Novonothrus flagellatus Hammer 1966
Creators: name: Colloff, Matthew J.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2011
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Sarcoptiformes
Nothridae
Novonothrus
Novonothrus flagellatus

description: Novonothrus flagellatus Hammer, 1966
(Figs. 15, 16, 17f, 18f, 19d)
Novonothrus flagellatus Hammer, 1966, 25, Figs. 31a–f.
Dimensions. Female length 1040 μm, breadth 505 μm; males (n = 5) mean length 977 μm (range 949–998 μm), mean breadth 471 μm (range 458–483 μm).
Supplementary description. Female. Prodorsum: Median light oval region 24 μm long 29 μm broad; rectangular ridge medial of lateral light oval regions (each 21 μm long, 29 μm broad) positioned anterior of lamellar setae. Rostral, lamellar and lateral setae with bacilliform cerotegument. Rostral setae (ro) curved, smooth, spiniform, 45 μm long (Fig. 15a). Lamellar seta (le) 41 μm long, smooth, curved, spiniform, on squat tubercle positioned laterally. Lateral margin of prodorsum with three short, spiniform setae (l 1-3) on each side; l 1-2 positioned between setae ro and le, l 3 posteriolateral of le, 21–26 μm long. Prodorsum slightly expanded laterally in region posterior of le. Interlamellar seta (in) 53 μm long, straight, smooth, with broad, phylliform cerotegument. Bothridium with anterior ridge extending anteriomedially. Bothridial rim rounded. Exobothridial seta ex 1 22 μm long, barely visible in dorsal view, with bacilliform cerotegument. Bothridial seta (bs) flagelliform, smooth, 258 μm long, apex reflexed. Prodorsum with closely-spaced, elongate, irregular alveoli.
Notogaster: Ratio of length to breadth 1.45. Notogaster elongate, sub-oval, margins sub-parallel (Fig. 15a). Notogastral cuticle with large irregular alveoli (5–9 μm diameter), almost adjacent (Fig. 17 f). All notogastral setae except p 3 slightly curved, pointed, with long barbs, covered in phylliform cerotegument (Fig. 15c); c series shorter (27–36 μm) than others (54–65 μm) except p 3; c 1 shortest. Seta p 3 slightly curved, smooth, spiniform, 29 μm long, with bacilliform cerotegument. Distance between setae c 1 1.3 × that between c 1 and c 2; distance between setae c 1 0.8 × that between d 1; distance between d 2 1.3 × that between d 1; distance between e 1 1.2 × that between f 1. Caudal margin rounded, without median and lateral crenellations. Pair of undulating longitudinal ridges on either side of notogaster; lateral one extending from h 2 to c 3, medial one contiguous caudally, terminating just posterior of c 1.
Subcapitulum: Mentum foveolate; gena with four setae: a and m 1-3; a longer than others (Fig. 15b).
Coxisternum: Epimeral plates separated along sternal line (Fig. 15b). Epimeral setal formula 8-5-6-5. Epimeral setae smooth, thin, setiform, sub-equal in length (10–16 μm). Setae on epimeral plate I positioned on anterior, medial and posterior part of plate; those of plate II on medial part with one posterior seta (2d); those of plates III and IV on posterior part of plate. Epimeral plate IV broadly triangular, with blunt, triangular posteriomedian flange adjacent to genital plate.
FIGURE 15. Novonothrus flagellatus Hammer, 1966; a) dorsal; b) ventral; c) detail of seta h 1.
Anogenital Region: Each genital plate 160 μm long, 82 μm broad, divided transversely, with nine smooth, setiform setae, sub-equal in length (23–28 μm): six setae in median file (four on anterior plate) and three in lateral file (one on anterior plate; Fig. 15b). Pre-anal plate rectangular, 115 μm broad. Each anal plate 258 μm long, 43 μm broad, with two smooth, spiniform setae, 25 μm long; one on anterior, one on posterior part of plate. Adanal setae sub-equal in length and shape to anal setae, with bacilliform cerotegument. Ventral margin of notogaster entire, rounded.
Lateral View: Anterior prodorsal margin curved almost vertically; lateral inflated prodorsal region extending as far as mentum (Fig. 15d). Lamellar seta projecting not as far as base of rostral seta. Exobothridial seta ex 2 present as alveolus. Interbothridial region convex. Lyrifissure ia 33 μm long. Notogastral shield convex, elongated, relatively flat between setae c 1 and h 1; ratio of notogastral height to length 0.57. Opening of opisthonotal gland positioned posteriolateral of seta f 2, prominent, slit-like, surrounded by circular ridge of cuticle.
Legs: Pre-tarsus monodactylous; dorsal edge of claw with single median tooth. Tarsus I 192 μm long, with 42 setae and three solenidia (Fig. 19 d). Femur I 202 μm long; setae strongly barbed, thick basally, covered in phylliform-bacilliform cerotegument. Setae d and l ' longer (56 μm) than others (34–39 μm; Fig. 18 f).
Deutonymph. Length 616 μm, breadth 278 μm. Prodorsum: Length 244 μm. median light oval region 17 μm long 24 μm broad, with transverse ridge between rostral setae; lateral light oval regions 24 μm long, 19 μm broad (Fig. 16 a). Rostral seta (ro) curved, smooth, spiniform, 26 μm long, covered in bacilliform cerotegument. Lamellar seta (le) 21 μm long, spiniform, barbed, covered in phylliform cerotegument, on squat, conical tubercle towards lateral margin of prodorsum. Lateral margin of prodorsum with one short (11 μm), spiniform seta (l 1) on each side level with seta le. Interlamellar seta (in) barbed, 30 μm long, covered in broad, flattened cerotegument, blunted apically, positioned medial of bothridium. Bothridium with anterior ridge extending towards lamellar seta. Bothridial seta (bs) elongate, flagelliform, 192 μm long. Exobothridial seta (ex) spiniform, short (12 μm) protruding from posteriolateral margin of bothridium. Prodorsum reticulate.
Gastronotic Region: Length 372 μm. Gastronotic region sub-rectangular (Fig. 16 a). Cuticle densely tuberculate laterally and ventrally, tubercles becoming more widely spaced dorsomedially. With pattern of bulbous projections and ridges extending from seta e 2 to h 2. Gastronotic setae 30–41 μm long, covered with broad, flat cerotegument, those of c -h series and p 1-2 barbed, p 3 smooth. Distance between bases of each seta c 1, and each d 1 sub-equal; distance between bases of each seta e 1 and f 1 1.2 × wider. Caudal margin transverse.
Subcapitulum: Mentum foveolate; Gena with setae a and m 1-2 (Fig. 16 b).
Coxisternum: Epimeral plates separated along sternal line by unsclerotised striate cuticle (Fig. 16 b). Epimeral setal formula 4-3-4-2. Epimeral setae smooth, setiform, with bacilliform cerotegument, 7–9 μm long. Setae on epimeral plates I–III positioned on medial part of plate, those of plate IV near posterior margin of plate. Epimeral plates IV lacking triangular posteriomedian flange adjacent to genital plate.
Anogenital Region: Each genital plate 52 μm long, 19 μm broad, not divided transversely (Fig. 16 b), with four smooth, setiform setae, 13–15 μm long. Genital plates surrounded by striate cuticle with dense tubercles laterally. Each anal plate 181 μm long, 33 μm broad, sparingly tuberculate. Adanal setae spiniform, smooth, 17–21 μm long, with bacilliform cerotegument. Caudal region densely tuberculate.
Material examined. One female, five males, FM (HD) 85-449, litter in hardwood forest with nikau (Rhopalostylis sapida), 1.8 km north of Punakaiki, Nelson, New Zealand, 42°5'S 171°21'E, 60 m., coll. A. Newton & M. Thayer, 19.xii.1984.
Remarks. Novonothrus flagellatus differs from other members of the genus by the following combination of characters: 1) lateral margin of prodorsum with three short, spiniform setae (l 1-3) between setae ro and le; 2) interlamellar seta smooth, with broad, phylliform cerotegument; 3) notogastral setae barbed and covered with cerotegument except spiniform seta p 3; 4) notogastral cuticle with large irregular alveoli, almost adjacent; 5) setae on epimeral plates I and II positioned on anterior, medial and posterior part of plate; 6) with seta l ' of femur I markedly longer than the others; 7) Tarsus I with 43 setae. Novonothrus flagellatus is morphologically most similar to N. coronospinosus, as described above.
Hammer (1966, her Fig. 31f) illustrated two homeomorphic oral setae for Novonothrus flagellatus, plus genual seta a and two setae m represented by their alveoli, plus the palp-coxal spine and a further seta, presumably m 3, positioned posteriolaterally of the palp-coxa on the margin of the genu, making four genual setae in total. This arrangement was confirmed for the species described herein (cf. Fig. 12). Casanueva & Norton (1997; their Fig. 4) illustrated N. covarrubiasi as having three oral setae and three genual setae (a, m and n), but their or 3 on this species, and on N. kethleyi Casanueva & Norton, 1998, is probably genual seta a.
There are some minor differences between Hammer’s (1966) description and the supplementary description herein. In the specimens I examined there were eight setae on each epimeral plate I rather than nine; the exobothridial setae is not visible in dorsal view rather than visible and positioned lateral of base of bothridium, and the specimens have well-developed paired lateral ridges on notogaster rather than faint, single ridges.
As mentioned above (cf. remarks section for N. glabriseta), the Australian record of N. flagellatus by Palmer & Norton (1991) is based on a misidentification of the species described herein as N. glabriseta sp. nov. Novonothrus flagellatus appears to be confined to New Zealand.
description: Published as part of Colloff, Matthew J., 2011, A review of the oribatid mite family Nothridae in Australia, with new species of Novonothrus and Trichonothrus from rain forest and their Gondwanan biogeographical affinities (Acari: Oribatida), pp. 1-44 in Zootaxa 3005 on pages 25-30, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.204042