Monatractides melpomene Pešić & Smit, 2014, n. sp.
Creators: name: Pešić, Vladimir
name: Smit, Harry
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2014
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Trombidiformes
Torrenticolidae
Monatractides
Monatractides melpomene

description: Monatractides melpomene n. sp.
(Figs. 28A–H, 37A–B, 38A–B, 44B)
Type series. Holotype male, dissected and slide mounted, Ghana: Amedzofe Falls, 6º 50.656 N, 0º 26.868 E, alt. 599 m asl., 20.ii.2013, Smit. Paratypes: 3 [one juvenile]/8 [two juveniles]/0, same data as holotype, 1/2/0 dissected and slide mounted; 0/1/0, unnamed creek upstream Sagyimase, Atewa Hills, 6º 13.966 N, 0º 33.114 W, alt. 671 m asl., 28.ii.2013, Smit, dissected and slide mounted.
Diagnosis. Dorsal shield with colour pattern as illustrated in Figs. 37A–B, ventral seta on P-3 comparatively stouter than seta on P-2, ventral setae on P-4 slender and short, not reaching the tip of P-5. Male: genital field with long setae at lateral and posterior margins, ejaculatory complex with small proximal chamber.
Description. General features —Idiosoma roundish; shoulder platelets elongated (shoulder/frontal platelets L ratio 1.5–1.7); dorsal shield with colour pattern as illustrated in Figs. 37A–B, frontal margin medially with large anterolaterally pointed apodemes (Figs. 28C, 29B); Cxgl–4 located far distal at tips of Cx-I; gnathosomal bay deep, narrow U-shaped, proximally pointed, three pairs of knob-like protrusions at the lateral margins of gnathosomal bay; posterior suture line of Cx-IV distinct, originating from lateral edge of genital field; excretory pore away from the line of primary sclerotization, Vgl-2 well posterior to excretory pore; gnathosoma compact, with long dorsal apodemes, rostrum truncated (Fig. 28G); palp (Figs. 28D–E, 29C): ventral seta on P-3 comparatively stouter than seta on P-2; distal margin of P-3 and P-4 medially and laterally with several pointed extensions; ventral setae on P- 4 slender and short, not reaching the tip of P-5. Male: medial margin of Cx-II/III relatively short; genital field oval, anteriorly enlarged and triangular, lateral margins slightly convex, slightly tapering to caudal end, genital flaps with long setae at lateral and posterior margins (Fig. 28F); ejaculatory complex with small proximal chamber (Fig. 44B). Female: genital field elongated trapezoid, anteriorly enlarged, laterally straight, tapering posteriorly.
Measurements. Male (holotype, in parentheses paratype from Amedzofe Falls, n = 1)—Idiosoma (ventral view: Figs. 28B, 38A) L 734 (709), W 594 (583); dorsal shield (Figs. 28A, 37A) L 632 (600), W 519 (516), L/W ratio 1.22 (1.16); dorsal plate L 597 (560); shoulder platelets L 188–194 (181–188), W 63–67 (66–68), L/W ratio 2.9–3.0 (2.8); frontal platelets L 113–114 (116–117), W 61 (66–69), L/W ratio 1.84–1.86 (1.7–1.8), shoulder/ frontal platelets L ratio 1.64–1.72 (1.57–1.6). Gnathosomal bay L 147 (147), Cx-I total L 261 (277), Cx-I mL 114 (129), Cx-II+III mL 51 (41); ratio Cx-I L/Cx-II+III mL 5.1 (6.8); Cx-I mL/Cx-II+III mL 2.2 (3.1). Genital field L/ W 167 (166)/128 (129), ratio 1.31 (1.28); ejaculatory complex L (238); distance genital field-excretory pore 150 (141), genital field-caudal idiosoma margin 253 (223). Gnathosoma vL 157 (162); chelicera total L 208 (211); palp total L 225–228 (223–226), dL/H, dL/H ratio: P-1, 26/32, 0.81 (21–22/32, 0.67); P-2, 63–64/46, 1.37 (71/46, 1.54); P-3, 43/38–39, 1.12 (41–42/40, 1.04); P-4, 61–62/26, 2.35 (58–59/26, 2.23); P-5, 32/15, 2.1 (32/15, 2.1); P-2/P-4 ratio 1-03 (1.22); dL of I-L-2–6: 72 (71), 90 (85), 106 (104), 103 (99), 105 (105); I-L-6 H 38–39 (38–39), dL/H I- L-6 ratio 2.74 (2.72).
Female (paratype from Amedzofe Falls, n = 1)—Idiosoma (ventral view: Figs. 29A, 38B) L 758, W 631; dorsal shield (Fig. 37B) L 619, W 531, L/W ratio 1.17; dorsal plate L 581; shoulder platelets L 183–188, W 66–67, L/W ratio 2.79; frontal platelets L 116–120, W 61, L/W ratio 1.9–2.0; shoulder/frontal platelets L ratio 1.5–1.6. Gnathosomal bay L 147, Cx-I total L 267, Cx-I mL 120, Cx-II+III mL 36; ratio Cx-I L/Cx-II+III mL 7.4; Cx-I mL/ Cx-II+III mL 3.3. Genital field L/W 178/162–163, ratio 1.1; distance genital field-excretory pore 156, genital fieldcaudal idiosoma margin 266. Gnathosoma vL 155; chelicera total L 217; palp total L 229, dL/H, dL/H ratio: P-1, 26/31, 0.84; P-2, 65/47, 1.38; P-3, 43/40, 1.08; P-4, 63/26–27, 2.38; P-5, 32/15, 2.14; P-2/P-4 ratio 1.03; dL of I-L- 2–6: 65, 86, 106, 105, 105; I-L-6 H 38–39, dL/H I-L-6 ratio 2.72.
Etymology. The species is named after Melpomene (Ancient Greek: Μελπομένη), one of nine Muses from Greek mythology, who was a patron of tragedy. The species name is a noun in apposition (in the nominative case).
Discussion. See discussion under Monatractides euterpe n. sp.
Habitat. Sandy/bouldary streams, shaded by rainforest.
Distribution. Ghana.
description: Published as part of Pešić, Vladimir & Smit, Harry, 2014, Torrenticolid water mites (Acari: Hydrachnidia: Torrenticolidae) from Ghana, pp. 1-80 in Zootaxa 3820 (1) on pages 44-46, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3820.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/286303