Bitabulata sagai Goldschmidt 2008, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Goldschmidt, Tom
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2008
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Actinedida
Anisitsiellidae
Bitabulata
Bitabulata sagai

description: Bitabulata sagai sp. nov.   
(Figs 197–210, Table 10)  
 Type series: Holotype male, MD 100 a, Ankaratra (Antananarivo), Reserve Manjakatompo, Montagne Arirana, spring area exposition south-east (drainage Rivière Ambodimangavo), 2200 m asl, 13.5 °C, 1-9 µS/ cm, 05.10.2001, mounted; paratype, same locality and date, 0/1/0 mounted, 1/3/0 unmounted.   
 Habitat: Spring at 2200 m asl.   
 Distribution: Madagascar (Central mountains, Ankaratra).   
 Derivatio nominis: Sagai (Malagasy) — spear; referring to the anteriorly pointed first coxae of the species.   
 Diagnosis: Anterior and posterior dorsal plate with antero-lateral ridge; Dgl-2 on elongated platelet; ventral shield oval drop-shaped; caudal margin of Cx-IV oblique to anterior, genital field elongated, posteriorly surpassing genital bay; Vgl-2 and -4 fused with caudal margin of ventral shield; legs relatively slender; capitulum elongated; palp relatively slender (especially P4).   
 Description, male (n = 1): Idiosoma oval drop-shaped (Fig. 197), purple-bluish; dorsal shield relatively broad (L/W 730/483), anterior plate triangular-rounded, caudal margin straight, laterally and anteriorly curved (L/W 268/425), bearing post-ocular setae; posterior plate (L/W 462/483) with slight antero-laterally extended corners bearing Dgl-4, Dgl-5 fused to postero-lateral margin; antero-medial area of plates slightly raised against antero-lateral margins (Fig. 198); Dgl-2 on irregularly elongated platelet, soft integument lined; setae of Dgl-3 to -5 large, others mid-sized (Fig. 198); lateral eyes oval, far separated from each other, free under integument, posterior eyes relatively large (Fig. 198); venter nearly completely covered by ventral shield (L/ W 788/599); Cx-I anteriorly triangular, medially long, medial margin fused, lateral margin of Cx-II/III relatively straight, Cx-I/II anteriorly surpassing ventral shield; ventral shield extending dorso-laterally of Cx-III (Fig. 197); latero-caudal and medio-caudal margin of Cx-I/II overlapping Cx-III; Cxgl-2 and -4 at anterior margin of Cx-III, setae at Cxgl-4 very tiny; medial margins of Cx-III fused; Cx-IV oblique rectangular, medial margin anteriorly convex, caudally straighter, forming tight genital bay, medio-caudal corner rounded, caudal margin of Cx-IV oblique to anterior, with small pointed projection centrally, insertion of leg-IV lateral to anterior end of genital field, lateral margin of Cx-IV not visible, curved ridge on Cx-IV from medial of insertion of leg-IV to lateral of Cx-III (Fig. 197); genital field elongated-oval, laterally straight, anteriorly and posteriorly rounded, posteriorly clearly extended beyond caudal margin of Cx-IV; acetabula elongated-oval, touching each other (Ac1 and Ac3 remote from anterior and caudal end of genital flaps), setae on genital flaps very tiny, most caudal pair longer; small area of articular membrane anteriorly and lateral to genital field (Fig. 197); genital skeleton compact (not clearly visible, squeezed in preparation) (Fig. 199); setae of Vgl-1 directly posterior to caudal margin of Cx-IV, Vgl-3 half way between coxal field and latero-caudal margin of ventral shield; Vgl-2 and Vgl-4 fused with caudal margin; legs relatively slender, especially leg-IV bearing many heavy setae (mainly distally pinnate), claws on leg-I to -III with fine dorsal and strong ventral clawlet (Fig. 200); leg-IV-6 with mid-sized, pinnate sub-terminal seta (Fig. 201); capitulum elongated, especially ventrally, ventral margin nearly straight (Fig. 202); chelicera slender, with flat dorsal hump (Fig. 203); basal palp segments compact, P1 with one dorsal seta; P2 with one ventro-lateral seta and four dorsal setae; P3 with three dorsal and one lateral setae; P4 relatively slender, ventral margin with flat hump far proximally, distally tapering (Fig. 204).   
 Female (n = 1): Deeper purple-brownish than male; platelets of Dgl-2 less elongated (Fig. 206); ventral shield similar to male, anterior coxae more rounded (Fig. 205); genital field larger (Fig. 205, Table 10); Vgl-3 closer to coxal field, directly posterior caudal margin of Cx-IV (Fig. 205); legs (Figs 207, 208) and gnathosoma (Figs 209, 210) similar to male, ventral hump at P4 further distally (Fig. 210).   
 Remarks: Bitabulata paoma is differentiated from the two other species of the genus by a compact capitulum, relatively compact palps, short legs and having the caudal margin of Cx-IV more transverse. Bitabulata sagai is characterised by the fusion of the Vgl-2 and -4 with the ventral shield (in both sexes), longer (slenderer) distal leg segments and P4, and furthermore (especially in the female) a longer genital field, than in the other species. Bitabulata kelycoxae is characterised by a relatively broad, pear-shaped genital field, an anteriorly broad ventral shield, relatively small Cx-I to -III, elongated capitulum and slender, distinctive dorsal plates. Therefore, even though these three species are based upon only six specimens, they are definitely three separate species.
description: Published as part of Goldschmidt, Tom, 2008, Taxonomical, ecological and zoogeographical studies on anisitsiellid water mites (Acari: Hydrachnidia: Anisitsiellidae Koenike, 1910) from Madagascar, pp. 1-120 in Zootaxa 1954 (1) on pages 85-88, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.1954.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/5240917