Malagana rotunda Kontschán & Starý, 2014, sp. nov
Creators: name: Kontschán, Jenő
name: Starý, Josef
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2014
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Mesostigmata
Malagana
Malagana rotunda

description: Malagana rotunda sp. nov
(Figs 35–47)
Material examined. Holotype. Female. Mad-89/36: Madagascar (Prov. Antsiranana [Diego-Suarez], Sous-préf. Andoany [Hell-Ville]): île Nosy Be, Réserve Lokobe, forêt primaire près Ampasindava, prélèvement de sol au pied d’un grand arbre, 85m; 30. XI. 1989; B. Hauser coll. Paratype. Three females and one male. Locality and date as in holotype (NHMG).
Description. Female. Length of idiosoma 1080–1100 µm, width 660–670 µm (n=6). Idiosoma oval, dorsally domed.
Dorsal idiosoma (Fig. 35). Dorsal and marginal shields fused anteriorly. Dorsal shield covered by oval pits and bearing short and marginally pilose setae (ca 11–14 µm) (Fig. 36). Marginal shield without sculptural pattern, caudally bearing marginally pilose setae (ca 12–14 µm), scapular region with six pairs of robust (ca 8–15 µm) bifurcated setae (Fig. 36).
Ventral idiosoma (Fig. 37). Sternal shield mostly smooth, with only some shallow oval pits, with seven pairs of smooth and needle-like setae (ca 4–6 µm), St1 and St2 inserted at level of central area of coxae II, St3 at level of posterior margin of coxae II, St4 at level of anterior margin of coxae III, St5 at level of posterior margin of coxae III, St6 at level of posterior margin of coxae IV, St7 placed near basal edges of genital shield. One pair of lyriform fissures situated near anterior margin of sternal shield. Ventral shield covered by numerous deep oval pits, arranged in two separate rows from setae St7 to caudal margin of idiosoma, central area of ventral shield smooth. area situated near Caudal margins of pedofossae IV strongly sclerotised, with several spine-like process. Pedofossae deep and smooth with furrows for tarsi IV. First pairs of ventral setae similar in shape and length to sternal setae and inserted at level of posterior margin of coxae IV. Other ventral setae thick and marginally pilose (ca 14–16 µm long), situated behind pedofossae IV. Anal opening surrounded by a strongly sclerotised and drop-shaped plate (Fig. 38). First pair of adanal setae smooth and needle-like (ca 4–6 µm), second pair of adanal setae and postanal seta thick and pilose (ca 11–12 µm). Genital shield situated between coxae II-IV, linguliform, apical margin rounded, its surface with a few oval pits (Fig. 39). Prestigmatid part of peritremes with a shallow central bend, apical part hook-shaped, poststigmatid part absent. Stigmata situated between coxae II and III. Base of tritosternum (Fig. 40) narrow, laciniae divided into two short lateral branches and one long central smooth branch.
Gnathosoma (Fig. 40). Corniculi horn-like, internal malae smooth, narrow and longer than corniculi. Hypostomal setae h1 needle-like and long (ca 24–25 µm), h2 short robust and marginally serrate (ca 10–12 µm), h3 (ca 20–21 µm) long with two spine-like branches on basal part, h4 short and apically serrate (ca 5–6 µm). Trochanter of palp bearing one long, robust and marginally serrate seta, and one short and marginally serrate ventral seta, other setae on palp needle-like. Fixed digit of chelicera longer than movable digit, both digits without visible large teeth, apical part of fixed digit with a large sensory cavity, internal sclerotised node present (Fig. 41). Epistome marginally serrate on basal part and pilose on apical part (Fig. 42).
Legs (Figs 44–47). Leg I with a small ambulacral claw, all legs bearing needle-like setae, except tarsi II-IV with a robust and serrate seta. Femora III-IV bearing wide flap-like prolongations.
Male. Length of idiosoma 960‒970 µm, width 780‒810 µm. Sternal shield ornamented by scattered oval pits, with eight pairs of sternal setae (Fig. 43). Sternal setae ca 4–6 µm long. Genital shield circular and placed between coxae III–IV. Other characters same as in female.
Etymology. The new species is named after the round shape of the idiosoma.
description: Published as part of Kontschán, Jenő & Starý, Josef, 2014, New species of Uropodina from Madagascar (Acari: Mesostigmata), pp. 547-569 in Zootaxa 3895 (4) on pages 556-559, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3895.4.5, http://zenodo.org/record/231408