New Oppiidae (Acari: Oribatida) from Vernon Crookes Nature Reserve, South Africa
Author
Hugo-Coetzee, Elizabeth A.
text
Zootaxa
2017
4311
2
211
232
journal article
32336
10.11646/zootaxa.4311.2.3
343c32f4-190c-4cf1-a1e2-a24dc25e8ebe
1175-5326
847498
9CD03C02-91B7-40CA-8B84-5D3836BD7913
Kokoppia murvanidzeae
sp. nov.
(
Figs 11
,
12
)
Diagnosis.
Adult: body size 254–294 × 143–168; lamellar and translamellar lines indistinct; thin sensillar head with four to five long branches and two to three short branches; tubercle posterior to bothridium in dorsosejugal region present; seta
lm
posterio-medially to
la
, seta
c2
represented by alveolus.
Description.
Measurements.
Length: females (n = 5) mean 284 (range 274–294), males (n = 5) 267 (254–277). width: females 158 (153–168), males 149 (143–154).
Holotype
(female): length 281, width 158.
Integument
(
Fig. 11
A, C). Body surface smooth; lateral side of prodorsum above pedotectum I granulated.
Prodorsum
(
Fig. 11
A, C). Apex of rostrum very slightly flattened (best seen in ventral view), rostral seta (31– 36) barbed, inserted laterally in dorsal view, lamellar seta (13–22) thin, smooth, interlamellar seta (32–42) thick, roughened, exobothridial seta (14–20) weakly barbed, anterior of bothridium; a lighter quadrangular field demarcated by indistinct lamellar and translamellar lines, lamellar and interlamellar setae within this field; bothridial seta (71–83 without branches) slightly thickened, similar thickness throughout, with four to five long branches and two to three short branches; tubercle posterior to bothridium on hysterosoma present; tubercle posterior to interlamellar seta present, directed anteriorly.
Notogaster
(
Fig. 11
A, C). Nine pairs of smooth notogastral setae, medium length,
lp
(22–30)>
lm
,
la
,
h
1,
h
2,
h
3 (16–27)>
p
1,
p
2 (13–22)>
p
3 (11–16); seta
lm
postero-medially to
la
, seta
lp
,
h
3 almost on a transverse ine, seta
c2
represented by alveolus, seta
h
3 posterior to lyrifissure
im
;
ia
,
im
(5–8) distinct, other lyrifissures not visible.
Gnathosoma
and epimeral region
(
Fig. 11
B, C). Setae
a
,
h
(11–18),
m
(13–17) ciliate; setae
1c
,
3c
,
4c
barbed;
1b
,
1c
,
3b
,
3c
,
4a
,
4c
(14–28)>
1a
,
2a
,
3a
,
4b
(8–18); discidium rounded distally; a pair of posteriorly directed tubercles on sejugal apodeme present.
Anogenital region
(
Fig. 11
B). Six pairs of smooth genital setae (5–9),
g
1 on anterior border of genital plates; one pair of aggenital (10–15), two pairs of anal (7–13), three pairs of adanal (10–19) setae, smooth,
ad
2 laterally to lyrifissure
iad
(9–13).
Legs
(
Fig. 12
A–D). Leg IV (211–254)> leg I (184–197)> leg III (179–184)> leg II (149–156); leg setation (see
Table 2
for details): leg I: 5-2(1)-4(2)-20(2), leg II: 5-2(1)-4(1)-14(2), leg III: 2-3-1(1)-3(1)-13, leg IV: 1-2-2- 3(1)-10; all setae barbed, except smooth setae
l”
on Ge I, II, (
p
), (
u
) on Ta I; setae (
p
) on Ta II-IV could not be observed; solenidia on Ti II, III of medium length, on Ti I, IV long.
Etymology.
The new species is named in honour of Dr Maka Murvanidze from the Agricultural University of
Georgia
,
Georgia
, for her contribution to oribatid taxonomy and ecology.
Type
material.
The
holotype
and
10 paratypes
were collected in
Vernon Crookes Nature Reserve
, KwaZulu-
Natal
(3017.165’S, 3035.150’E) by
D.J. Kok
,
31.III.1983
from soil and decomposed plant material.
The
holotype
(
NMB
3302.75.1) and seven
paratypes
(
NMB
3302.75.2) are deposited in the
Acarology
collection of the
National Museum
,
Bloemfontein
,
South Africa
.
Three
paratypes
(
SMNG
,
DNR
56553) are stored in
Senckenberg Museum
für
Naturkunde
,
Görlitz
,
Germany
.
Remarks.
Kokoppia murvanidzeae
sp. nov.
is similar to all
South
African species in having seta
c
2 represented by an alveolus, bothridial seta with four to five long branches, medium length prodorsal setae and similar body size (
K. murvanidzeae
sp. nov.
254–294 × 143–168;
K. longisetosa
288–230 × 184–212;
K. mandelai
265–314 × 123– 153;
K. pectinata
308–336 × 172–190).
They differ from each other in the relative position of notogastral setae
lm
and
la
(
K. murvanidzeae
sp. nov.
postero-medially;
K. longisetosa
posterior;
K. mandelai
antero-medially;
K. pectinata
in transverse line), position of seta
lp
relative to
h
3 (
K. murvanidzeae
sp. nov.
,
K. pectinata
transverse line;
K. longisetosa
postero-medially;
K. mandelai
slightly antero-medially), form of the bothridial seta (
K. murvanidzeae
sp. nov.
,
K. longisetosa
,
K. pectinata
slightly thickened;
K. mandelai
fusiform), position of adanal seta
ad
2 relative to lyrifissure
iad
(
K. murvanidzeae
sp. nov.
,
K. mandelai
,
K. pectinata
lateral;
K. longisetosa
posterior).