Pedrocortesella bithongabela Hunt 1996, n.sp.
Creators: name: Hunt, Glenn S.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 1996
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Sarcoptiformes
Licnodamaeidae
Pedrocortesella
Pedrocortesella bithongabela

description: <i>Pedrocortesella bithongabela</i> n.sp. Figs 11, 12, 13 B-D Type material. Queensland: HOLOTYPE adult, QM, Mount Bithongabel, Lamington National Park, 28°16'S 153°10'E, <i>Nothofagus</i> forest, berlese extraction bark and moss from tree trunks and logs, G.S.Hunt, 14 July 1992. PARATYPE adults. AM KS43685, same data as ho1otype, 1 adult; AM KS46547, SEM stub no. SIl02, same data, 4 adults. Diagnosis. Body medium, length about 450-500 /lm; scalps rarely (if at all) carried by adult; sensillus with long flattened tuberculate blade; notogaster strongly reticulate-alveolate; 5 pairs of notogastral setae, arising from pits; genitoanal chaetotaxy 7:1:2:3, genital setae essentially in straight file, insertion of seta <i>ad3</i> adjacent to posterior half of anal valve; claw stalk very short. Description ADULT: <i>Body:</i> brown; length 465 /lm. <i>Cerotegument:</i> body with conspicuous network of cerotegument reflecting underlying reticulate pattern of integument (Fig. lIA,B). Setae <i>ro</i> and <i>le</i> and notogastral setae without obvious cerotegument. <i>Prodorsum:</i> integument reticulate, carina between <i>le</i> and <i>ro</i> absent; <i>le</i> dorsal and close to anterior ofprodorsum, not arising from large pit, <i>ro</i> ventrolateral. Pedotectal tooth similar to <i>P. propinqua.</i> Bothridium closely adpressed to notogaster (Fig. lIB), wall semicircular in dorsal view, depressed anterolaterally and largely missing posteriorly, posterolateral carina weak, situated close to notogaster; sensillus length about 0.9 interbothridial distance, with long flattened tuberculate blade (Fig. lID), posterior margin of prodorsum forming a smooth arc between bothridia. <i>in</i> small, set close about 0.5 bothridial diameter from bothridial wall, at edge of dorsosejugal furrow, spiniform (Fig. IlB,D). <i>Exuvial sealps:</i> none seen. <i>Notogaster:</i> oval, length:width 330:250. Intramarginal depression oval. Notogaster reticulatealveolate, not perforated by pores (Fig. lIE); posterior margin not invaginate when viewed from above, with a weak carina between setae <i>pI</i> when viewed posteriorly (Fig. 11C). Fissura <i>ia</i> and <i>im</i> subparallel, <i>ip</i> perpendicular to sagittal plane; 5 pairs of short notogastral setae arising from small pits, <i>hI</i> moderately close, each located just inside posterior margin; <i>pI</i> with similar spacing to <i>hI; lpx, p2x</i> and <i>p3x</i> arise just inside posterolateral flank, their insertions visible from above, <i>lpx</i> and <i>p2x</i> subequidistant from fissura <i>ip, lpx</i> inserted posterior to it (Fig. IIG). <i>Gnathosoma:</i> rutella basally with strong concave flexure and moderate buttresses laterally, small pointed mesad processes present, transverse striations absent (Fig. I2C). Pedipalp tarsus setae <i>(vt), I"</i> and <i>em</i> smooth; apophysis supporting <i>aem</i> moderately strong; solenidion reaching beyond base of <i>aem</i> (Fig. 12D). <i>Epimeral region:</i> strongly convex a small distance anterior to genital valves and not tending to overhang them. <i>Genitoanal region:</i> separation of anal and genital vestibules relatively broad but with interruption to ventral plate microsculpture, wide mesal isthmus without strong transverse grooves between the vestibules (Fig. 12A). Ventral plate reticulate-alveolate. Genitoanal chaetotaxy 7:I:2:3; genital setae essentially in straight file (Fig. 12F), g] subequal to other setae, at anterior corner in marginal notch; g5 situated at about 0.5 valve length, g7 inserted well anterior to inner posterior corner in marginal notch; setae <i>ag</i> inserted posterior to <i>g7;</i> setae <i>ad]</i> postanal (Fig. 12E), <i>ad3</i> level with posterior half of anal valve. <i>Legs.</i> Distal apophysis of tibia overlaps about 30% of tarsus (Fig. 13C). Tarsal cluster of leg I placed distodorsally on apophysis, slightly proximodorsal to setae <i>tc; fi", omega]</i> and 2 enclosed in well-developed almost circular common rim (Fig. I3B), no partition separating <i>fi"</i> from <i>omega</i>] and 2; <i>fi"</i> longer than solenidia; terminal setae tend to be flattened with barbs lining their margins; tarsus with slight distal recess for receiving retracted unguinal complex, stalk very short (Fig. 13C). <b>Comments.</b> This species is most closely related to <i>P truncata</i> but differs in not having a truncate sensillus. The presence of flattened terminal leg setae in this species is a possible adaptation to arboreal life, perhaps enhancing grip. Flattening also occurs in arboreal Hammeriellidae (see Hunt, 1996c), and in the Liodidae whose species are frequently arboreal. Etymology. The specific epithet is the Latinised noun in apposition based on the type locality. <b>Distribution.</b> Lamington National Park, SE Queensland.
description: Published as part of <i>Hunt, Glenn S., 1996, A review of the genus Hexachaetoniella Paschoal in Australia (Acarina: Cryptostigmata: Pedrocortesellidae), pp. 223-286 in Records of the Australian Museum 48 (3)</i> on pages 240-242, DOI: 10.3853/j.0067-1975.48.1996.431, http://zenodo.org/record/4654998
description: {"references": ["Hunt, G. S., 1996 c. Description of predominantly arboreal plateremaeoid mites from eastern Australia (Acarina: Cryptostigmata: Plateremaeoidea). Records ofthe Australian Museum 48 (3): 303 - 324 [this issue]."]}