146; setae of prodorsum: sensillum 126, interlamellar 101, lamellar 83, rostral 76, exobothridial 30; notogaster: length 616, width 394, height 434; setae of notogaster: c 1 266, c3 38, cp 81, h 1 341, p 1 316, h3 40, p4 35; genitoaggenital plate: 156 × 101, anoadanal plate: 242 × 106.

Integument. Colour light brown. Body shagreen, strongly sculptured. Surface of body without concavities.

Prodorsum. Sigillar fields long and narrow. Lateral carinae short and feeble, reaching the sinus. Sensilla long, slightly sickle-shaped, of equal width, without head. Setae of medium size, attenuate.

Notogaster carries 16 pairs of rigid setae, majority of them very long (c1> c1 – d1), flagellate. Only setae c3, cp, h3, p4 are short needleform, additional setae situated between h1 – p1 (h1’), the distance between setae p3 and p4 is large, setae c1 and c3 near anterior margin, setae c2 slightly removed from the margin; vestigial setae f1 anteriorly of setae h1; all four pairs of lyrifissures ia, im, ip and ips present.

Ventral region. Seta h of mentum longer than distance between them. Formula of genital setae: 4+2:3, setae g7- 9 longer than g6, all setae g6-9 longer than setae g1-5. Anoadanal plates with long, flagellate setae, adanal setae ad1 and ad2 longer than other setae.

Legs. Chaetome of legs of “complete type ”. Setae d of femora I located at distal end of article, setae v” longer than half of length of v’ setae.

Material examined. Holotype. Madeira, Western Part, near Rabaçal, litter under Erica and Laura trees, 0 4.02. 2012, leg W. Niedbała.

Type deposition. Department of Animal Taxonomy and Ecology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan.

Comparison. The most similar species Austrophthiracarus parainusitatus Niedbała & Stary, 2011 from Azores is distinguishable from the new species by the absence of heterotrichy of notogastral setae. The second similar species is Austrophthiracarus inusitatus (Niedbała, 1983) from Far East of Asia by the shape of sensilla, shape and length of prodorsal setae, length and arrangement of genital, anal and adanal setae. It is distinguishable from the new species by the similar shape and length of notogastral setae and presence of two pairs of lyrifissures.

Etymology. The specific name refers to the valley of Rabaçal, Madeira.

Diagnoses of two known species. Two known Steganacarus species, Steganacarus (Steganacarus) crassisetosus and Steganacarus (Steganacarus) similis are morphologically very similar to the palaearctic species S. (S.) applicatus and S. (S.) spinosus , respectively. Both S. (S.) applicatus and S. (S.) spinosus are the species of western palaearctic origin, and S. (S.) applicatus has been also found in Algeria.

Figures

FIGURE 1 A-J. A – C. Phthiracarus montanus Pérez-Íñigo, 1969: A, prodorsum, lateral view; B, anterior part of notogaster, lateral view; C, trochanter and femur I. D-J. Austrophthiracarus rabacalensis Niedbała sp. nov. D, prodorsum, dorsal view; E, prodorsum, lateral view; F, mentum of subcapitulum; G, genitoaggenital plate; H, anoadanal plate, I, lateral view of opisthosoma, J, trochanter and femur I.