Maracarus terueae Durucan, 2024, n. sp.
Creators: name: Durucan, Furkan
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Trombidiformes
Halacaridae
Maracarus
Maracarus terueae

description: Maracarus terueae n. sp.
Maracarus gracilipes,— Durucan, 2019
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 1E80A361-DA71-4701-8A0E-E3A73D82A41A
Figures 3–6; Table 2
Material examined. Holotype. Female (FDHAL-24/27), undissected and mounted into one slide, St. 4 (Antalya, Kundu), fine sand sediment, 2 m depth, 36°50’57.7”N 30°50’20.4”E, 27 July 2020. Paratypes. All specimens with same collection data as holotype. two females and one male (FDHAL-24/27), undissected and mounted into one slide; male (FDHAL-24/28) dissected and mounted into one slide; male (FDHAL-24/29), dissected and mounted into one slide; female (FDHAL-24/30), with ciliates, undissected and mounted into one slide; male (FDHAL-24/31), with ciliates, undissected and mounted into one slide; Deutonymph (FDHAL-24/32), undissected and mounted into one slide; Protonymph (FDHAL-24/33), undissected and mounted into one slide.
Etymology. The species is dedicated in honor of Dr. Terue Cristina Kihara (INES—Integrated Environmental Solutions UG, Wilhelmshaven, Germany) for her support to author’s halacarid research studies in Germany.
Description. Measurements presented in Table 2.
Female (holotype). Dorsal plates (AD, OC and PD) with reticulate sculpturing (Fig. 3A). AD as wide as long. AD with three raised porose areolae, anterior with 36 long, 18 wide (10–12 polygons), posterior areolae 50–54 long, 30–33 wide (19–21 polygons) (Fig. 3E). A pair of gland pores at 0.31 of AD length, slightly anterior to ds-1. Pairs of ds-2 and ds-3 on membranous integument between AD and OC, and between AD and PD, respectively.
Ocular plates posteriorly tail like almost extending to leg IV insertions (Fig. 3A). with an anterior raised area with one anterior areola with 6–8 polygons and a posterior with 12–13 polygons. Corneae lacking. Gland pores (glp-2) lateral to OC. Pore canaliculus immediately posterior to small porose areola and gland pore (Fig. 3F). PD wide, rounded anteriorly, reticulate except for two pairs of narrow costae with porous areolae. Pairs of glp-3 (0.74 level of PD) and glp-4 apical on protrusions raising from costae (Fig. 3D). Ds-4 on PD between two porose areolae (0.42 level of PD) and ds-5 immediately posterior to glp-3. Ds-6 on anal cone.
Ventral plates (AE, PE and GA) with reticulate porose areolae (Fig. 3B). Posterior AE and anterior GA truncate. AE with 3 pairs of setae and pair of large epimeral pores (7). PE with 2 dorsal and 3 ventral setae, and three porose areolae: anterior to leg III insertion, at its same level and marginal to leg IV insertion. Interval between anterior margin of GA and GO 2.33 times length of GO. Pair of longitudinal porose areolae (170 long) lateral to GO. GA with three pairs of pgs, genital sclerites with two pairs of sgs. GA widening posteriorly. Ovipositor (110) extending beyond anterior pair of pgs (Fig. 3B,G).
Dorsal gnathosoma reticulate, tectum truncate (Fig. 3J). Rostrum triangular, extending beyond P-2 (Fig. 3K). Rostral setae at tip of rostrum; Distal maxillary setae at about 0.36 level of rostrum, basal maxillary setae at about 0.91 level of rostrum. Ventral gnathosomal base with pair of reticulate porose areolae 60 long, 22 wide. P1 15, P2 53, P3 12, P4 44. P4 shorter than P2 with 3 long setae in basal whorl. Chelicera with claw (Figs. 3J–L).
All legs (Figs. 4A–D) slender and shorter than idiosoma. Leg I to leg IV lengths (without claws) 253, 275, 213, 264 long, respectively. Leg chaetotaxy from trochanter to tarsus (bipectinated setae between parentheses, parambulacral setae and solenidia excluded): leg I: 1, 2, 5, 4, 8, 6; leg II: 1, 2, 5, 4, 8(2), 4; leg III: 1, 2, 4, 3, 5(1), 4; leg IV: 0, 2, 3, 3, 5, 3. Tarsus I (Fig. 4E) with 3 dorsal setae, 1 dorsolateral seta-like solenidion, 3 ventral setae and apically with pair of doubled pas. Tarsus II (Fig. 4F) with 3 dorsal setae, a dorsomedial seta-like solenidion, 1 ventral setae, and pair of pas. Tarsi III (Fig. 4G) and IV (Fig. 4H) with 4 and 3 dorsal setae, respectively. Tibia I with four slender smooth ventral setae; tibia II with two sharply ending bipectinate ventromedial and two slender ventral setae. Ventromedial setae of tibia III bipectinate and blunt, ventrolateral seta long. Both ventral and ventrolateral seta of tibia IV smooth and long. Claws with accessory process. Claw pecten with delicate tines and a small bidentate median claw.
Male: Male is similar to female except for the genital plate (Fig. 3C). GO surrounded by 48–52 perigenital setae. Five pairs of sgs setae are present, arranged 2:3 (Fig. 3H). GO 50 long, 37 wide. Distance between edges of GA and GO 125, equalling 2.5 of GO length. Spermatopositor large, 100 long, extending beyond anterior margin of GO (Fig. 3I).
Deutonymph: Plates and their porose areolae less developed than in adults (Figs. 5A, C). OC not tail like (Fig. 5B), posteriorly extending to level of leg III insertions. Genitoanal plate almost rectangular with four perigenital setae and two pairs of genital acetabula (Fig. 5D). Gnathosoma similar to adults, rostrum triangular, not extending beyond P-2 (Fig. 5E). Leg chaetotaxy (Figs. 6A–D) from trochanter to tarsus (bipectinated setae between parentheses, parambulacral setae and solenidia excluded): leg I: 1, 2, 5, 4, 8, 6; leg II: 1, 2, 3, 4, 8(2), 3; leg III: 1, 2, 3, 3, 5(1), 4; leg IV: 0, 2, 3, 3, 5, 3.
Protonymph: Plates and their porose areolae less developed than in adults (Figs. 5F, G). OC not tail like and posteriorly not extending to level of leg III insertions. Rostrum triangular, not extending beyond P-3 (Fig. 5I). Genitoanal plate without perigenital setae and one pair of genital acetabula (Fig. 5D). Leg chaetotaxy (Figs. 6E–H) from trochanter to tarsus (bipectinated setae between parentheses, parambulacral setae and solenidia excluded): leg I: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 4; leg II: 1, 1, 3, 4, 5(1), 3; leg III: 1, 1, 2, 3, 4(1), 4; leg IV: 1, 3, 3, 5, 3. Tibia II and III with only 1 bipectinate setae. One pair of genital acetabula.
Remarks: Durucan (2019) reported for the first time a Maracarus species under the name of M. gracilipes for the Turkish halacarid fauna, but a careful re-examination and fresh new samples, the present author identified this species as Maracarus teruae n. sp in this study. The new species differs from all other species in Maracarus gracilipes group by having large, striking porose areolae on the plates of idiosoma and longer rostrum which has extending beyond P2. Especially, the shape of porose areolae on AE which is like a wing of butterfly both female and male specimens of the new species, and the shape of porose areolae on GA which is oblong shaped and its anterior part wider than posterior part both female and male specimens in the new species. Additionally, the ventral gnathosomal base uniformly porosed in Maracarus teruae n. sp.. None of the previously described Maracarus species has such areolae on idiosoma and gnathosoma.
The new species, Maracarus teruae n. sp. resembles Maracarus pedroi n. sp., also described herewith. However, the two species can be clearly separated on the basis of (1) size of idiosoma (in M. pedroi n. sp., female 337 and male 307 vs in M. terueae n. sp. females 400, and males between 395–410), (2) shape and size of porose areolae on the plates (in female of M. pedroi n. sp., porose areolae on GA divided into two parts, while in M. terueae n. sp. those areolae merged, regarding males of M. pedroi n. sp., anterior and posterior porose areolae on GA almost same sizes, while in M. terueae n. sp., anterior part wider than posterior part of porose areolae), (3) posterior part of costae on PD (in M. pedroi n. sp. narrow vs wide in M. terueae n. sp), (4) the number of male perigenital setae (in M. pedroi n. sp. 25–26 vs 48–52 in M. terueae n. sp). Moreover, (5) distance between edges of GA and GO in males differ (in M. pedroi n. sp. 85, equalling 2.1 of GO length vs 125, equalling 2.5 of GO length in M. terueae n. sp.) and (6) the male perigenital setae arrangement on genitoanal plate are different (in M. pedroi n. sp. pgs arrangement more rare vs in M. terueae n. sp. more dense). Additionally, (7) the male perigenital setae arrangement around genital foramen different (in M. pedroi n. sp. three pgs around genital foremen vs five in M. terueae n. sp.).
description: Published as part of Durucan, Furkan, 2024, The genus Maracarus (Acari: Halacaridae), description of three new species and one new record from Türkiye, pp. 539-556 in Zootaxa 5486 (4) on pages 543-548, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5486.4.4, http://zenodo.org/record/13210228