Oribatella flagellata Behan-Pelletier 2011, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Behan-Pelletier, V. M.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2011
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Sarcoptiformes
Oribatellidae
Oribatella
Oribatella flagellata

description: Oribatella flagellata sp. nov.   
(Figs. 5, 6A–C)  
 Material examined. Holotype: male USA: Virginia, Grayson Co., Hwy 603 at Fox Creek, 6km W Troutdale, 5.viii.1986 (EEL) from Trametes versicolor (L.) polypore fungi and lichen on hardwood, deposited in the CNC, type number 23954. Paratypes: 1 female with same data as holotype; Virginia, Nelson Co., Washington National Forest, Blue Ridge Parkway, Wintergreen Trail, 1.x.1992 (VBP) 1 male from litter under dead shagbark hickory in oak/hemlock forest; Canada, Québec, Gatineau Park, 22.x.1965 (W.G. Matthewman) 1 from Fomes fomentarius; 9.v.–31.x.1968 (D.P. Pielou) 24 from Polyporus betulinus. Paratypes deposited in the CNC.   
 Diagnosis. Total length of adult 410–440 µm. Integument of prodorsum, notogaster, anal plates, genital plates, venter and mentum microtuberculate. Rostrum with medial indentation and 2 strong lateral teeth; without strong medial crest. Lamella (including cusp) about 133 µm long; cusp about 90 µm long, about 38 µm wide at level of insertion of seta le. Translamella without tooth, interlamellar region distinctly V-shaped posteriorly. Ten pairs of smooth, flagellate notogastral setae present; about 50 µm long (tips of some setae broken on specimens), lm posterior of Aa, and lp anteromedial of A1; mutual distance  p 1 –p 1  about 20 µm, narrower than distance  h 1 –h 1  (about 35 µm). Tarsi heterotridactylous.   
 Description. Adult. Dimensions: Total length: paratype female 440 µm; holotype male 410 µm. Notogastral width: paratype female 310 µm; holotype male 275 µm.   
 Integument: Prodorsum, notogaster, anal plates, genital plates, venter and mentum microtuberculate, microtubercles and striae on coxisternum. Tutorium with small reticulate pattern dorsally. Lamellae with widely spaced, faint longitudinal striae.   
 Prodorsum: Rostrum with medial indentation and 2 strong lateral teeth; without strong medial crest (Fig. 6A). Lamella (including cusp) about 133 µm long, cusp about 90 µm long, about 38 µm wide at level of insertion of seta le. Lamellar cusps contiguous anteromedially; separated posteromedially, leaving prodorsum visible through oval opening, about 13 µm wide x 33 µm long. Translamella without tooth, about 13 µm at greatest width, interlamellar region distinctly V-shaped posteriorly (Fig. 5). Medial dens on lamellar cusp about 40 µm long, without teeth; lateral dens about 50 µm long with 0–1 tooth on lateral margin (Fig. 5). Setae ro about 88 µm long, strongly barbed along length, acuminate, curved anteromedially. Setae le about 85 µm long, thick, heavily barbed, tapered. Setae in about 130 µm long, thick (less so than le), barbed, tapered, parallel; mutual distance of pair about 40 µm. Bothridial setae about 75 µm long, with barbed, club-shaped head, tapered distally, stalk short, smooth; head directed slightly anteromedially (Fig. 5). Exobothridial setae about 16 µm long, thin, smooth.   
 Lateral aspect of podosoma: Genal tooth broad, subrectangular, with dens ventrodistally, with longitudinal ridge ventrally (Fig. 6A). Tutorium broad, rectangular about 133 µm long, of which cusp about 68 µm long, rectangular, distal margin with 5–6 dens (Fig. 6B). Custodium about 31 µm long, extending to middle of pedotectum II (Fig. 6C). Porose area Al about 7 µm in diameter.   
 Notogaster: Length subequal to width. Anterior margin undulating, convex lateral of bothridium, with 2–3 transverse ridges. Pteromorph without striae; with or without small dens on anteroventral margin. Octotaxic system in form of porose areas, 10–12 µm in diameter. Ten pairs of smooth, flagellate notogastral setae present; about 50 µm long (tips of some setae broken on specimens), with c seta longest; lm posterior of Aa, and lp anteromedial of A1; distance  p 1 –p 1  about 20 µm, narrower than distance  h 1 –h 1  (about 35 µm) (Fig. 5). Diffuse subtriangular lenticulus present (not illustrated).   
 Ventral region: Epimeral setae mostly about 11–21 µm long, weakly barbed acuminate, 3c about 32 µm long, distinctly barbed, 4c about 32 µm long, thick and heavily barbed, much thicker than other epimeral setae (Fig. 6C). Genital, anal and adanal setae weakly barbed, about 13 µm long; genital setae 3 + 3, 3 setae on anterior margin of plate. Aggenital setae about 5 µm. Lyrifissure iad anterolateral of and almost parallel to anal plate. Postanal porose area about 30 x 5 µm.   
 Gnathosoma: Mentum without transverse carina anteriorly, without tectum. Axillary saccule about 4 x 2 µm.   
 Legs: Setation (I to IV): trochanters, 1-1-2-1; femora, 5-5-3-2; genua, 3(1)-3(1)-1(1)-2; tibiae 4(2)-4(1)-3(1)- 3(1); tarsi, 20(2)-15(2)-15-12. Setae l” on genu I about 38 µm; l” on genu II about 43 µm. Tarsi heterotridactylous.   
 Etymology. The specific epithet refers to the flagellate form of the notogastral setae.   
 Distribution and Ecology. This species is known only from different species of polypore fungi. The 1965 record from Gatineau Park, Québec was included in the study of the fauna of Fomes fomentarius (Pielou & Matthewman 1966), incorrectly identified as Oribatella quadricornuta.
description: Published as part of Behan-Pelletier, V. M., 2011, Oribatella (Acari, Oribatida, Oribatellidae) of eastern North America, pp. 1-56 in Zootaxa 2973 (1) on page 13, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.2973.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/5295835