Athyreacarus camerikae Khaustov & Frolov 2022, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Khaustov, Alexander A.
name: Frolov, Andrey V.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Trombidiformes
Athyreacaridae
Athyreacarus
Athyreacarus camerikae

description: Athyreacarus camerikae sp. nov.
(Figs 14–20)
Description. Female. Body broadly fusiform. Length of idiosoma 405 (350–405), width 230 (190–255).
Gnathosoma (Fig. 15). Gnathosomal capsule, excluding palps, broadly oval, length 64 (61–64), width 66 (64– 69). One pair of barbed, blunt-tipped cheliceral setae cha 29 (27–29). Postpalpal setae (pp) 12 (11–12) blunt-tipped, with tiny subapical barbs. Setae m 10 (9–10) smooth and blunt-tipped, n 53 (51–54) pointed and barbed. Setae dFe 14 (14–16) and dGe 36 (32–36) weakly barbed; setae dFe blunt-tipped, dGe pointed. Tibial claw very small, with tiny basal projection. Pharynx typical for the genus. Ass almost three times shorter than palpal solenidion. Tiny eupathid-like seta on palpal tibiotarsus located dorsally. Cheliceral stylet length 20 (18–22).
Idiosomal dorsum (Figs 14A, 18, 20A). All dorsal shields with tiny puncta (Fig. 20A). Prodorsal shield without lateral projections. Setae sc1 present, strongly reduced to alveolar remnants (Fig. 20A). All dorsal setae weakly barbed; setae v2 and e blunt-tipped, other dorsal setae pointed. Cupules ia on tergite D, im, ip on tergite EF and ih on tergite H small, round. Tergites C, D, and EF with pore-like structures typical for the genus. Stigmata round. Pseudanal segment shorter than tergite H. Lengths of dorsal setae: v1 73 (72–74), v2 34 (30–35), sc2 140 (140– 145), c1 125 (120–125), c2 150 (145–150), d 140 (130–145), e 37 (33–39), f 145 (120–145), h1 115 (95–115), h2 110 (100–110). Distances between setae: v1–v1 47 (39–48), v2–v2 75 (68–80), sc1–sc1 78 (68–84), sc2–sc2 89 (79–89), c1–c1 87 (66–88), c1–c2 49 (46–50), d–d 95 (77–96), e–e 88 (76–89), f–f 91 (76–94), h1–h1 52 (47–52), h1–h2 20 (15–21).
Idiosomal venter (Figs 14B, 19, 20B–D). All ventral plates with tiny puncta (Figs 20B–D). All ventral setae weakly barbed. Setae 1b and 2c blunt-tipped, other ventral setae pointed. Ap5 long, extending beyond bases of setae 4a. Aggenital plate with three pairs of aggenital setae (Fig. 20D). Female holotype with additional pair of setae on coxisternal fields III (3x), other specimens with normal three pairs of setae (Fig. 20C). Anal opening terminal. Length of mid-sternal plate 68 (66–68), width 42 (42–46); ratio length/width 1.4–1.6. Lengths of ventral setae: 1a 39 (39–45), 1b 27 (23–30), 1c 27 (27–30), 2a 53 (51–55), 2b 41 (40–42), 2c 33 (25–34), 3a 35 (26–35), 3b 48 (41–48), 3c 47 (43–48), 4a 47 (46–48), 4b 56 (55–57), 4c 41 (35–42), ag1 50 (42–50), ag2 62 (47–63), ag3 58 (48–58), ps1 64 (59–65), ps2 69 (61–70), ps3 42 (41–48).
Legs (Figs 16, 17). Leg I (Fig. 16A): setae l’, v’ of femur, v’ of genu, k of tibia, and s, pv’, pv”, pl’, (p), (tc), (ft) of tarsus smooth, other leg setae barbed; setae l’, v’ of femur, v’ of genu, v’ and k of tibia and s, pv”, (p), (tc), (ft) of tarsus blunt-tipped, other leg setae pointed; lengths of solenidia ω1 12 (11–12), ω2 10 (9–10), φ1 11 (11–12), φ2 9 (8–9); all solenidia digitiform. Leg II (Fig. 16B): solenidia ω 12 (11–12) and φ 10 (9–10) digitiform; setae (u) smooth, other setae weakly barbed; setae l’ of femur blunt-tipped, other leg setae pointed. Leg III (Fig. 17A) similar in shape and length to leg II; solenidion φ 10 (9–10) digitiform; setae (u) smooth, other setae weakly barbed; all setae pointed. Leg IV (Fig. 17B): solenidion φ 10 (9–10) digitiform; all leg setae weakly barbed; seta p’ blunttipped, other leg setae pointed.
Type material. Female holotype, slide No. ZISP T-Ath-013, Republic of South Africa, Northern Cape Prov., Brandvlei, 12-14.VI.1997, Namibiobolbus helgae Gussmann and Scholtz.
Paratypes: 8 females, same data.
Type deposition. The holotype and two paratypes are deposited in the collection of the Zoological Institute of RAS, Saint Petersburg, Russia; other paratypes are deposited in the collection of the Tyumen State University Museum of Zoology, Tyumen, Russia.
Differential diagnosis. The new species is most similar to A. pseudoindicus Khaustov and Frolov, 2021 in having similar setal lengths on idiosoma, presence of one pair of cheliceral setae, presence of cupuli ih and presence of setae 1c. The new species clearly differs from A. pseudoindicus only by the presence of tiny setae sci (completely absent in A. pseudoindicus).
Also females of the new species are phoretic on beetles of the genus Namibiobolbus, while A. pseudoindicus phoretic on beetles of the genus Mimobolbus.
Etymology. The new species named after Anne M. Camerik who passed away in 2021, for her contribution to study of heterostigmatic mites of South Africa.
description: Published as part of Khaustov, Alexander A. & Frolov, Andrey V., 2022, New taxa of Athyreacaridae (Acari: Heterostigmata) from Neotropical and Afrotropical realms, pp. 501-520 in Zootaxa 5188 (6) on pages 513-518, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5188.6.1, http://zenodo.org/record/7103562