Podocinella misella
Creators: name: Santos, Jandir C.
name: Mineiro, Jeferson L. de C.
name: de Moraes, Gilberto J.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Mesostigmata
Podocinidae
Podocinella
Podocinella misella

description: Podocinella misella (Berlese, 1913)
Podocinum misellum Berlese, 1913: 83.
Podocinella misella, Evans & Hyatt, 1958: 929.
Type depository — Istituto Sperimentale per la Zoologia Agraria, Florence, Italy.
Previous records — Indonesia (Berlese, 1913 and Evans & Hyatt, 1958), Jamaica (Evans & Hyatt, 1958), Tanzania (Hurulbutt, 1972).
Specimens examined — Alagoas State: three females collected by L. R. Santos on December 11, 2003 at Teotônio Vilela. Minas Gerais State: one female collected by J.C. Santos on March 4, 2013 at Inconfidentes. São Paulo State; two females collected by J.L. de C. Mineiro on June 13, 2011 at Campinas; seven females collected by J.C. Santos on November 27, 2013 at Jaboticabal; two females collected by A. R. Oliveira on July 11, 2000 at Pariquera-Açu; eight females collected by J.C. Santos on July 4, 2013 at Piracicaba; one female collected by J.L. Munhoz on January 5, 2014 at Ipaussu. All specimens collected from litter.
Adult female: (five specimens measured)
Gnathosoma — Chelicera with antiaxial and dorsal lyrifissures, and dorsal seta distinct(Fig. 1A); fixed digit 28 (28–29) long, with six teeth and a minute setiform pilus dentilis; movable digit 28 (28–29) long, with two teeth. Palp setae (Fig. 1B) (trochanter to tarsus): 2-5- 6-14-15, regular for the Gamasina (Evans, 1964); all setae aciculate and smooth; apotele 3-tined. Anterior region of epistome with three distally spiculate extensions (Fig. 1C). Deutosternum with anteriormost transverse ridge smooth followed by six transverse rows of denticles, each with 12–21 denticles; corniculus horn-shaped, about 18 (18–20) long and 7 (7–8) wide basally (Fig. 1D). Measurements of setae:h1 11 (10–11),h2 6,h3 10 (9–10),pc12 (12–13).
Dorsal idiosoma — Dorsal shield 292 (275–300) long and 212 (202–220) wide (Fig. 1E), covered by small protuberances aligned to constitute a polygonal network (Figs. 1E, 1F and 1G). Dorsal shield with a lateral notch at level of Z 3 (often difficult to see when posterior end of dorsal shield is ventrally curved) (Fig. 1F). Podonotal region with ten pairs of setae (j 1 –j 3, j 5, j 6, z 5, z 6 s 2 –s 4) (z 5 minute, usually difficult to discern), one pair of distinguishable lyrifissures (near j 2) and three pairs of distinguishable pores. Opisthonotal region with seven pairs of setae (J 1, J 3 –J 5, Z 1, Z 3, Z 5), and two pairs of distinguishable pores. Setal lengths: j 1 14 (13–14), j 2 66 (65–68), j 3 22 (21–24), j 5 36 (35–38), j 6 52 (52–53), z 5 3 (3–4), z 6 46 (45–47), s 2 11 (11–12), s 3 11 (10–11), s 4 14 (14–15), J 1 64 (63–65), J 3 63 (61–65), J 4 70
(70–71), J 5 42 (41–43), Z 1 71 (70–72), Z 3 70 (70–71), Z 5 32 (31–32). All dorsal setae stout and serrate, except j 1 slender and slightly serrate (Figs. 1E, 1F and 1G).
Ventral idiosoma (Fig. 1G) — Base of tritosternum indistinguishable; laciniae 19 (18–20) long, fused at their base for about 20% of their total length (Fig.1H). Sternal shield 54 (53–55) long at mid line and 53 (50–55) wide between setae st 1 and st 2, mostly smooth, except for lateral lines; posterior margin slightly concave. With three pairs of setae (st 1– st 3); seta st 4 apparently inserted on soft cuticle; lyrifissures (iv 1– iv 5) indiscernible. Genital shield widened posteriorly; mostly smooth, except for lateral lines; hyaline anterior region rounded and brief, not overlapping sternal shield; posterior margin truncate. Distance st 5- st 5 47 (46–48). Pore gv 2 on unsclerotised cuticle. Ventrianal shield subtriangular, 110 (110–111) long at mid-line and 77 (75–80) wide at widest level; with four pairs of setae (Jv 1, Jv 2, Jv 5 and Zv 2) in addition to circumanal setae, and a pair of pores laterad and transversely aligned Jv 3 with; para-anal and post-anal setae similar in length, the former inserted at about mid-length of anal opening. Unsclerotised opisthogastric cuticle without setae. Exopodal plate apparently not fused with peritrematic plate, usually fragmented into two small and triangular strips, but some specimens with a narrow line connection them; extending forward up to posterior end of coxa II. Measurements of setae: st 1 11 (11–12), st 2 11 (11–12), st 3 11 (11–12), st 4 14 (14–15), st 5 20 (19–20); Jv 1 14 (14–15), Jv 2 10 (10–11), Jv 5 14 (13–15), Zv 2 10 (10–11); para-anal 12 (11–12), post-anal 14 (14–15). All setae aciculate and smooth.
Peritreme and peritrematic plate (Figs. 1E, 1G) — Apices of peritremes nearly contiguous between setae j 1. Peritrematic plate fused with dorsal shield anteriad s 2 of, extending posteriorly slightly behind coxa IV, and apically truncate; with a distinguishable pore next to coxa II; section posteriad of stigma with a pore and no distinct lyrifissures. Spermathecal apparatus. Indistinct.
Legs (Figs. 2 A–2G) — Median section of pulvilli of legs II–IV rounded; paradactyli of these legs elongate and acuminate (Fig. 2A). Lengths: I: 408 (400–415); II: 312 (300– 325); III: 268 (265–270); IV: 332 (330–335). Chaetotaxy – Leg I coxa: I: 0,0/1,0/1,0; trochanter: 1,0/1,1/2,1; femur: 2, 3/1,1/2,2. Leg II coxa: 0,0/1,0/1,0; trochanter: 1,0/1,0/2,1; femur: 2,2/2,2/1,1; genu: 1,2/0,2/1,1; tibia: 1,1/1,2/1,1. Leg III coxa: 0,0/1,0/1,0; trochanter: 1,1/2,0/1,0; femur: 1,2/1,1/0,1 genu: 1,2/1,2/0,1; tibia: 1,1/1,2/1,1. Leg IV coxa: 0,0/1,0/0,0; trochanter: 1,1/2,0/1,0; femur: 1,2/1,1/0,1; genu: 1,2/1,2/0,0; tibia: 1,1/1,2/0,1. Numbers of setae on other leg I segments: genu 10 and tibia 8; given their reduce diameter, chaetotaxy could not be reliably accounted for. Number of setae on tarsus I not counted; number of setae on other tarsi: 18. Most setae aciculate and smooth (except av femur IV clearly 3-4 tined); some dorsal setae of genu, tibia and basi-tarsus of legs II-IV discreetly barbed (usually difficult to discern). Remarks. The number and position of setae on femur I of this species is essentially the same as reported by Santos et al. (2017) for Podocinum, based on the examination of P. bengalensis Bhattacharyya, P. pacificum (Berlese), P. sagax (Berlese) and P. tupinamba Santos, Martins, Britto & Moraes, except that al 2 is distinctly more anteriad of av and that pl 1 and pl 2 migrate ventrally.
A comparison of the specimens collected with type specimens of P. misella was not possible, because the type specimens could not be located; according Castagnoli & Pegazzano (1985) the types are missing. Evans & Hyatt (1958) provided a complementary description of this species based on specimens collected in Tomohon, Sulawesi (mentioned as N.E. Celebes), Indonesia and Jamaica. Hurlbutt (1972) presented a new complementary description based on specimens collected from Morogoro river (Tanzania) and reviewed the specimens used by Evans & Hyatt (1958) collected in Celebes.
The specimens that we examined from Brazil agree well with the redescription of Podocinella misella by Hurlbutt (1972). While his description was rather detailed, it included no setal measurements, leg chaetotaxy or details of the hypostome. Despite the missing information, we concluded that the specimens we collected belong P to. misella, because other features are sufficiently detailed, in addition to the fact that approximate setal length can be inferred from the illustrations provided and that setations of femur, genu and tibia (most variable segments between species) are provided.
description: Published as part of Santos, Jandir C., Mineiro, Jeferson L. de C. & de Moraes, Gilberto J., 2019, Complementary description of Podocinella misella (Berlese, 1913) (Acari: Podocinidae) and a key to world species of the genus, pp. 181-187 in Acarologia 59 (2) on pages 182-184, DOI: 10.24349/acarologia/20194321, http://zenodo.org/record/4502927