Sperchon (Sperchon) kinabaluensis, n. sp.
Creators: name: Smit, Harry
name: Pešić, Vladimir
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2014
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Trombidiformes
Sperchonidae
Sperchon
Sperchon kinabaluensis

description: Sperchon (Sperchon) kinabaluensis n. sp.
(Figs. 4A–K, 5A–C)
Type series. Holotype male, dissected and slide mounted, Kipungit River, Poring Hot Springs, Mt. Kinabalu, 6° 0 2.776 N, 116° 41.432 E, alt. 568 m asl., 15-ix-2012 (RMNH). Paratype: one female, first stream Minduk Sirung Trail, Alab, Crocker Range, Borneo, Malaysia, 5° 49.249 N, 116° 19.862 E, alt. 1781 m asl., 23-ix-2012, palps and gnathosoma dissected and slide mounted, idiosoma conserved in Koenike fluid (RMNH).
Further records. 1(juv.)/0/0, Little Lumotok stream, Sayap, Borneo, Malaysia, 6° 0 9.497 N, 116° 34.027 E, alt. 1069 m asl., 17-ix-2012.
Diagnosis. Muscle attachment plates sclerotized, with pores often subtriangular, giving the plates the aspect of a spoke-wheel. P2 distoventrally with a long rounded projection, inner margin of the segment with 4–5 stout setae, closer to ventral margin; P3 with a few setae on inner and outer margin, ventrolaterally with one club-shaped seta on a small protuberance in distal part; P4 relatively short, with ventral peg setae close to each other, proximal peg seta larger than distal one.
Description. Membranous integument papillate; dorsal integument papillae can be enlarged, in male obfuscating the areolate ground pattern. Dorsum with ten paired muscle attachment plates (Fig. 5A), from anterior to posterior: medially, 1) roundish prefrontalia, 2) large plates consisting of postfrontalia, postocularia and dc-1, 3) roundish dc-2 located close to each other (fused in male); 4) larger and more distanced dc-3 (more roundish in male, elongated in female), 5) small dc-4; laterally, 6) round plate dl-1 flanking praeocular setae, 7)-10) round or round-elongated plates dl-2-5 located at level of interspace dc-1/2, dc-3, and interspace dc-3/4, respectively. The pores on the plates often subtriangular giving the plate the aspect of a spoke-wheel. Coxal field: Cx-III without a glandularium. Genital field: Ac-1–2 longish, Ac-3 roundish. Excretory pore surrounded by a sclerotized ring. Capitulum with very short rostrum (Figs. 4D–E). Palp: P1 without dorsal seta, P2 distoventrally with a long rounded projection, at its tip bearing three fine setae, two long and one short, inner face of the segment with 4–5 stout setae, closer to ventral margin; P3 ventrally slightly concave, with a few setae on inner and outer face, laterally with one club-shaped seta on a small protuberance in distal part; P4 relatively short, with ventral peg setae close to each other, proximal peg seta larger than distal one. Legs: III–IV-leg with short, not plumose dorsal setae (Fig. 4F); claws with blade slightly protruding, bearing a long dorsal and a short ventral clawlet (Fig. 4G).
Measurement. Male (holotype)—Idiosoma (ventral view: Fig. 4A) length 894, width 688; distance between anterior tip of Cx-I and posterior margin of Cx-IV 494, Cx-III width 650; genital flap (Fig. 4B) length 113–116, length Ac-1–3: 45–47, 52–53, 33–36; ejaculatory complex (Fig. 4K) L 117. Capitulum length 178; chelicera (Fig. 4C) total length 169, height 50, length/height ratio 3.4, basal segment length 138, claw length 40, basal segment/ claw length ratio 3.44; palp: total L 226, dorsal length/height, dorsal length/height ratio: P1, 19/35, 0.52; P2, 60/68, 0.89; P3, 54/48, 1.13; P-4, 51/28, 1.8; P5, 41.5/15, 2.75; length P2/P4 ratio 1.18. Legs: dorsal length of I-leg-2–6: 66, 68, 146, 143, 133; dorsal length of IV-leg-2–6: 99, 119, 208, 172, 184.
Female (paratype)—Idiosoma length 1150, width 938; distance between anterior tip of Cx-I and posterior margin of Cx-IV 637, Cx-III width 803; genital flap (Fig. 5B) length 145, length Ac-1–3: 73–75, 61–63, 50–53. Capitulum ventral length 234; chelicera total length 215, height 53, length/height ratio 3.9, basal segment length 181, claw length 47, length basal segment/claw ratio 3.87; palp (Fig. 5C): total length 317, dorsal length/height, dorsal length/height ratio: P1, 29/44, 0.67; P2, 75/81.5, 0.93; P3, 81.5/69, 1.18; P4, 78.5/35, 2.27; P5, 51.5/20, 2.58; length P2/P4 ratio 0.96. Legs: dorsal length of I-leg-2-6: 91, 133, 184, 197, 156; dorsal length of IV-leg-2–6: 119, 148, 266, 219, 194.
Etymology. Named after the island where the new species was detected.
Remarks. Due to the similar morphology of dorsum (muscle attachment plates sclerotized, dc-2 fused to each other in male), venter (Cx-3 without a glandularium, excretory pore surrounded by a sclerotized ring), palp (P2 with rounded distoventral projection) and legs (claw with dorsal and ventral clawlet), the new species resembles Sperchon cornutoides Lundblad, 1941 from Java (Lundblad 1936, 1971). This species differs in the finely striated integument, dorsal plates without the characteristic spoke-wheel porosity, and the palp (P-2 with a shorter distoventral projection, setae on inner margin of the segment closer to dorsal margin, P-3 ventral margin without a club-shaped seta in distal part).
Distribution. Borneo.
description: Published as part of Smit, Harry & Pešić, Vladimir, 2014, Water mites from Mount Kinabalu and the Crocker Range, Borneo, Malaysia (Acari: Hydrachnidia), with the description of 34 new species, pp. 1-71 in Zootaxa 3876 (1) on pages 9-13, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3876.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/287281