Austrocarabodes hendriksi Hugo, 2008, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Hugo, Elizabeth A.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2008
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Sarcoptiformes
Carabodidae
Austrocarabodes
Austrocarabodes hendriksi

description: Austrocarabodes hendriksi sp. nov.
Figs 1–3
Species diagnosis. Large, light brown species; body surface clearly alveolate; sensillus with long slender peduncle and small head, surface distinctly spiculate; notogastral setae narrow, phylliform, barbed, with strong midrib; epimeral setae 3b, 3c, 4a, 4b, 4c fusiform and finely barbed.
Dimensions. Length: Females (n = 16) 757 µm (range 690–820), males (n = 17) 675 µm (range 610–740). Width: Females 463 µm (range 410–500), males 410 µm (range 350–470). Holotype (male): Length 640 µm, width 400 µm.
Prodorsum (Fig. 1 A). Surface alveolate, surface of lamellae smooth; rostrum rounded, rostral seta (ro) curving medially, inserted on tubercles originating on translamella; lamellar seta (le) longer than rostral seta, with midrib, inner margin serrated, apex pointed; interlamellar seta (in) with strong midrib and very short barbs, directed outwards, longest of prodorsal setae, as long as mutual distance; transverse ridge present in interlamellar region; sensillus with long slender peduncle, head small, distally strongly curving towards peduncle, surface distinctly spiculate; bothridium internally with fine vertical ribs.
Notogaster (Figs 1 A, 1B). Surface alveolate, similar to ornamentation on prodorsum; anterior margin strongly arched; notogastral setae narrow, phylliform, with distinct midrib, margin of setae and midrib with small barbs, tips sharply pointed (Fig. 1 B); seta c1, da not reaching alveoli of da, dm, respectively, distance c1- c2 slightly shorter than c1-c1, lm, dm more or less at same horizontal level, c1, c2 close to anterior margin of notogaster.
Coxisternal region (Fig. 1 C). Epimeral surface faintly alveolate; mentum finely punctate; setae 1a, 1c, 2a, 3a very short, smooth; seta 1b smooth, long and slender; setae 3b, 3c, 4a, 4b, 4c small, phylliform, finely barbed.
Anogenital region (Fig. 1 C). Surface faintly alveolate (not clearly visible), genital and anal plates finely punctate; genital setae short, thick, spiniform; aggenital seta long, smooth, slender; anal setae short, thick, spiniform; adanal setae phylliform, similar to notogastral setae, but with smaller barbs; genital and anal apertures framed by weak chitinous rim with connecting laths.
Legs (Figs 2–3, Table 1). Setation of legs I–IV (solenidia in parentheses) (including famulus): trochanters 1-1-2-1, femora 4-4-3-2, genua 3(1)-3(1)-1(1)-2, tibiae 4(2)-3(1)-2(1)-2(1), tarsi 16(2)-15(2)-15-11 (see Table 1 for setation detail); tarsus I solenidion ω2 strongly curved lateroposteriad (similar to A. curvisetiger Aoki, 1982); setae (u) proximally dilated, tapering abruptly into long slender tip; seta d on genu of legs I–IV large, phylliform and coarsely serrated (this seta is considered here as the dorsal seta d following Aoki 1982; however, Mahunka (1986b, 1996) named this seta l”); seta l” on femur of legs I and II and seta l’ on femur of leg III phylliform and coarsely serrated.
Material. The holotype (3419.16.1) and paratypes are deposited in the National Museum, Bloemfontein. The holotype and paratypes were sampled in the grassland biome (Rutherford et al. 2006), at Wolfkop, a farm between Bloemfontein and Petrusburg in decomposed plant debris under indigenous trees (29º08’S, 25º51’E).
Collection data. Grassland biome: Frankfort (27º17’S, 28º23’E, soil and plant debris under Lycium bushes), Ladybrand (29º11’S, 27º27’E, humus rich soil and rotten leaves under Quercus trees), Parys (26º53’S, 27º23’E, soil near indigenous plants), Excelsior (28º52’S, 27º13’E, soil under indigenous Olea, Rhus and Acacia trees), Bloemfontein (29º06’S, 26º14’E, plant debris under indigenous trees), Zastron (30º18’S, 27º03’E, soil with grass), Theunissen (28º30’S, 26º48’E, typical grassland). Indian Ocean Coastal Belt biome: Stanger (29º05’S, 31º24’E, soil with rotten plant debris), Ballito (29º31’S, 31º12’E, rotten leaves in thick indigenous forest), Blythedale (29º22’S, 31º20’E, soil and rotten plant debris in dense thicket). Nama- Karoo biome: Steynsburg (30º47’S, 25º46’E, soil and rotten leaves under Diospyros bushes). Fynbos biome: Stormsvlei (34º05’S, 20º06’E, soil and plant debris under trees). For distribution see map (Fig. 8).
Etymology. The species is named in memory of my late grandfather, G. Hendriks, who I admired.
Remarks. Other Austrocarabodes species with similar ornamentation and phylliform setae on the prodorsum and notogaster include A. cadeti Mahunka, 1978 (Reunion), A. costulatus (Balogh, 1958) (Angola), A. ensifer (Sellnick, 1931) (Greece) and A. sphaerula Balogh, 1970 (Sri Lanka). However, A. hendriksi differs from all the above-mentioned species in the shape of the sensillus (A. hendriksi: long peduncle, head small, distally curving towards peduncle, surface spiculate vs A. cadeti: short peduncle, head clavately incrassate; A. costulatus and A. ensifer: long peduncle, head gradually thickening and rounded distally, surface spiculate; A. sphaerula: short peduncle, head sphaerical, finely ciliate) and the form of epimeral setae 3b, 3c, 4a, 4b, 4c (A. hendriksi: fusiform, finely barbed vs A. ensifer: fine and short; A. costulatus and A. cadeti: long and smooth; A. spaerula: no description). Epimeral setae of A. vaucheri Mahunka, 1984 are also fusiform (described as a unique feature), but differs from A. hendriksi in other aspects.
description: Published as part of Hugo, Elizabeth A., 2008, Three new species of Austrocarabodes (Oribatida: Carabodidae) from South Africa, pp. 25-36 in Zootaxa 1844 on pages 26-28, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.183279