Laminamichaelia furcula Uusitalo & Ueckermann & Theron 2020, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Uusitalo, Matti
name: Ueckermann, Edward A.
name: Theron, Pieter D.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2020
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Acariformes
Alycidae
Laminamichaelia
Laminamichaelia furcula

description: Laminamichaelia furcula sp. nov.
(Figs. 119–132)
Description. Dorsum (Figs. 119, 120). Length 560 μm; primary pattern comprising stellate rosettes of about 8, often trigonal, cells around a seta and 5–6 setae at the orbit, secondary pattern of densely packed small lamellae in rows inside cells, tens (ca. 30) of cilia per seta, dorsal and ventral neotrichy well developed; additional setae on soft prodorsum and in -area, roundish naso with fine striae, tripartite crista flanked by strips of large lamellae and a midline with polygons from naso to sensillar area, densely ciliated sensilla ve branched distally.
Venter (Figs. 121, 124). Sclerotized genital valves each with 9–10 genital setae; anal setae 7–8 per valve.
Gnathosoma (Figs. 122, 123). Chelicerae straight; subcapitulum neotrichous; palpal solenidion in contact with two eupathids.
Legs (Figs. 125–127). Solenidial formula for tarsi, tibiae, genua and femora on legs I, II, III and IV, respectively: 3B-2B-0-0, 2B1P-2B-2B-1B, 4P-1B2P-1P-1P, 3P-1B-0-0, baculiform solenidia on tibiae I, II and III clearly separated from each other, rod-like famulus I abaxially near distal end of tarsus I.
Larva (n=20, Figs. 131, 132)
Dorsum. Neotrichous.
Venter. Neotrichous; genital valves absent.
Legs. Solenidial formula for tarsi, tibiae, genua and femora on legs I, II, and III, respectively: 1B-1B-0, 2B-2B- 2B, 3P-1B1P-1P, 2P-1B-0.
Other life stages:
Protonymph (n=2, Fig. 130), 1 genital seta per valve.
Deutonymph (n=6, Fig. 129), 4 genital setae per valve.
Tritonymph (n=1, Fig. 128), 6–7 genital setae per valve.
Adult female (n=5, Figs. 121, 124), 9–10 genital setae per valve, 3 pairs of eugenital setae.
Type material. Holotype female from Acacia -biotope, Potchefstroom, NORTH-WEST PROVINCE, 8 May 1967, P.D. Theron; one paratype female from Acacia -biotope, Potchefstroom, 12 December 1967, P.D. Theron; one paratype female from kikuyu grass, Potchefstroom, May 1967, C.A. Verhoop; one paratype tritonymph, 2 paratype deutonymphs, 2 paratype protonymphs, and 2 paratype larvae from Acacia -biotope, Potchefstroom, 15 May 1967, P.D. Theron; 3 deutonymphs from Acacia -biotope, Potchefstroom, 23 August 1967, P.D. Theron; 2 paratype females, from Acacia -biotope, Potchefstroom 5 May 1969, P.D. Theron; one paratype deutonymph from Acaciabiotope, Potchefstroom, 3 March 1969, P.D. Theron. Deposited at ARC-Plant Health and Protection, Pretoria, South Africa.
Differential diagnosis. This species has character states typical of the arbusculosa -group, such as the stellate pattern of large lamellae, presence of additional plumose setae on both the soft prodorsum and sclerotized in -area and three baculiform solenidia on tarsi I (Figs. 119, 125). The species is closely related to L. arbusculosa, which also has branched sensilla ve (Uusitalo 2010: fig. 130), but can be segregated from it by having famulus I in a distal position (not close to solenidion ω2) and a clear gap between the two baculiform solenidia on tibiae I, II and III.
Etymology. The specific name is a feminine gender of the Latin word furculus meaning small fork and refers to the forked sensilla ve.
description: Published as part of Uusitalo, Matti, Ueckermann, Edward A. & Theron, Pieter D., 2020, A review of the family Alycidae (Acari, Acariformes) from South Africa, pp. 301-340 in Zootaxa 4858 (3) on page 332, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4858.3.1, http://zenodo.org/record/4412321