Zambedania africana Mahunka, 1972

Camerik, Anne M. & Magowski, Wojciech Ł., 2014, The genus Zambedania Mahunka 1972 (Acari: Heterostigmatina: Pygmephoridae) — redescription of the type species Z. africana and descriptions of two new species from Africa and South America, Zootaxa 3793 (1), pp. 71-98 : 73-75

Zambedania africana Mahunka, 1972

Figs 1–6 .

Zambedania africana Mahunka, 1972 , p. 152, figs. 1–4.

Diagnosis. The female of Z. africana is uniquely different from that of its congeners by having two claws on Ta IV (instead of one). It differs from Z. madagascariana by having its stigmata entire (vs. divided); setae h1> h2. It differs in turn from Z. argentiniana by short stigmata less than half the length of the PdS (vs. over half length of PdS); aggenital plate smooth (instead of with scale-like ornamentation), tibiotarsus I robust (rather than slender) and empodium IV present (rather than absent).

Redescription. Phoretic female (holotype; measurements in Table 2 ).

Gnathosoma. Cheliceral setae ch1 slightly anterior of ch2; both smooth, equally long. Palpal setae d Fe and d Ge short, smooth. Supracoxal setae pp indiscernible. Dorsomedian apodeme and ventral structures obfuscated. Pharyngeal pumps indiscernible.

Idiosomal dorsum ( Fig. 1 B). PdS with anterior edge rounded, somewhat truncate, with stigmatal slits not reaching anterior edge. Seta v2 short, inserted slightly anteriad of scapulars sc2. Bothridial sc1 globose, coarsely barbed; sc2 long and strongly barbed. Opisthosomal dorsum with setae c1, d, e and f barbed, on protuberances. Setae h1 ca. twice longer than h2. Setae c2 and h2 long, barbed. No cupules seen.

Idiosomal venter ( Fig. 1 A). Apodemes ap 1 and ap 2 complete. Appr posteriorly links almost continuously to well-developed apsej. Sclerotized ap 3 and 4 extend from anterior edges of bases of legs III and IV and fuse with incompletely formed appo. Ap 5 rudimentary, at posterior edge of base of legs IV. Ag distally subcircular, smooth. Ventral setae smooth to slightly or strongly barbed. Seta 2b longest. Barbed ps2 longest of pseudanal setae.

Legs. Legs I ( Figs. 2–3 ). TiTa: apical large, sharp claw, flanked on each side by stout, leaf-shaped unguinals u' - u". Eupathidia on pinnacula: proral p" dorsolaterad of claw, laterad tectals tc'-tc". Fastigials ft'-ft" inserted dorsolaterad on exoskeletal elevation and separated by "cleft" from tectals. Relative sizes of eupathidia: ft' ~ 2/ 3 ft "; tc' ca. ½ tc" (ft" ~ tc" subequal, longest of all eupathidia); p" ~ ft' but> tc'. Solenidia: ω long, φ1 and φ2 about ½ ω. Relative sizes of setae: smooth pl' <barbed pl"; pv' <pv", both barbed; smooth s ~ pv'. Tibial barbed v' ~ v"; l' ~ l" ~ barbed seta k. Seta d longest on segment and placed more dorsally and closely to cluster φ1- φ2 than seta k. Ge: barbed v' somewhat <one-sided feathered v"; l' almost ~ 2 l". Fe: d> 2 v "; v"> l’. Tr: v’ ~ 3/4 Ge v".

Legs II ( Fig. 4 ). Padlike empodium between two simple, curved terminal claws. Ta: tc' <pl" and ~ tc"; pv' ~ to pv", both feathered; u' distalmost and shortest seta on segment; solenidion ω baculate, about ~ 2Ti φ. Ti: v', ~ feathered v"; φ short, slightly> 1/3 of segmental length and close to d; Ge: l' shortest seta; l" ~ 5/6 v'. Fe: d strongly barbed, longest seta of leg, reaching almost to tip of empodium II; smooth v" <barbed l'. Tr: v' slightly barbed, ~ Fe v".

Legs III ( Fig. 5). Two simple terminal claws, empodium as in leg II. Ta: pl" longest seta on segment, barbed; tc' stout, slightly barbed, ~ tc"; pv' <pv", both barbed; u' short, barbed, distalmost on segment. Ti: d close to minute φ; v' ~ v"; l' longest. Ge: barbed l'> v’. Fe: d longest on leg; v' barbed, 1/2 d. Tr: v' somewhat> 1/2 Fe d.

Legs IV ( Fig. 6 ). Two terminal, simple claws and empodium as in leg III. Ta: tc' ′ ~ pl" and> tc'; pv'> pv". Ti: l' barbed, ~ v"; v' slightly> v"; seta d close to small solenidion φ and> v'. Ge: v' 9/10 Ti d. Fe: d longest of setae but <whole leg IV; v’ ~ Ti l'. Tr: v' barbed, ~ Fe v'.

Material examined. Zambedania africana Mahunka 1972 . Holotype: loc. Rhodesia (currently Zimbabwe), Melsetter, 1700 m. Paratype: date: 1969. II. 17. Leg. R Mussard; paratype: Loc. Rhodesia, Inyanga (currently Nyanga), 1500 m. Date: 1969. II. Leg. R. Mussard (data originating from the original slide labels combined with those from Mahunka's generic description).

Deposition of types. Holotype (HT): Department of Arthropodology and Entomology, Museum of Natural History, Geneva 6, Switzerland. Paratype (PT): Hungarian Natural History Museum, Department of Zoology, HNHM, Heter - 4932. Budapest, Hungary

Remarks. Besides the holotype there is also a paratype available from the Hungarian Natural History Museum ( HNHM), Budapest, Hungary. This rather badly mounted specimen is only mentioned in this article. Measurements taken of this type are so different from the holotype that the data are considered unreliable and not included herewith.

Zambedania spp.

africana madagascariana argentiniana

Figures

FIGURE 1. Zambedania africana Mahunka, 1972. Idiosoma: A—venter, B—dorsum.

FIGURE 2. Zambedania africana Mahunka, 1972. Leg I (left): dorso-lateral view.

FIGURE 3. Zambedania africana Mahunka, 1972. Leg I, tibiotarsus (left): ventro-lateral view (solenidia omitted).

FIGURE 4. Zambedania africana Mahunka, 1972. Leg II (left): dorsal view.

FIGURE 6. Zambedania africana Mahunka, 1972. Leg IV (left): dorsal view.