Whartonia parauapebensis Bassini-Silva and Jacinavicius 2022, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Bassini-Silva, R.
name: Zampaulo, R. A.
name: Welbourn, C.
name: Ochoa, R.
name: Brescovit, A. D.
name: Barros-Battesti, D. M.
name: Jacinavicius, F. C.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Trombidiformes
Leeuwenhoekiidae
Whartonia
Whartonia parauapebensis

description: Whartonia parauapebensis Bassini-Silva and Jacinavicius sp. nov.
(Figures 6–10; Tables 1–4)
Diagnosis. Palpfemur and palpgenu each with single branched seta (Figure 6 (a)); dorsal and ventral setae branched and lateral setae nude on the palptibia (Figure 6 (a,b)); adoral (cs) setae branched (Figure 6 (a)); odontus multifurcate with the apex dividing into five or six prongs, plus two other larger supplementary prongs in the middle of the odontus (Figures 6 (a,b), 10(f)); nude flagelliform trichobothria (si) (Figures 7, 10 (d)); C and D rows with 12 irregularly placed setae each (Figure 8 (a)); E row with eight setae (Figure 8 (a)); F row with six setae (Figure 8 (a)); H row with four setae (Figure 8 (a)); total opisthosomal setae 42 including 48 to 50 ventral setae (Figure 8 (a,b)); base of famulus (ε) on Ta I and II proximal to solenidion (ω) (Figure 9 (a,b)).
Description. Larva (holotype and one paratype). Gnathosoma – fPp = B/B/BNB/7Bωζ; odontus multifurcate with the apex dividing into five or six prongs, plus two other larger supplementary prongs in the middle of the odontus (Figure 10 (f)); cheliceral blade with ventral row of large blunt teeth and dorso-lateral row of small pointed teeth bordering the apical cap (more than 15 teeth each side); gnathobase punctate, subcapitular (bs) and adoral (cs) setae branched (Figure 6 (a,b)). Idiosoma – eyes present, 2/2, set in ocular plate, anterior lens larger; rectangular prodorsal sclerite sparsely punctate, punctuation mostly concentrated in the lateral regions (Figures 7, 10 (d)), anterior margin slightly sinuous with anterolateral shoulders, lateral margins slightly concave and posterior margin biconvex; with pair of nude flagelliform trichobothria (si), and six normal, branched setae [pair of ve (= AL) setae, pair of se (= PL) setae, and pair of vi (= AM) setae]; si> vi> se> ve; tracheae and stigma absent. Opisthosoma (Figure 8 (a,b)) with a total of 90 to 92 setae entire covered with setules, dorsal opisthosoma (Figure 10 (e)) with 42 setae, C and D rows with 12 irregularly placed setae, E row with eight setae, F row with six setae and H row with four setae, and 48 to 50 ventral opisthosomal setae (17 setae anterior to the anus and 31 to 33 posterior setae). One pair of sternal setae (3a) between coxal fields III. Legs – femur of legs I–III entire (not divided into basifemur and telofemur), each leg terminates in a pair of claws and claw-like empodium without onychotriches, coxal fields punctate; Leg I – coxal field setae 1a and 1b branched (2B); trochanter 1B; femur 6B; genu 4B, 2 σ and a long Κ; tibia 8B, 2 φ and a long Κ; tarsus 37B to 38B with ω, ε, dorsal eupathidium (ζ’) and subterminal eupathidium (ζ), base of famulus (ε) proximal to solenidion (ω) (Figure 9 (a)). Leg II – coxal field seta 2b (1B); trochanter 1B; femur 5B; genu 4B, σ and a long Κ; tibia 6B, 2 φ; tarsus 28B with ω, ε and a subterminal eupathidium (ζ), base of ε proximal to ω (Figure 9 (b)). Leg III – coxal field setae 3b and 3c (2B); trochanter 1B; femur 4B; genu 4B, σ, tibia 6B, φ; tarsus 26B to 28B with ω (Figure 9 (c)).
Type material
Holotype. Larva, Cave N 3-047, Parauapebas, Pará State, Brazil, (6.040°S, 50.227°W); 3–17 April 2013; on the cave soil; F. V. Freitas et al. coll.; deposited as IBSP14143.
Paratype. One larva, same locality and date; deposited as IBSP14151.
Etymology.
The specific name ‘parauapebensis’ is in honour of the type locality – Parauapebas Municipality.
Differential diagnosis.
Whartonia parauapebensis sp. nov. is similar to Whartonia nudosetosa (Wharton, 1938) and Whartonia pachywhartoni Vercammen-Grandjean, 1966, as they share the following characteristics – absence of companion seta (z) on Ta I; Cx III bisetose; and presence of ω on Ta III. However, the new species differs from the other two species by having the following characters: lateral palptibial seta nude (Figure 6 (a)); and the odontus with two larger supplementary prongs in the middle (Figure 6 (a)). Furthermore, the new species has two pair of eyes set in ocular plates, while W. nudosetosa does not have an ocular plate. Also, Whartonia parauapebensis sp. nov. has fewer opisthosomal setae than W. pachywhartoni (90 to 92 setae vs 148 setae).
The comparisons were made based on the original descriptions (Wharton 1938; Vercammen-Grandjean 1966) and redescriptions based on the types (Brennan and Dalmat 1960; Reed and Brennan 1975).
description: Published as part of Bassini-Silva, R., Zampaulo, R. A., Welbourn, C., Ochoa, R., Brescovit, A. D., Barros-Battesti, D. M. & Jacinavicius, F. C., 2022, A new genus and two new species of chigger mites (Trombidiformes: Leeuwenhoekiidae) from Brazilian caves with notes about the genus Whartonia Ewing, 1944, pp. 1297-1313 in Journal of Natural History 56 (29 - 32) on pages 1305-1309, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2022.2118087, http://zenodo.org/record/7156386