Fungiseius clavulisetis Moraza & Lindquist, 2011, n. sp.
Creators: name: Moraza, María L.
name: Lindquist, Evert E.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2011
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Mesostigmata
Blattisociidae
Fungiseius
Fungiseius clavulisetis

description: Fungiseius clavulisetis n. sp.
(Figs 38–58, 60)
Diagnosis. Adults with the following apomorphic attributes: dorsal shield with setae Z4 and Z5 enlarged and with capitate tips; female with sternal setae st4 and poroids iv3 on metasternal strips narrowly connected to sternal shield; subcapitulum with elongated internal malae; tritosternum enlarged, with brushy laciniae; tarsi II–IV with seta md attenuate, erect, and with apical setal processes ad1, pd1 dilated basally; tarsus II with setae al -1, pl -1 greatly thickened, claw-like; legs III and IV with ventral setae thickened, spine-like. Distinguishing plesiomorphic attributes include: dorsal shield holotrichous, setae z3, z6, J1-J3 present, caudal setae J5 as long as other setae of J - series; female dorsal shield expansive, with setae s2 and r2-r5 along with S1-S5 inserted on delineated lateral rim; female with small, reticulated ventrianal shield longer than wide; legs I–II chaetotaxy complete, trochanter I with six setae, genu I and tibia I each with 13 setae (av -2 present), genu II with 11 setae (ad -3 present).
Description. ADULT FEMALE. Dorsal shield 380–395 long, 211–222 at its greatest width at level of setae r3; shield reticulated over most of surface (Fig. 38) except for medial region, and with delineated lateral margins bearing setae s2, r2-r5, S1-S5; shield with 37 pairs of moderately short, attenuated, smooth setae, except Z4 and Z5 enlarged, and the longest setae (Fig. 39). Dorsal setae of heterogeneous lengths (Fig. 39), z1 and s2 shortest (4–6), j1 (16–20), j2, z3, z4, s5, r3 (19–21), s3, s4, z5 (26–30), z2 longest podonotal setae (36–40); j6, J1, J2 (16–18) slightly longer than j3-j5 before them and J3-J5 behind them (12–13); Z1-Z3 (15), S2 (20) slightly longer than S1, S3-S5 (15–18); Z4-Z5 enlarged, longest (61–73), with capitate tips and few barbs. Lateral soft cuticle with five pairs of simple R -marginal setae (9–11). Peritrematal plates narrow, uniting with dorsal shield anteriorly at level of setae s1 and with exopodal shield anteriorly at level of tip of peritremes and posteriorly with exopodal strip alongside coxae IV at level of poststigmatal extension (Figs 38, 46); peritremes long, reaching anteriorly to level of setae s1.
Tritosternum (Fig. 42) enlarged, with base longer (32–40) than wide (11–12), with laciniae horse-tail shaped, free for about 0.6 of total length (75–85 excluding base), with long dense fimbria. Presternal area densely granulate, with five pairs of transverse lines. Sternal shield (Fig. 46) length from anterior margin at level between setae st1 to posterior margin 107–109, narrowest width 72–75, smooth, except faintly lineate along lateral margins, with irregular posterior margin, and well developed, long endopodal extensions between coxae I–II and between coxae II–III. Sternal setae s1-st3 of similar length (16–19), st4 shorter (12–15) on reduced metapodal strips narrowly connected with posterior corners of sternal shield. Sternal poroids iv3 on paraxial lateral margin of reduced metapodal elements. Endopodal strips moderately developed between coxae III and IV. Epigynal shield (115–120 long, 33–37 wide) smooth, axe-shaped with truncate posterior margin and parallel lateral margins, with genital setae st5 (12– 15) subequally as long as st4. Paragenital poroids on soft cuticle well removed from posterolateral margins of epigynal shield; a deep postgenital furrow embeds four small elongate postgenital platelets or sigillae. Ventrianal shield transversely lineated anterior to anus, smooth with sparse puncta posteriorly, with delineated anal region, midlength 82–90, greatest width at level of setae JV1 73–77, width at level of glandular pores laterad paranal setae 51– 52; distance (ca. 20) between posterior margin of anus and base of postanal seta similar to distance between paranal setae; lateral sigillae on either side of anal opening conspicuous; ventrianal shield with opisthogastric setae JV1- JV2 (10–11) slightly longer than ZV2 (8), and postanal seta (20–26) twice as long as paranal setae (10–13). Soft cuticle with six pairs of opisthogastric setae, ZV1, ZV3, ZV4 (5–8) shorter than JV4 and ZV5 (10), and JV5 longest (20–22). Peritrematal shield narrow, little wider than peritreme, bearing three poroids, three gland pores, and consolidated with exopodal strip curving behind coxa IV (Fig. 46) at tip of poststigmatal projection. Exopodal strip free along nearly its entire length and fused with peritrematal and dorsal shield at level of anterior end of peritreme. Two or three pairs of metapodal platelets, larger pair ovoid. Spermathecal apparatus small (length ca. 20–25), very narrow (1.5), baculiform, with weakly sclerotized calyx (7), hardly discernible embolus, and fine, nearly indiscernible minor duct (Fig. 47).
Gnathotectum with anterior margin irregularly triangular, finely denticulate (Fig. 43). Cheliceral shaft, excluding basal section, 63–65 long, with small digits (Fig. 41); fixed digit with minute (1–2) pilus dentilis at mid-length of masticatory surface, with row of four teeth along apical half of masticatory surface and one offset subapical tooth; movable digit (20–24) with row of three coarse teeth along apical half of masticatory surface (Fig. 40); dorsal lyrifissure large, dorsal seta minute, blunt. Corniculi (22–24) with medial edges and pointed apices well-separated and parallel (Figs 44, 45); internal malae cylindrical, folded, much longer than corniculi, and with smooth lateral margins. Deutosternum with seven rows of denticles each with few (7–10) fine teeth, all rows of the same width and connected except most basal row. Subcapitulum with setae pc (14) similar in length to hp3 and hp1 (12– 15), hp2 short, slightly spine-like (4–5). Palpal length 74–76; palptrochanter with inner seta thicker and longer (16– 17) than outer seta (6); palpfemur with seta al (11) spatulate, flat tipped, dorsal setae thickened, spine-like, thin tipped; palpgenu with seta al -1 more narrowly spatulate than al -2, both with rounded tips (9); palptarsal claw with two tines spatulate with rounded tips.
Legs I–IV of similar lengths, shorter than dorsal shield length; legs I and IV subequally longest, about 0.6 as long as dorsal shield; leg lengths (excluding pretarsi): I 230–236, II 205–214, III 188–200, IV 225–237. Leg II nearly twice as thick as other legs (coxa and genu II about 2.0 as wide as coxa and genu I) (Fig. 60). Tarsi II–IV with pair of apical setal processes ad -1, pd -1 (11–12), about half as long as length of pretarsi to base of claws (18– 22), with widened base (Fig. 57). Tarsi II–IV with apical ventral process well developed (7–9), acutely triangular, about half as long as pretarsi to base of claws (Fig. 57). Leg I segment length ratios, femur: genu: tibia: tarsus, about 1.0: 0.9: 0.9: 1.2; tarsus (52–53) longer than femur (41–42) and subequal genu and tibia (37–38); length of pretarsus I to base of claws (15). Legs III and IV each with tarsus about 2.4 times as long as tibia. Coxae I–IV lineated on ventral surfaces (Figs 52–55); coxal setae simple, moderately long (11–19). Legs I to IV with the most complete chaetotactic formulae of segments as described for subgenus. Most setae on legs somewhat spine-like. Leg I (Figs 48, 52) with setae pl -1 and pv -1 longer (15–20) than other setae on femur, genu and tibia. Leg II (Figs 49, 53) with seta pv -1 flagelliform (26) on trochanter and femur; setae al -1 and pl -1 strongly thickened, claw-like (22), on telotarsus; telotarsus with five ventral setae spine-like, av -1 (13), pv -1 with fine tip (16), av -2, pv -2 and mv (10); seta md (22) thin and erect; other tarsal setae slender (Figs 57, 58). Legs III and IV similar in form, with setae pl -1, pv -1 on trochanter, femur, genu and tibia spine-like, thicker than dorsal setae (Figs 50–51); tarsi III and IV with setae al -1, al -2, al -3, pl -1, av -1, pv -1, mv (13) spine-like, thicker than other tarsal setae, md longest (29) and erect (Fig. 56).
Type material. All specimens, HOLOTYPE and 3 PARATYPES, adult females, collected from one sample: 5 miles (ca 8 km) north of El Bosque, Chiapas Province, MEXICO (ca 17° 07' N, 92° 43' W, elevation ca 750 m), ex small bracket fungi on log over creek, 10 June 1969, coll. E.E. Lindquist. The holotype and one paratype are deposited in the Canadian National Collection of Insects and Arachnids (CNCI), Research Branch, Agriculture & Agri- Food Canada, Ottawa; one paratype each is deposited in the Museo de Zoología, Universidad de Navarra (MZU- NAV), Pamplona, Spain, and in the Colección Nacional de Ácaros, Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México D.F.
Etymology. The specific epithet, clavulisetus, is based on the Latin “ clavula ”, meaning “little club”, and “ seta ”, meaning ‘bristle” or a hair, and refers to the two pairs of elongated and distinctively clavate-tipped setae borne on the dorsal shield of these mites.
Remarks. The area between El Bosque (elevation 1080 m) and Simojovel (660 m) from which the sample of bracket fungi containing this species was collected is subtropical forest with mixed oak and pine. Although one of us (EEL) has collected many samples of mites from bracket fungi in widespread temperate and tropical areas of Mexico, members of this species have been found in only one sample, along with a varied assortment of other mesostigmatans that remain unidentified.
description: Published as part of Moraza, María L. & Lindquist, Evert E., 2011, A new genus of fungus-inhabiting blattisociid mites (Acari: Mesostigmata: Phytoseioidea) from Middle America, with a key to genera and subgenera of the subfamily Blattisociinae, pp. 1-25 in Zootaxa 2758 on pages 14-19, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.276757