Spatulaphorus brevisetosus Khaustov, Frolov & Akhmetova, 2024, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Khaustov, Alexander A.
name: Frolov, Andrey V.
name: Akhmetova, Lilia A.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Trombidiformes
Pygmephoridae
Spatulaphorus
Spatulaphorus brevisetosus

description: Spatulaphorus brevisetosus sp. nov.
(Figs 1–4)
Description. FEMALE. Body well sclerotized. Length of idiosoma 195 (175–255), width 105 (105–150).
Gnathosoma. Gnathosomal capsule, excluding palps, subrectangular, length 21 (21–23), width 21 (21–24). Dorsum with one pair of needle-like cheliceral setae (cha) 5 (4–5). Dorsal median apodeme present, poorly developed. Postpalpal setae (pp) 2 (2) needle-like, situated laterad setae cha. Ventral gnathosoma with one pair of smooth, weakly blunt-tipped subcapitular setae m 5 (5–6) and round pits n situated posteriad m. Palps with smooth and weakly blunt-tipped setae dFe 3 (2–3) and dGe 6 (6) dorsolaterally. Palps ventrally each with mushroom-like accessory setigenous structure (ass) and tiny solenidion ω. Palps terminated with small blunt-tipped tibial claw and tiny eupathid-like seta. Pharyngeal pumps poorly visible.
Idiosomal dorsum (Figs 1A, 4A). All dorsal shields with big puncta. Prodorsal shield with three pairs of setae
(v1, v2, sc2), one pair of weakly barbed capitate trichobothria (sc1) and one pair of round stigmata. Stigmata associated with well-developed tracheal trunks. All dorsal idiosomal setae blunt-tipped; setae v2, e and h2 with few minute barbs, other dorsal setae distinctly barbed. Alveoli of setae e and f clearly separated. Cupules ia on tergite D, im on tergite EF and ih on tergite H large, round, subequal. Lengths of dorsal setae: v1 20 (20–25), v2 11 (11–13), sc2 29 (29–38), c1 26 (26–33), c2 29 (29–32), d 28 (28–33), e 15 (15–19), f 28 (28–35), h1 31 (31–40), h2 11 (11–15). Distances between setae: v1–v1 20 (20–24), v2–v2 30 (30–35), sc2–sc2 32 (32–38), c1–c1 34 (34–42), c1–c2 19 (19–22), d–d 44 (44–54), e–f 7 (7–8), f–f 39 (39–47), h1–h1 32 (32–40), h1–h2 10 (10–11).
Idiosomal venter (Figs 1B, 4B). Coxisternal fields I–II and aggenital plate laterally with sparsely distributed big puncta. Setae 1b pointed and weakly barbed; other ventral setae smooth and blunt-tipped. Bases of setae ps3 situated distinctly anteriad bases of setae ps1-2. Apodemes 1 (ap1) and apodemes 2 (ap2) well-developed and joined with thick prosternal apodeme (appr); sejugal apodeme (apsej) developed only laterally; apodemes 3 (ap3) weak, not reaching poststernal apodeme (appo); apodemes 4 (ap4) well developed, exceeding beyond bases of setae 3b. Apodemes 5 (ap5) short, joined with appo and reaching bases of setae 4a. Anterior genital sclerite (ags) small, cup-like; posterior genital sclerite (pgs) small, oval. Posterior margin of posterior sternal plate weakly concave in middle part. Posterior margin of aggenital plate rounded. Lengths of ventral setae: 1a 9 (9–10), 1b 16 (16–18), 1с 9 (9–12), 2a 12 (12–13), 2с 9 (9–11), 3a 10 (10–13), 3b 9 (9–12), 3c 11 (11–14), 4a 9 (9–12), 4b 14 (14–19), 4c 10 (10–13), ps1 11 (11–13), ps2 12 (12–14), ps3 11 (11–12).
Legs (Figs 2, 3). Leg I (Fig. 2A). Leg setation: Tr 1 (v’), Fe 4 (d, l’, l”, v”), Ge 2 (l’, l”), TiTa 17(4) (p’ϛ, p”ϛ, tc’ϛ, tc”ϛ, ft’ϛ, ft”ϛ, k, pl’, pl”, pv’, pv”, s, d, l’, l”, v’, v”, ω1, ω2, φ1, φ2). Tibiotarsus enlarged, with large claw; tibiotarsus internally with oval strongly sclerotized structure near solenidion φ2. Setae (u) consolidated into a horn-like structure opposing claw. Tarsal claw blunt-tipped. Seta d of femur spatulate, with short subterminal projection. Setae l’ of femur, k and pl’ of tibiotarsus smooth; other leg setae (except eupathidia p’, p”, tc’, tc”, ft’, ft”) sparsely barbed. Setae l’, l” of femur, l” of genu and k of tibiotarsus blunt-tipped; other leg setae (except eupathidia) pointed. Lengths of solenidia ω1 8 (8–9), ω2 4 (4–5), φ1 7 (7–8), φ2 4 (4–5); Solenidion φ1 thick, clavate, ω1 digitiform; other solenidia weakly clavate. Leg II (Fig. 2B). Leg setation: Tr 1 (v’), Fe 3 (d, l’, v”), Ge 1 (l’), Ti 4 (d, l’, v’, v”), Ta 6(1) (pl”, tc’, tc”, u’, pv’, pv”, ω). Tarsus with thickened basally claws and pad-like empodium. Solenidion ω 5 (5) weakly clavate, solenidion φ absent. Seta u ’ smooth, other setae barbed; setae tc’ and pl” of tarsus spiniform, blunt-tipped; setae d, l’, and v” of femur blunt-tipped; other leg setae pointed. Leg III (Fig. 3A). Femur divided into basi- and telofemur. Leg setation: Tr 1 (v’), Fe 2 (d, v’), Ge 1 (l’), Ti 4 (d, l’, v’, v”), Ta 6 (pl”, tc’, tc”, u’, pv’, pv”). Claws and empodium of same shape as on tarsus II. Setae v’ of trochanter and u’ of tarsus smooth, other setae barbed; seta pl” of tarsus spiniform; setae v’ of trochanter, d, v’ of femur, and l’ of genu blunt-tipped, other leg setae pointed; solenidion φ absent. Leg IV (Fig 3B). Femur divided into basi- and telofemur. Leg setation: Tr 1 (v’), Fe 2 (d, v’), Ge 0, Ti 4 (d, l’, v’, v”), Ta 6 (pl”, tc’, tc”, u’, pv’, pv”). Claws simple, empodium as on tarsi II and III. Seta v’ of trochanter smooth, other setae barbed; setae v’ of trochanter, d, v’ of femur, v” of tibia and pl” of tarsus blunt-tipped, other leg setae pointed; solenidion φ absent.
MALE unknown.
Type material. Female holotype, slide ZISP T-Pygm-010, USA, Georgia, Blackbeard Island. 8-9.VII.1970 (CEMT), on Phanaeus igneus MacLeay; paratypes: 17 females, same data.
Type deposition. The holotype and four paratypes are deposited in the collection of Zoological Institute of RAS, Saint Petersburg, Russia; other paratypes are deposited in the collection of the Tyumen State University Museum of Zoology, Tyumen, Russia.
Differential diagnosis. The new species is most similar to S. mexicanus Trejo-Palacios, 2023, described from Mexico (Trejo-Palacios et al. 2023), in having spiniform setae pl”, tc’ on tarsus II and pl” on tarsus III. The new species differs from S. mexicanus in having setae e and f as well as h1 and h2 distinctly separated (vs. alveoli of setae e and f as well as h1 and h2 contiguous in S. mexicanus) and in having smooth setae ps1-3 (vs. barbed in S. mexicanus).
Etymology. The name of the new species is a combination of to Latin words: brevis meaning short, and seta meaning bristle, and refers to relatively short dorsal idiosomal setae.
description: Published as part of Khaustov, Alexander A., Frolov, Andrey V. & Akhmetova, Lilia A., 2024, Seven new species of Spatulaphorus Rack (Acari: Pygmephoridae) phoretic on scarab beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), pp. 337-368 in Zootaxa 5497 (3) on pages 339-342, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5497.3.2, http://zenodo.org/record/13618611