Gittella uariabilis, Ermilov & Sandmann & Marian & Maraun, 2013

Ermilov, Sergey G., Sandmann, Dorothee, Marian, Franca & Maraun, Mark, 2013, Two new oribatid mite species of the genus Gittella from Ecuador, add _ journal _ name _ here 36 (1), pp. 1-8 : 2-3

Gittella uariabilis spec. nov.

Figs 1-19

Material examined. Holotype: male, Southern Ecuador, 3°58'S 79°50'W, Estación Científica San Francisco, 2000 m a.s.l., upper organic soil layer in mostly undisturbed rain forest, 01.04.2008 ( ZISP) . – Paratypes: five males and one female in SZMN, and five males in PC, same locality and date as holotype .

Diagnosis. Body size 647-680 × 332-356. Surface of notogaster and anogenital region smooth or foveolate. Interbothridial region with two pairs of muscle sigilla. Interlamellar setae longer than rostral and lamellar setae; all setiform, ciliate unilaterally. Sensilli setiform, with four to five long branches. Notogastral setae long, ciliate unilaterally. Epimeral region with muscle sigilla. Anogenital setae smooth (except ciliate adanal setae). Lyrifissures iad located in inverse apoanal or paraanal position.

Description

Measurements: Body length 647 (holotype), 647- 680 (mean 660; 11 paratypes); notogaster width 348 (holotype), 332-356 (mean 346; 11 paratypes).

Integument ( Figs 1-3 ): Body colour brown to yellow-brownish. Dorsal surface of prodorsum smooth; lateral sides with small microgranulate parts between bothridia and acetabula I, II. Interbothridial region with two pairs of distinct muscle sigilla. Surface of notogaster and anogenital region smooth or rarely foveolate (diameter foveolae up to 4 µm). Distance between foveolae considerable longer than diameter of foveolae. Epimeral region with numerous muscle sigilla.

Prodorsum ( Figs 1, 3-8 ): Rostrum rounded. Lamellar lines thin, not visible absolutely in many specimens. Triangular tubercle located posteriorly to each bothridium and interlamellar seta. Rostral (ro, 45-53), lamellar (le, 53-61), interlamellar (in, 90-102) and exobothridial (ex, 24-36) setae setiform, with short cilia unilaterally. Sensilli (ss, 127-143) setiform, having four (rarely five) long branches in medio-distal part.

Notogaster ( Fig. 1 ): Anterior border convex. A pair of setae c is absent (only alveoli present).Twelve other pairs of notogastral setae long (123-151), setiform, with short cilia unilaterally. Setae in anterior half of body slightly shorter than in posterior half. Lyrifissures ia, im, ip, ih and ips distinct, located typically for genus. Opisthonotal gland openings (gla) located posteriorly to setae h 3.

Gnathosoma ( Figs 9-12 ): Subcapitulum longer than wide (155-168 × 98-110). Subcapitular setae (a, m, h) setiform, smooth, similar in length (20-28). Two pairs of adoral setae (or 1, or 2, 4-6) present, thorn-like.Palps (82-94) with setation 0-2-1-3-9(+ω). Setae of femora with long, thickened cilia; setae of genua and tibia with short cilia unilaterally; setae of tarsi smooth. Solenidion long, thickened, blunt-ended, pressed to the palptarsus surface, attached with distal seta u" in distal half. Chelicerae (159-168) chelate-dentate. Cheliceral setae setiform, barbed; cha (36-45) longer than chb (24-28). Trägårdh’ s organ (Tg) distinct.

Epimeral and lateral podosomal regions ( Figs 2, 3 , 13, 14 ): Epimeral border IV convex posteriorly. Epimeral setae setiform; 1c, 3c and 4c with short cilia unilaterally, others smooth. Setae 3c, 4a and 4c (53-57) longer than 1b, 1c, 3b (32-41) and 1a, 2a, 3a, 4b (16-20). Pedotecta I (Pd I) convex. Discidia (dis) triangular, blunt-ended.

ro

Anogenital region ( Figs 2 , 15, 16 ): Five pairs of genital (g 1 - g 5, 16-20), one pair of aggenital (ag, 16-20) and two pairs of anal (an 1, 36-49; an 2, 28-32) setiform, smooth. Three pairs of adanal setae (ad 1, 98-118; ad 2, 77-90; ad 3, 49-57) setiform, with short cilia unilaterally. Lyrifissures iad located in inverse apoanal (paraanal in two specimens; left lyrifissure inverse apoanal, right lirifissure paraanal in one specimen) position.

Legs ( Figs 17-19 ): Generally, similar to Gittella ecuadoriensis Ermilov & Kalúz, 2012 . Formulae of leg setation and solenidia: I (1-5-2-4-20) [1-2-2], II (1-5-2-4-16) [1-1-2], III (2-3-1-3-15) [1-1-0], IV (1-2-2-3-12) [0-1-0]; homology of setae and solenidia indicated in Table 1. Setae p on tarsi I setiform; on tarsi II-IV thorn-like. Setae tc' on leg II, tc" on leg III, a" on leg IV with thickened cilia bilaterally. Setae a', s, po' on leg II, a", s, po" on leg III, po" on leg IV with thickened cilia unilaterally. Famulus (e) setiform, straight or bent, blunt-ended. Solenidia ω 1, ω 2 on tarsi I, II, Φ 2 on tibiae I, Φ on tibiae II, σ on tibiae III thickened, blunt-ended. Other solenidia thinner and longer, weakly blunt distally.

Etymology. The specific name oariabilis refers to the variability of some morphological characters (body surface, orientation of lyrifissures iad).

Remarks. In having the combination of morphological characters (setiform, branched sensilli; long and ciliate notogastral setae; length of adanal setae; presence of two pairs of interbothridial muscle sigilla), Gittella oariabilis spec. nov. is most similar to Gittella maxima (Balogh & Mahunka, 1981) (see Balogh & Mahunka 1981), however, it differs from the latter le in ss ex by the morphology of sensilli (with long four to five branches in the new species versus with four long and four short branches in G. maxima ), presence of muscle sigilla in epimeral region (versus absent in G. maxima ), morphology of notogastral setae (ciliate unilaterally in the new species versus ciliate not unilaterally in G. maxima ).

Figures

Figs 1- 3. Gittella oariabilis spec. nov. 1. Dorsal view. 2. Ventral view (legs, subcapitular setae and palps not shown). 3. Lateral view of prodorsum (legs and gnathosoma not shown). Scale bars: 1, 2 = 200 µm; 3 = 100 µm.

Figs 4- 12. Gittella oariabilis spec. nov. 4. Rostral seta. 5. Lamellar seta. 6. Interlamellar seta. 7. Sensillus. 8. Exobothridial seta. 9. Subcapitulum, left half. 10. Adoral setae. 11. Palp. 12. Chelicera, anterior part. Scale bars: 4,5, 8, 10,11 = 10 µm; 6,7,12 = 20 µm; 9 = 50 µm.

Figs 13- 19. Gittella oariabilis spec. nov. 13. Epimeral seta 4a. 14. Epimeral seta 4c. 15. Genital plate, right. 16. Anal plate, right. 17. Leg tarsus I, right, antiaxial view, anterior part. 18. Seta tc' on leg tarsus II. 19. Seta po' on leg tarsus II. Scale bars: 13,14,17-19 = 10 µm; 15, 16 = 20 µm.