Spatulaphorus spinisetus 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 spinisetus

description: Spatulaphorus spinisetus sp. nov.
(Figs 9–12)
Description. FEMALE. Body well sclerotized. Length of idiosoma 245 (190–265), width 155 (105–155).
Gnathosoma. Gnathosomal capsule, excluding palps, subrectangular, length 21 (19–22), width 22 (19–22). Dorsum with one pair of needle-like cheliceral setae (cha) 6 (5–6). 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 6 (6–7) and round pits n situated posteriad m. Palps with smooth and weakly blunt-tipped setae dFe 4 (3–4) and dGe 8 (7–8) 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 9A, 12A). 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; seta v2 smooth, other dorsal setae distinctly barbed.Alveoli of setae e and f almost contiguous. Cupules ia on tergite D, im on tergite EF and ih on tergite H large, round, subequal. Lengths of dorsal setae: v1 26 (21–27), v2 9 (8–10), sc2 47 (38–49), c1 32 (27–34), c2 45 (36–48), d 39 (30–39), e 24 (20–27), f 41 (32–42), h1 43 (34–44), h2 24 (19–24). Distances between setae: v1–v1 27 (24–29), v2–v2 45 (40–49), sc2–sc2 56 (46–61), c1–c1 44 (35–47), c1–c2 32 (24–32), d–d 76 (65–80), e–f 5 (4–5), f–f 73 (58–75), h1–h1 62 (47–62), h1–h2 7 (7–8).
Idiosomal venter (Figs 9B, 12B). Coxisternal fields I-II, III-IV and aggenital plate laterally with sparsely distributed big puncta. Setae 1b pointed; other ventral setae blunt-tipped; setae 1b and ps3 weakly barbed, other ventral setae smooth. Bases of setae ps3 situated distinctly anteriad bases of setae ps1-2. Ap1 and ap2 well-developed and joined with thick appr; apsej developed only laterally; ap3 weak, not reaching appo; ap4 well developed, exceeding beyond bases of setae 3b. Ap5 short, joined with appo and reaching bases of setae 4a. Ags small, cup-like; pgs small, oval. Posterior margin of posterior sternal plate straight in middle part. Posterior margin of aggenital plate weakly concave. Lengths of ventral setae: 1a 9 (8–10), 1b 20 (17–22), 1с 11 (10–12), 2a 12 (11–14), 2с 13 (11–13), 3a 14 (11–14), 3b 12 (10–13), 3c 16 (12–16), 4a 12 (10–12), 4b 19 (15–20), 4c 14 (12–16), ps1 9 (7–10), ps2 9 (8–10), ps3 19 (15–19).
Legs (Figs 10, 11). Setation of legs as in S. brevisetosus. Leg I (Fig. 10A). 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 very thick and blunt-tipped. Seta d of femur spatulate, with short subterminal projection. Setae l’ of femur and k 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 6 (6–7), ω2 5 (5), φ1 7 (6–7), φ2 5 (4–5); solenidia ω1 and φ1 thick, clavate; other solenidia weakly clavate. Leg II (Fig. 10B). Tarsus with thickened basally claws and pad-like empodium. Solenidion ω 6 (5–6) weakly clavate, solenidion φ absent. Setae pl”, tc’, tc” and u’ of tarsus smooth, other setae barbed; setae tc’ and pl” of tarsus spiniform, blunt-tipped; setae d, l’, and v” of femur blunt-tipped; setae (pv) of tarsus weakly foliate distally; other leg setae pointed. Leg III (Fig. 11A). Femur divided into basi- and telofemur. Claws and empodium of same shape as on tarsus II. Setae v’ of trochanter, tc’, pl”, and u’ of tarsus smooth, other setae barbed; setae tc’ and 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 11B). Femur divided into basi- and telofemur. Claws simple, empodium as on tarsi II and III. Setae v’ of trochanter and pl” of tarsus smooth, other setae barbed; setae v’ of trochanter, d, v’ of femur, v” of tibia blunt-tipped; seta pl” of tarsus spiniform, other leg setae pointed; solenidion φ absent.
MALE unknown.
Type material. Female holotype, slide ZISP T-Pygm-012, Brazil, São Paulo, Campos do Jordão, I.2005 (CEMT), on Dichotomius buqueti (Lucas); paratypes: 10 females, same data; 26 females, same locality but 19.I.2004, on Dichotomius buqueti.
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 very similar to S. imbricatipes (Mahunka, 1980) comb. nov., described from Argentina (Mahunka 1980) in having spiniform setae pl”, tc’ on tarsi II and III, enlarged tibiotarsus I and basally thickened claws on tarsi II and III. The new species differs from S. imbricatipes in having distinctly longer dorsal idiosomal setae, especially h1 which are longer than the distance between their bases (vs. setae h1 shorter than distance between their bases in S. imbricatipes) and setae c1 distinctly shorter than c2 (vs. setae c1 and c2 subequal in S. imbricatipes).
Etymology. The name of the new species is a combination of two Latin words: spinosus meaning spinous, and seta meaning bristle, and refers to the spiniform setae on tarsi II and III.
Remark. Mahunka (1980) described Pygmephorellus imbricatipes based on specimens deposited in the Berlese collection and collected on Phanaeus sp. in Argentina. In the description he did not describe the chaetotaxy of legs. However, illustrations of legs I–IV show character states typical for Spatulaphorus, namely the presence of only two setae on genu I, only one seta on genu II and genu IV without setae. Also, setae ps3 are located distinctly anteriad setae ps1–2 which is characteristic for most Neotropical Spatulaphorus species. Khaustov & Trach (2012) and Khaustov & Frolov (2017; 2021) suggested that P. imbricatipes could be a species of the genus Spatulaphorus. Discovery of the closely related species Spatulaphorus spinisetus sp. nov. confirms this opinion. Therefore, we move Pygmephorellus imbricaripes to the genus Spatulaphorus (new combination).
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 346-350, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5497.3.2, http://zenodo.org/record/13618611