Punctoribates ghilarovi Shaldybina 1969
Creators: name: Seniczak, Stanisław
name: Ivan, Otilia
name: Kaczmarek, Sławomir
name: Koziróg, Katarzyna Faleńczyk-
name: Seniczak, Anna
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Sarcoptiformes
Punctoribatidae
Punctoribates
Punctoribates ghilarovi

description: Punctoribates ghilarovi Shaldybina, 1969
(Figs. 1–15)
Diagnosis
Adult of medium size (325–421), with characters of Punctoribates given by Behan-Pelletier and Eamer (2008). Bothridial seta clavate, anterior tectum of notogaster straight. Notogaster with seven pairs of microsetae, including c 2, and three pairs of short p -series. Four pairs of porose areas present, Aa clearly larger than other porose areas. Aggenital, adanal and anal setae short. All tibiae with dorsal projection.
Juveniles light brown. Most prodorsal setae of medium size, except for long seta ro in larva, and short and smooth seta ex in all instars. The larva with 12 pairs of gastronotal setae, including h 3, the nymphs with 15 pairs. Most these setae of medium size and barbed, except for slightly longer dm, dp, lm, lp and h 1, and short and smooth h 3 in larva, and also short and smooth da and dm, slightly longer dp, and clearly longer h 1, h 3 and lp in nymphs. In all juveniles, humeral organ present.
Morphology of adult
Adults (Figs. 1–8) similar to those investigated by Shaldybina (1973), but see Remarks. Mean length (and range) of females 367.9±23.2 (337–421, n= 62) and males 345.1±17.8 (325–379, n= 28), mean maximum width (and range) of females 255.8±16.9 (235–289) and males 239.1±12.1 (223–259). Notogaster with seven pairs of microsetae, including c 2, and three pairs of short p -series (Figs. 1, 2, 3a, 4, 5a–c, 6c). Pedotectum I strongly convex dorsally (Figs. 3a, 4b, 6a, 6b). Hypostomal setae h, m and a short and smooth (Figs. 2, 4c, 6d). Chelicera small (90 x 30), setae cha longer and thicker than chb, both barbed (Fig. 3b). Palp short (55), with most setae relatively long, sup, inf and l” on tibia finely barbed, other setae smooth (Fig. 3c), formula of palp setae 0-2-1-3-9(1). Trochanters III and IV and all femora flattened, porose areas on inner parts of trochanters III and IV and all femora, femur IV also with transverse folds, all tibiae with dorsal projections (Figs. 4b, 5d, 6a, 6b, 7, 8). Formulae of leg setae [trochanter to tarsus (+ solenidia)]: I – 1-5-3(1)-4(2)-20(2); II – 1-5-3(1)-4(1)-15(2); III – 2-3-1(1)-3(1)-15; IV – 1-2-2- 3(1)-12. Leg tarsi heterotridactylous.
Remarks. The range of body length of adults of P. ghilarovi investigated herein is slightly larger, and the range of width is slightly smaller than those investigated by Shaldybina (1969) – length 370–430, width 274–344, sex not investigated, but the distribution of notogastral setae and porose areas are similar as in Shaldybina (1969). However, in our some individuals studied herein, the porose area A1 is larger than on other side, but smaller than the porose area Aa. In our individuals, the shape of leg segments, setae and solenidia is similar to those investigated by Shaldybina (1969), except for anterodorsal projections on tibiae that are slightly smaller than in the adults investigated by Shaldybina (1969).
Description of juveniles
Larva oval in dorsal view (Fig. 9), light brown. Prodorsum subtriangular, prodorsal seta ro long, in and le of medium size (Table 1) and ex short; most barbed, ex smooth. Mutual distance between setal pair le about 1.5 times longer than between pair ro, between setal pair in nearly three times longer than between pair ro, pair le inserted approximately midway between pairs ro and in. Opening of bothridium oval, bothridial seta clavate, with barbed head.
Gastronotum of larva with 12 pairs of setae, including h 3 inserted lateral to medial part of anal valves (Figs. 9, 10a, 11a), most setae of medium size and barbed, except for slightly longer dm, dp, lm, lp and h 1, and short and smooth h 3. Pygidial shield poorly developed, with setae of d -series and h 1, other setae inserted on unsclerotized integument. Seta c 3 longer than c 1 and c 2, length of setae of d - and l -series slightly increasing from anterior to posterior, and setae of h -series increasing from posterior to anterior (Table 1). Cupules ia posterior to seta c 3, im not observed, ip between setae h 1 and h 2, ih lateral to anterior part of anal opening. Opisthonotal gland opening gla lateral to seta lp, with dark sclerotized surrounding, humeral organ anterior to seta c 3 (Fig. 11a). Paraproctal valves (segment PS) glabrous. Most leg setae barbed, seta ft” on tarsus I relatively long (Fig. 12).
Shape and colour of protonymph, prodorsal setae and bothridium as in larva, but bothridial setae relatively thinner, and gastronotum with 15 pairs of setae because p -series added (Fig. 10b), and retaining in subsequent nymphs (Figs. 13a, 13b). Most gastronotal setae of medium size (Table 1). In protonymph, setae of p -series shorter than other posterior setae, and length increasing from p 3 to p 1 (p 3 smooth, other setae barbed), but in other nymphs all setae of p -series of similar length and barbed (Figs. 10b, 13a, 13b). In all nymphs, gastronotal shield present, with 10 pairs of setae (d -, l -, h -series, p 1), in deutonymph and tritonymph setae p 2 and p 3 inserted on ventral shield. In protonymph, one pair of genital setae appeared on genital valves, two pairs added in deutonymph and tritonymph each (Figs. 10b, 13a, 13b), all short and smooth. In deutonymph, one pair of aggenital setae and three pairs of adanal setae appeared, and remaining in tritonymph; all short and smooth. In protonymph and deutonymph, anal valves glabrous, in tritonymph two pairs of short and smooth anal setae present. In tritonymph, setae of c -series of medium size and barbed, inserted on unsclerotized integument, c 3 slightly longer than c 1 and c 2 (Fig. 14, Table 1). Other gastronotal setae also of medium size and barbed, except for short and smooth da and dm, slightly longer dp, and clearly longer h 1, h 3 and lp. In tritonymph, cupules ia and im as in larva, ip anterolateral to seta p 1, iad lateral to anterior part of anal valves, and ips and ih pushed lateral and anterolateral to iad, respectively (Figs. 10b, 11b, 13a, 13b). Humeral organ large, rounded, porose, located lateral to seta c 3, opisthonotal gland opening lateral to seta lp, with dark sclerotized surrounding (Fig. 11b). Legs of tritonymph stocky, tibiae without dorsal projections, most leg setae finely barbed, seta ft” on tarsus I relatively long (Fig. 15).
Summary of ontogenetic transformations
In the larva, the prodorsal seta ro is long and setae le and in are of medium size, in the nymphs all setae are of medium size, whereas in the adult seta in is long, and other setae are of medium size. Seta ex is short in all instars. The bothridium is oval in all juveniles, whereas in the adult it is rounded and covered by anterior tectum of notogaster. In all instars, the bothridial seta is clavate, with barbed head, but in the larva the head is thicker than in other instars. The larva has 12 pairs of gastronotal setae, including h 3, the nymphs have 15 pairs (p -series appears in the protonymph), whereas the notogaster of adult loses five pairs of setae (c 1, c 3 and d -series), so the seven pairs of microsetae remain and three pairs of short setae of p -series, including c 2. The formula of gastronotal setae in P. ghilarovi is 12-15-15-15-10 (from larva to adult), the formula of epimeral setae are 3-1-2 (larva, including scaliform 1c), 3-1-2-1 (protonymph), 3-1-2-2 (deutonymph) and 3-1-3-3 (tritonymph and adult). The formula of genital setae is 1-3-5-6 (protonymph to adult), formula of aggenital setae is 1-1-1 (deutonymph to adult), and setal formula of segments PS-AN is 03333-0333-022. The ontogeny of leg setae and solenidia of P. ghilarovi is as in P. astrachanicus (Seniczak et al. 2020a).
Distribution, ecology and biology
Punctoribates gilarovi is a species with Palaearctic distribution, i. e. distributed in east of occidental Palaearctic and Mongolia (Murvanidze & Mumladze 2016; Subías 2004, 2022). This species was described from Gorky region (Nizhny Novgorod, Russia), and then was recorded from Caucasus (Shtanchaeva & Subías 2010), Poland (Niedbała & Olszanowski 2008), and Romania (Ivan & Vasiliu 2010).
Ecology of P. ghilarovi is poorly known so far. Shaldybina (1969) found this species in damp and bog meadows, while Murvanidze and Mumladze (2016) reported it from forest soils. In Romania P. ghilarovi was firstly found in a closed cave (Ivan & Vasiliu 2010), then in a forest robinia plantation (Călugăr & Ivan 2013). All localities (including Murighiol, Table1) are situated in eastern part of Romania.
In this study, P. ghilarovi was the most abundant in halophilous meadow (100.2 indiv./ 500cm 3), and the density was lower in poplar plantation (44.4 indiv./ 500cm 3) and robinia plantation (11.2 indiv./ 500cm 3). The juveniles of P. ghilarovi were present only in forest poplar plantation, where they constituted 9% of population. The stage structure of this population was the following: nine larvae, 3 protonymphs, 6 deutonymphs, 2 tritonymphs and 202 adults (total number from five replicates). In all habitats, the sex ratio (females to males) of species varied (1:0.36–1:0.58, mean 1:0.45), as well as the number of gravid females (32–76%). In poplar plantation and halophilous meadow females carried 1–3 large eggs, whereas in robinia plantation they were carried 1–6 large eggs (175 x 76), which comprised 48% of the length of females.
Among the investigated habitats, the adults inhabiting halophilous meadow were the smallest, and those inhabiting robinia plantation were the largest, and the adults living in poplar plantation were of medium size (Table 2). The adults from robinia plantation were significanlty larger than those in other habitats, whereas only females from poplar plantation were significantly larger that those from halophilous meadow. In all habitats, females were significantly larger than males.
description: Published as part of Seniczak, Stanisław, Ivan, Otilia, Kaczmarek, Sławomir, Koziróg, Katarzyna Faleńczyk- & Seniczak, Anna, 2022, Morphological ontogeny of Punctoribates ghilarovi (Acari, Oribatida, Punctoribatidae), pp. 149-168 in Zootaxa 5187 (1) on pages 151-157, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5187.1.10, http://zenodo.org/record/7077946