Subiasiana indica Kontschán, 2024, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Kontschán, Jenő
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Mesostigmata
Uropodidae
Subiasiana
Subiasiana indica

description: Subiasiana indica sp. nov.
(Figures 1–11)
Diagnosis
As for the genus.
Material examined
Holotype. Female. India, Tamil Nadu, Kodaikanal, 1800 m, 08.VIII.1972, R. Mussard coll. Paratypes. Four males, with the same collection data as the holotype.
Description
Female (n=1).
Length of idiosoma 950, width at level of coxae IV 870, colour reddish-brown. Shape of idiosoma rounded, with a wide incision on anterior margin.
Dorsal idiosoma (Figure 1). Dorsal shield fused with marginal shield at anterior area. Idiosomal margins bear numerous (30–32) very long (ca 340–455) and curved-down setae. Dorsal shield covered with oval pits (ca 8–9×7–8) and bearing smooth and needle-like (ca 60–66 long) setae, two pairs of marginally serrate setae (ca 78–100) situated on caudal area of dorsal shield. Marginal shield reduced caudally and covered with undulate sutures. Two pairs of marginally serrate setae (ca 70–82) and seven pairs of long (ca 110–280) and smooth setae situated on membranous cuticle on caudal area of dorsal idiosoma. Two pairs of lyriform fissures situated on central area of dorsal shield.
Ventral idiosoma (Figure 2). Four pairs of short (ca 11–18) and needle-like sternal setae presented. Setae st1 inserted close to anterior margin of genital shield, st3 at level of mid-coxae II, st4 at level of posterior margin of coxae III, st5 close to basal margin of genital shield. Sternal shield smooth, one pair of large pit situated between coxae II and III. One pair of lyriform fissures situated close to anterior margin of sternal shield and other one pair close to coxae IV. 10 pairs of smooth and long (ca 114–135) setae and two pairs of marginally serrate (ca 62–73) setae situated on ventral shield. Surface of ventral shield ornamented with oval pits (ca 6–8×6–9). Anal opening oval (ca 22 long and ca 17 wide), anal valves smooth. Adanal and postanal setae absent. Pedofossae absent, only long metapodal suture visible.
Genital shield linguliform, length 192, basal width 130, situated between coxae II and IV. Without prolongations and sculptural pattern, one pair of poroids on surface of genital shield placed close to posterior margin of genital shield.Stigmata situated between coxae II and III. Prestigmatid part of peritremes straight (ca 175 long), poststigmatid part absent. Tritosternum with vase-like base (ca 27 long), laciniae subdivided into three smooth branches. Central branch ca 45, lateral branches ca 26–28 long (Figure 3).
Gnathosoma (Figure 3). Corniculi small, smooth and horn-like, malae longer than the corniculi and apically pilose. Hypostomal setae h1 (ca 92–93 long), h2 (ca 25–27), and h4 (ca 42–44), smooth and needle-like, h3 (39–41) marginally serrate. Deutosternal groove narrow, without denticles. Epistome basally serrate and apically divided into two pilose branches (Figure 4). Chelicerae without internal sclerotized nodes. Fixed digit of chelicerae slightly longer than movable digit. Fixed digit with a shallow central tooth and a pit-like sensory organ on apical part (Fig. 5). Palp trochanter setae v1 short and needle-like, v2 long and serrate and situated on spine-like prolongation.
Legs (Figures 6–9). Length of legs (from base of coxae to apex of tarsi): I 769–770, II 800–803, III 867–869, IV 847–850. Leg I without ambulacral claws; majority of setae on all legs needle-like, but some setae serrate on ventral part of femora II and IV and tarsi III.
Male (n=4).
Body 950–965 long and 894–900 wide.
Dorsal idiosoma. As in female (Fig. 11).
Ventral idiosoma (Figures 10 and 12). Intercoxal area, with sternal setae and genital oppening, as in Figure 10. Sternal setae ca 26–32 long, smooth and needle-like. Setae st1 situated at level of mid-coxae II, st2 at level of posterior margin of coxae II, st3 at level of mid-coxae III, and st4 at level of posterior margin of coxae III. Surface of sternal shield covered with oval pits, one pair of lyriform fissures situated close to anterior margin of sternal shield, other one pair of lyriform fissures close to margin of genital opening. Genital opening rounded, (ca 85–87×82–85), with punctuated surface, with one pair of eugenital setae (ca 50–53 long) and situated between coxae III.
Other characters as in adult female.
Immatures
Unknown.
Etymology
The name of the new species “ indica ” refers to the country where the type materials were collected.
Notes about biology
The newly described species has very long setae on idiosomal margins. These setae are full of small pieces of soil, which can camouflage the species. This phenomenon is not unusual within the Uropodina mites—I have observed several species with long setae on idiosoma covered with pieces of soil and tiny leaf litter.
description: Published as part of Kontschán, Jenő, 2024, Subiasiana indica gen. nov., sp. nov., a new remarkable representative of Uropodina mites from India (Acari: Mesostigmata: Uropodidae), pp. 296-302 in Zootaxa 5556 (1) on pages 298-301, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5556.1.21, http://zenodo.org/record/14595278