Pilobatella baloghi, Mahunka, 2003

Mahunka, S., 2003, Baloghoizetes Gen. N. And Two New Species From Kenya (Acari: Oribatida), Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 49 (1), pp. 17-23 : 21-23

Pilobatella baloghi sp. n.

( Figs 5–8 )

Diagnosis: Lamellae and sublamellae well developed, prelamella hardly visible. All prodorsal setae setiform, ciliate, exobothridial ones conspicuously long and strong. Sensillus setiform, with strong, nearly spiniform cilia. Pteromorphae long. Ten pairs of minute notogastral setae present. Apodemes weakly developed. Six, often 5 setae on each genital plate. Three pairs of aggenital setae. Setae ad 3 originating in preanal position, very near the anterior margin. Tridactylous.

Measurements – Length of body: 520–556 µm, width of body: 277–297 µm.

Prodorsum: Rostral apex slightly elongated, rounded at tip. Lamellae well developed, with dilated basal part, reaching the insertion of lamellar setae ( Fig. 5 ). Lamellar apices curved inwards, a thinner line running from there, bordering the alveoli of the lamellar setae. Prelamellae very weak, hardly observable, reaching to the rostral setae. All prodorsal setae setiform, well ciliate. Rostral setae shorter than the others, setae ex and le nearly equal in length, in longer. Bothridium characteristrically developed, its hind part (svl) very large, rounded ( Fig. 8 ). Sensillus setiform, characteristically bent backwards, cilia strong, becoming dense distally.

Notogaster: Elongate, narrowing behind the posterior part of the pteromorphae. Ten pairs of minute and fine notogastral setae, sometimes only their alveoli visible. Four pairs of sacculi present, all oval, simple.

Lateral view of podorsum: Sublamella strong, but not reaching the bothridium ( Fig. 7 ). Prelamella hardly visible.

Ventral parts ( Fig. 6 ): Apodemes weakly developed, sternal one reduced, only a short part of it visible. Epimeral setae short and simple, all ciliate; formula: 3–1–3–3. Discidium present, its anterior part curved outwards to pedotecta 2–3, custodium absent. Anogenital setal formula: 5(6)–3–2–3. Both examined exemplars have 5 and 6 setae on the different genital plates. Three pairs of very short aggenital setae in characteristic, longitudinally converging rows. Posterior two pairs of adanal setae long and strong, mostly straight, setae ad 3 short, curved, arising very near the anterior corner of the anal aperture. All setae ciliate.

Legs: All legs hetero-tridactylous.

Material examined: Holotype: Kenya, Shimba Hills National Park , near to the Lodge. 10 March, 2001. From litter and soil of montane rainforest. Leg. S. MAHUNKA and L. MAHUNKA- PAPP. Two paratypes from the same sample. Holotype (1663-HO-02) and 1 paratype deposited in Soil Zoological Collection of the Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest, 1 paratype in the Museum d’histoire naturelle, Geneva .

Remarks: The new taxon, as indicated in the introduction, cannot be unequivocally relegated into any known genus. Furthermore, separation of the genera in this group of Oripodoidea based on only a few features, thus, the whole system is rather uncertain.Thus, the new species is provisionally relegated, based on its numberof aggenital setae, to the genus Pilobatella BALOGH et MAHUNKA, 1969 . On the other hand, the number of claws of the new species does not correspond with that of the other Pilobatella species. A characteristic feature of species of this genus is the shape of the sensillus. Accordingly, the new species is similar to P. schauenbergi MAHUNKA, 1977 and P. berlesei BHATTACHARYA et BANERJE, 1980 , though the latter two species have expressed dorsal and ventral sculpture, while these surfaces of the new species are smooth.

Derivatio nominis: The new species is named in honour of Prof. J. BALOGH the renown oribatidologist.

Figures

Figs 5–8. Pilobatella baloghi sp. n.: 5 = body in dorsal view, 6 = body in ventral view, 7 = anterior part of prodorsum, 8 = trichobothrium (legs omitted)