Flagrosuctobelba kontschani, Mahunka & Mahunka-Papp, 2007

Mahunka, S. & Mahunka-Papp, L., 2007, Taxonomical And Faunistical Studies On Oribatids Collected In Kenya (Acari: Oribatida) I., Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 53 (1), pp. 51-74 : 70-72

Flagrosuctobelba kontschani sp. n.

( Figs 34–36 )

Diagnosis – Rostral apex elongate, nasiform. Rostral region with large teeth. Tectopedial fields wide, short. Lamellar knob connected with the prebothridial rib. Sensillus long, directed forwards, flagellate distally. Four pairs of separate notogastral condyles. Notogaster with a light spot. Nine pairs of long, flagellate notogastral setae. Sternal field opened anteriorly. Posterior border of epimeres undulate. Genitoanal setal formula: 6–1–2–3.

Material examined: Holotype: Kenya, Nairobi 19.11.2004. Leg. CS . CSUZDI, (Afr. 974) . 6 paratypes from the same sample. Holotype (1696-HO-2005) and 5 paratypes (1696-PO-2005): HNHM , 1 paratypes: MHNG .

Measurements: Length of body: 206–218 µm, width of body: 102–111 µm.

Prodorsum: Rostral apex elongate, rostrum divided by deep incisions, separating 4 pairs sharply pointed strongh teeth. The posterior accessory teeth the smallest of all. Rostral rib absent. In front of the wide tectopedial field, a well framed median field also present. Lamellar knob large, triangular, distintly connected with the prebothridial and the interbothridial ribs. Sensillus large, typical for the genus, dilated medially, distinctly barbed, with a long, setiform end. Exobothridial arch well observable. Posterobothridial tubercle absent.

Notogaster: Dorsosejugal suture with two pairs of large, separate condyles, both pairs connecting long, longitudinal laths, directed posteriorly ( Fig. 34 ). Light spot large, distinct, located in the middle of the botogaster. Nine pairs of notogastral setae present, among them 6 pairs long, flagellate, 3 pairs short, simple.

Lateral part of podosoma: Some granules visible on rostral apex, laterally a polygonal pattern also visible. Exobothridial region, including podosomal tubecle and some laths granulate ( Fig. 36 ).

Ventral regions ( Fig. 35 ): Sternal field wide, opened anteriorly. Posterior border of epimeral region undulate, epimeral fields with a weak polygonal pattern. All epimeral setae simple, setiform. Setae of the anogenital region much longer, slightly roughened. Anterior pairs of genital setae longer than the others. Setae ad 1 arising in paraanal position.

Remarks – On the basis of the form of rostral part, the shape of the sensillus and the notogastral condyles the new species is readily ranged to the genus Flagrosuctobelba HAMMER, 1979 . It belongs to the “ ruzsinszkyi ” group [( F. kaliurangensis HAMMER, 1979 , F. sinulata HAMMER, 1982 , F. ruzsinszkyi (MAHUNKA, 1983)], however the new species is distinguished from them by the large median light spot, by the form of the notogastral condyles and the very long and flagelliform tip of the sensillus.

Etymology – We dedicate the new species to our collaborator and friend Dr. JENŐ KONTSCHÁN

(Budapest), for his excellent field work and for his results in the studies on the Uropodina mites.

*

Acknowledgements – This work was supported by the Hungarian Scientific Research Fund (OTKA, no. T-45889). First of all we should like to thank the collector of this very interesting material Dr. CSABA CSUZDI, for making available to study the samples of the Musée d’Histoire naturelle of Geneva we should like to thank specifically the collectors, the once museum director Dr. V. MAHNERT, and the once and present keepers of the institute Dr. B. HAUSER and Dr. P. SCHWENDINGER. Special thanks are due to Dr. B. HAUSER who helped us in acquiring hard-to-come-by scientific papers, and for the help extended while preparing our manuscript. I should also like to thank Dr. LAJOS ZOMBORI for reviewing the English text of our paper and for the translation of some paragraphs.

Figures

Figs 34–36. Flagrosuctobelba kontschani sp. n. – 34 = body in dorsal view, 35 = body in ventral view, 36 = prodorsum in lateral view