Crotonia capistrata Luxton 1987
Creators: name: Colloff, Matthew J.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2010
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Sarcoptiformes
Crotoniidae
Crotonia
Crotonia capistrata

description: Crotonia capistrata Luxton, 1987
(Figs. 5, 18 e, 21)
Dimensions. Syntypes: females (n = 5) mean length 1128 (range 1071–1185), mean breadth 583 (range 561– 608); male lengths 949, 960, 975; breadths 480, 505, 444. Ratio of length of prodorsum to total body length: 0.37 (female specimen labelled ‘holotype’).
Redescription of female. Prodorsum: ratio of length to breadth 1.08. Rostrum with squat naso, barely projecting beyond rostrum; lateral edges parallel; rostral seta 44, straight, spiniform, smooth (Fig. 5 a). Lamellar seta 284, recurved, smooth, flagelliform apically. Lamellar apophyses 120, straight, thin, parallel, 125, shorter than mutual distance by a third; extending anteriorly as far as apices of rostral setae. Interlamellar apophyses twice as long as broad; interlamellar seta 285, flagelliform, smooth; extending anteriorly as far as apices of lamellar apophyses. Prodorsal ridges well-developed, curved medially, with small auriculae laterally, extending anteriorly almost half of the distance between bases of interlamellar and lamellar apophyses. Diameter of bothridium 45; auriculate ridge of bothridium with anterior rounded spur, lateral crenellations and posterior blunt projections; hexagonal reticulations of operculum with concentric ridges; point of origin near lateral margin (Fig. 18 e). Inter-bothridial ridge well-developed, straight, transverse, curved anteriolaterally at margins, without median invagination. Median field of muscle sigilla present. Prodorsum smooth, porose; region posterior of bothridia with scattered tubercles.
Notogaster: ratio of length of notogaster to breadth of notogastral shield 1.31; notogastral shield broadest between bases of setae cp and e 2 (Fig. 5 a); ratio of width of shield to entire notogastral width 0.83; lateral margins of notogastral shield sub-circular, expanded; margin lateral of setae cp straight, sloping posteriolaterally. Dorsosejugal suture discrete, with single ridge bearing scattered tubercles. Region posteriolateral of apophyses of setae c 3 with well-developed ridge extending laterally onto cuticle dorsal of acetabulum III. Lyrifissure ia short (22), traversing lateral hyaline strip. With 14 pairs of notogastral setae. Pre-notogastral shield separated from notogastral shield by broad transverse hyaline strip, and bearing short cylindrical apophysis (22 long) of seta c 3 and alveoli of minute (6–10) setiform setae c 1-2 on posterior margin. Seta c 3 long, 315, extending anteriorly just beyond interlamellar apophyses. Notogastral shield broadly convex, tapering to U-shape posteriorly, bordered laterally by narrow strips of small tubercles between f 2 and f 1, ca. 2–3 tubercles wide, converging anterior of caudal stalk; with medial zone of dense maculae, surrounded by porose cuticle, extending posteriorly as far as setae f 2; centrodorsal region smooth, porose. Pleuraspis densely tuberculate. Lateral hyaline strip (suprapleural scissure) wide, bearing setiform seta cp (98) and e 2 (76) on squat tubercles. Seta d 2 represented only by minute, closely-spaced (70) cuticular punctations (not alveoli) or absent. Recurved seta f 2 (69) on short conical tubercles barely projecting from margin of notogastral shield. Opisthosomal gland opening gla positioned anteriomedial of setae f 2. Caudal apophyses on short, narrow stalk, projecting posteriorly from caudal margin. Caudal apophyses bi-lobed, those of h 2 very long (192), very close together, slightly curved medially then diverging apically. Apophysis of h 1 (32) emerging dorsolaterally from bases of that of h 2; apophysis of f 1 (44) curving dorsolaterally. Apophysis of seta h 3 positioned between h 1 and f 1 ventrally. Caudal setae short, barbed, spiniform, straight, f 1 and h 1 53–67, h 2 82, h 3 44.
Ve nt er: epimeral microsculpture smooth, porose (Fig. 5 b); epimeral setae smooth, spiniform, formula 3-1- 3-3; ca. 20–35 long; seta 3c on well-developed tubercle. With lcs narrow, transverse, straight, forming a slightly obtuse angle (ca. 115°) with pcs. Anteriolateral margin of adanal plate with a narrow, shallow indentation. Genital plates circular; posterior margin rounded. Perigenital region sparsely tuberculate. Each genital plate 195 long, 120 broad, with nine setiform setae, subequal in length (30–35); two pairs of aggenital setae, subequal in length to genital setae. Anal plate narrow (47 broad), 252 long, with three short (20) thick setae on central region of plate; three pairs of spiniform adanal setae, ad 2-3 slightly shorter and thinner than stout ad 1 (28). Ventral margin of notogaster surrounding anal plates V-shaped, perianal region densely tuberculate. Setae of p series setiform, subequal in length (28–38), mutual distance between tubercles of p 1 about the same as width of tubercle.
Lateral view: Caudal margin perpendicular to notogastral shield (Fig. 5 c); dorsal and ventral surfaces more or less parallel, distance between them ca. 385. Apophysis of seta f 1 pointing dorsally, those of h 1 posteriodorsally, those of h 2 prominent, curved, more-or-less horizontal, pointing posteriorly; those of h 3 positioned ventral of f 1, pointing ventrolaterally. Caudal cluster positioned at same level as notogastral shield. Apophysis of seta p 1 almost at junction of caudal margin and ventral surface; p series equidistantly spaced. Pleuraspis sparsely tuberculate.
Material examined. Syntypes: female (labelled ‘holotype’), QM S40779, sieved litter, rainforest, Cable Tower 3, Bellenden Ker Range, Queensland, 17°16'S 145°51'E, 1054 m., coll. Earthwatch/QLD. Museum, 25–31.x.1981. Male (labelled ‘paratype’), QM S40736, sieved litter, rainforest, Cable Tower 3, Bellenden Ker Range, Queensland, 17°16'S 145°51'E, 1054 m., coll. Earthwatch/QLD. Museum, 25–31.x.1981 (QM Berlesate No. 325). Male (labelled ‘paratype’), QM S40777, stick brushings, rainforest, Summit TV Stn., Bellenden Ker Range, Queensland, 17°16'S 145°51'E, 1560 m., coll. Earthwatch/QLD. Museum, 1– 7.xi.1981. Female, QM S40729, sieved litter, rainforest, 1 km S. of Cable Tower 6, Bellenden Ker Range, Queensland, 17°16'S 145°51'E, 500 m., coll. Earthwatch/QLD. Museum, 17–24.x.1981. Two females, QM S40730, sieved litter, rainforest, Cable Tower 3, Bellenden Ker Range, Queensland, 17°16'S 145°51'E, 1054 m., coll. Earthwatch/QLD. Museum, 25–31.x.1981. Female, QM S40775, stick brushings, rainforest, Summit TV Stn., Bellenden Ker Range, Queensland, 17°16'S 145°51'E, 1560 m., coll. Earthwatch/QLD. Museum, 1– 7.xi.1981.
Non-type material: Male, QM S26051, sieved litter, rainforest, Bell Peak North, 10 km east of Gordonvale, Queensland, 17°06'S 145°53'E, coll. G.B. Monteith, D.K. Yeates & G. Thompson, 13.x.1982. Female, QM S26054, litter, rainforest, The Bluff, 11 km west of Mossman, Queensland, 16°27'S 145°16'E, coll. G.B. Monteith & D.K. Yeates, 27.iv.1983. Female, QM S26055, sieved litter, rainforest, Boulder Creek, Walter Hill Range, Queensland, 17 °50'S 145°54'E, coll. G.B. Monteith, D.K. Yeates and G. Thompson, 27.x.1983. Three females, QM S26074, rainforest, Maalan State Forest, Queensland, 17°35'S 145°.35'E, coll.
V.T. Davies & R.J. Raven, 20–24.iv.1978. Male, QM S26078, rainforest, Boonjee State Forest, Queensland, 17°24'S 145°44'E, V.T. Davies & R.J. Raven, 3–6iv.1978. Female, ANIC 367, moss, forest, Mount Bellenden- Ker (summit), 17°16'S 145°51'E, ca. 1560 m., coll. R.W. Taylor & J.E. Feehan, 7.vii.1971. Three males, two females, four nymphs, ANIC 462, litter, rainforest, Mount Lewis, Queensland. 16°33'5"S, 145°16'23"E, 970 m., coll. R.W. Taylor, 29.iv.1973. Nymph, ANIC 516, litter, bank of creek in closed canopy rainforest, Mount Lewis Road, Julatten, Queensland, 16°31'8"S 145°16'11"E, 1140 m., coll. A. Walford-Huggins, 6.xii.1975. Two males, one nymph, ANIC 542, litter, rainforest, Mount Lewis, Queensland. 16°35'S,145°17E, 960 m., coll. R.W. Taylor & T.A. Weir, 30.x.1976. Two females, one male, four nymphs ANIC 550, litter, rainforest, Windsor Tableland, Queensland. 16°17'S 145°05E, 900 m., coll. R.W. Taylor & T.A. Weir, 5.xi.1976.
Remarks. As for Crotonia ardala and C. borbora, Luxton (1987) did not publish a holotype designation for C. capistrata (cf. remarks section of C. borbora). The specimen from sample QM S40779 is labelled ‘holotype’ and is hereby designated the lectotype. All other members of the series therefore become paralectotypes.
There are several discrepancies in the original description of Crotonia capistrata including the absence of setae c 1 and c 2 and the maculate pattern of the notogastral shield. Luxton’s (1987) Fig. 1 shows the apophyses of setae h 2 originating directly on the caudal margin (as in C. monteithi sp. nov., cf. Fig. 7 a), whereas they originate on a short caudal stalk. Also, the lateral hyaline strip is represented as a narrow parallel band, whereas it is broad and irregular.
Crotonia capistrata differs from all from all other Crotonia spp. by the following combination of characters: 1) all caudal setae are borne on apophyses extending from the caudal stalk; 2) there is a full complement of setae in the c series, with c 3 long and flagelliform and c 1-2 minute, barely visible; 3) setae d 2 are either absent or reduced to very small alveolar vestiges; 4) the densely tuberculate pleuraspis; 5) apophyses of setae h 2 very long, close together, curving medially then diverging apically; 6) auriculate ridge of bothridium with extensive lateral crenellations and posterior small blunt projections; 7) notogastral shield with sparselydistributed maculae; 8) nine pairs of genital setae.
Crotonia capistrata is morphologically most similar to C. brisbanensis and C. maculata (see remarks sections of these species above for details).
Łochyńska (2008b) recorded C. capistrata from Queensland, central and southern New South Wales and Tasmania. Most of the specimens on which these records were based were recently returned to the Australian National Insect Collection and determined as follows. ANIC 367 (Mt. Bellenden Ker, Queensland): C. capistrata, three females, four males, four nymphs. ANIC 469 (Clyde Mountain, southern New South Wales): C. sp. near victoriae Colloff & Perdomo, 2009, one female, three males, five nymphs. ANIC 748 (Allyn River, central New South Wales): C. sp. near yeatesi, male; C. sp. near maculata, female, nymph. ANIC 798 (Mt. Barrow, Tasmania): C. tasmanica Łochyńska, 2008, five females, eight males, three nymphs. These identifications confirm that C. capistrata has a localised distribution, confined to the Wet Tropics of North Queensland (Fig. 19).
description: Published as part of Colloff, Matthew J., 2010, The Gondwanan relict oribatid genus Crotonia (Acari: Oribatida: Crotoniidae) from rainforests in Queensland and Northern New South Wales: new species show a mixed pattern of short-range and long-range endemism, pp. 1-51 in Zootaxa 2649 on pages 14-17, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.198744