Pedrocortesella enigma Hunt 1996, n.sp.
Creators: name: Hunt, Glenn S.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 1996
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Sarcoptiformes
Licnodamaeidae
Pedrocortesella
Pedrocortesella enigma

description: <i>Pedrocortesella enigma</i> n.sp. Figs 20, 21 Type material. Tasmania: HOLOTYPE adult, ANIC, Mount Victoria, 41°20'S 147°49'E, 900 <b>m</b>, pyrethrum knockdown from trees, H. Mitchell and R. Coy, 25 November 1989; PARATYPE adult, AM KS46642 SEM stub no. <i>S/418</i> (ill.), Mount Michael, 41°10'S 148°00'E, pyrethrum knock-down from tree, R. Coy, 28 November 1989, 1 adult. Diagnosis. Body length medium, about 540 <i>)lm;</i> sensillus terminates in rounded club, not flattened blade; notogaster reticulate-alveolate; 5 pairs long notogastral setae, genitoanal chaetotaxy 7:1:3:3, genital setae in arcuate file, insertion of seta <i>ad3</i> adjacent to anterior 50% of anal valve; claw stalk long. Description ADULT: <i>Body:</i> brown; length 540 <i>)lm. Cerotegument:</i> body generally with thin veneer of cerotegument; reticulations on prodorsum and notogaster with numerous cushion-like grains of cerotegument, some stellate tubercles often coalescing into "stitched" crest (Fig. 20 E-F). Setae <i>le, ro</i> and notogastral setae with tapering basal fringes of cerotegument. <i>Prodorsum:</i> integument more or less uniformly reticulate-alveolate including area between bothridia; foveae without visible pores; carina between <i>le</i> and <i>ro</i> absent; <i>le</i> dorsolateral and situated close to anterior of rostrum, distance between them about 0.5 distance between <i>ra,</i> not arising from large pit, <i>ro</i> ventrolateral, insertion not quite visible from above. Pedotectal tooth strongly curved anteriad. Bothridium abutting notogaster but not closely adpressed, posterior wall complete, wall diamond shaped as in <i>P propinqua</i> (Fig. 20A,D), posterolateral carina strong, close to notogaster; sensillus clavate and rounded, not with flattened blade, densely tuberculate, length about 0.5 interbothridial distance (Fig. 20 B-D); posterior margin of prodorsum forming a smooth arc between bothridia; <i>in</i> vestigial, without supporting apophysis; removed from edge of dorsosejugal furrow. <i>Exuvial scalps:</i> not seen. <i>Notogaster:</i> oval, length:width without scalps 350:300. Intramarginal depression similar in shape to <i>P propinqua.</i> Notogaster strongly alveolatereticulate, not perforated by pores (Fig. 20D); posterior margin not invaginate when viewed from above, without carina between setae <i>pi</i> when viewed posteriorly (Fig. 20F). Fissura <i>ia</i> and <i>ip</i> oblique to sagittal plane, <i>im</i> subperpendicular; 5 pairs of long notogastral setae (Fig. 20A,F), with thick cerotegument coating at base, not arising from small pits; <i>hI</i> moderately separated, each located inside posterior margin; <i>pI</i> inserted about midheight on posterior flank, closer together than <i>hI; lpx, p2x</i> and <i>p3x</i> arise along posterolateral flank, their insertions visible from above, <i>lpx</i> closest to fissura <i>ip</i> inserted just posterior to it. <i>Gnathosoma:</i> rutella basally with without concave flexure, with strong transverse striations, pointed basal mesad process absent (Fig. 21C,E); pedipalp not examined. <i>Epimeral region:</i> moderately convex anterior to genital valves, not tending to overhang them. <i>Genitoanal region:</i> separation of anal and genital vestibules relatively broad but with interruption to ventral plate microsculpture, wide mesal isthmus without strong transverse grooves between the vestibules (Fig. 2IA,G), Ventral plate reticulate-foveate. Genitoanal chaetotaxy 7:1:3:3; genital setae essentially in arcuate file but with g5 placed about 0.5 valve length; <i>gI</i> inserted lateral to inner anterior corner of valve in marginal notch; g7 inserted at inner posterior corner, in marginal notch; setae <i>ag</i> inserted at level between g6 and <i>g7;</i> setae <i>adI</i> distinctly postanal, <i>ad3</i> inserted level with anterior 30% of anal valve, subequal to <i>ad 2</i> in separation from valve. <i>Legs.</i> Distal apophysis of tibia overlaps about 30% of tarsus (Fig. 2ID). Tarsal cluster of leg I placed distodorsally on apophysis, <i>fi", omega 1</i> and 2 enclosed in common rim (Fig. 2 ID), no partition separating <i>fi"</i> from <i>omega 1</i> and 2, latter widely separated; tarsus without distal recess for receiving retracted unguinal complex, claw stalk long. Comments. This species strongly resembles <i>P propinqua</i> in many respects: the wide separation of genital and anal vestibules, the arcuate arrangement of genital setae; the anterior position of setae <i>ad3;</i> the length and disposition of notogastral setae; the vestigial interlamellar setae; and the shape of the bothridium. It differs in having three pairs of anal setae and a clavate sensillus, the latter being generally regarded as an adaptation to arboreal life (O'Dowd <i>et al.,</i> 1991). The species is probably an arboreal representative of the species group suggested for <i>P. propinqua</i> and <i>P. bannisteri</i> (see General Discussion). <b>Etymology.</b> The specific epithet refers to the puzzling three pairs of anal setae, quite uncharacteristic for <i>Pedrocortesella.</i> <b>Distribution.</b> Mountainous rainforest areas, north-eastern Tasmania.
description: Published as part of <i>Hunt, Glenn S., 1996, A review of the genus Hexachaetoniella Paschoal in Australia (Acarina: Cryptostigmata: Pedrocortesellidae), pp. 223-286 in Records of the Australian Museum 48 (3)</i> on pages 251-254, DOI: 10.3853/j.0067-1975.48.1996.431, http://zenodo.org/record/4654998
description: {"references": ["O'Dowd, D. J., C. R. Brew, D. C. Christophel &amp; R. A Norton, 1991. Mite plant associations from the Eocene of southern Australia. Science 252: 99 - 101."]}