A new species of the genus Paralycus Womersley, 1944 (Acari, Oribatida, Pediculochelidae) from Shikoku-island, Japan Author Oshima, Masaharu Faculty of Science, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-oiwakecho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606 - 8502 Japan Author Shimano, Satoshi Science Research Center, Hosei University, Fujimi 2 - 17 - 1 Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, 102 - 8160 Japan text Zootaxa 2024 2024-12-23 5556 1 218 225 https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5556.1.16 journal article 10.11646/zootaxa.5556.1.16 1175-5326 14595111 80014195-21FF-4A2B-B840-79DA99ACDDBA Paralycus subiasi Oshima & Shimano sp. nov. [Japanese name: Koke-oboro-dani] ( Figures 1–3 ) Materials Examined. Holotype : adult female , Japan , Torigajo-catsle, Yamanouchi , Touon City , Ehime Prefecture , 28-VI-2004 , coll. M. Shiba from the moss on the bark of L yonia ovalifolia var. elliptica (Siebold & Zucc.) Hand. - Mazz. Type deposition. Holotype was deposited in the Collection of Arachnida , Department of Zoology, National Museum of Nature and Science, Tokyo ( NSMT ) [collection number: NSMT-Ac 14773 ]. Diagnosis. Female Rostral seta long, reaching half the length of chelicera. Bases of lamellar setae slightly adjacent. Cheliceral seta cha shorter than half length of chelicera. Gastronotal setae d 1 and e 1 not reaching bases of next row of setae; c 2 reaching base of c p seta; f 1 and h 1 reaching bases of next row of setae. Epimeral seta 2a relatively short, not exceeding base of 1a . Epimeral seta 4a absent. Four pairs of genital setae present; distance g 3g 4 < g 1g 2 < g 2g 3 . Leg trochanteral formula 0-0-0-0. Four setae on genu I; d , ( l ) and v′ , genu II with two setae ( l ). Solenidion ω of tarsus I not expanding in middle; solenidion φ of tibia III short. Description. Female Measurements . Idiosomal length 199, width 66. Integument . Colorless, elongate and weakly sclerotized. Prodorsal shield, legs and coxae smooth. Dorsal side (except segment H and P), ventral side, chelicerae (basal part), and ovipositor finely striated. Gnathosoma . Subcapitulum (28 × 24) with three pairs of filiform, smooth setae ( a 11; m 12; h 9) and two pairs of filiform and smooth adoral setae (2, 4). Palp (22) simple, with four free segments; femur and genu separated by incomplete suture. Palpal setae formula: 0-1-0-1-9+ ω , including four eupathidia ( sul , acm , ul ; sul , acm , ul′ with expanded tips); inf absent. Postpalpal seta ( ep 2) blunt. Chelicera (22) with two filiform and smooth setae ( cha 4; chb 7); cha shorter than half of cheliceral length. Pharyngeal cupola long, reaching level of bs . Prodorsum. Mid-dorsal region covered with shield-shaped plate, bearing two pairs of filiform and smooth setae ( ro 14; le 21); ro reaching half the length of chelicera. Bases of setae le slightly adjacent. In dorsolateral region, three pairs of filiform setae ( in , exa , exp ) and one pair of clavate bothridial setae ( bs ) present; in (32), exa (13), exp (3) and bs (15 × 7) smooth. Notogaster. Three transverse scissures divide notogaster into four regions; tf 1 and tf 2 faint while tf 3 conspicuous. Sixteen pairs of notogastral setae present. Four pairs of setae in region of segment C: c 1 (10), c 2 (16), c 3 (18) and c p (26). Four pairs of setae in region of segment DE: d 1 (14), d 2 (17), e 1 (22) and e 2 (23). Two pairs of setae in region of segment F: f 1 (35) and f 2 (30). Segments H and P fused with six pairs of setae: h 1 (30), h 2 (30), h 3 (21), p 1 (21), p 2 (25) and p 3 (10). All gastronotal setae filiform and smooth, not expanded at their bases. Seta c 2 reaching base of c p ; d 1 not reaching base of e 1 ; e 1 not reaching base of f 1 ; f 1 reaching base of h 1 ; h 1 reaching base of p 1 . Seta p 2 longer than p 1 . Notogastral cupules absent. FIGURE 1. Paralycus subiasi sp. nov. , female, light microscope images: A, dorsal view; B, ventral view; C, solenidion ω I; D, solenidion φ III. Scale bars, 50 μm (A, B), 10 μm (C, D). Epimeral and podosomal regions . Epimeral setation 3-2-3-2; (7), 1b (10), (7), 2a (13), 2b (12), 3a (4), 3b (11), 3c (6), 4b (8) and 4c (3) filiform and smooth. Seta 2a not reaching base of 1a . Bases of 3a close to each other. One pair of triangular supracoxal setae ( el 2) with rounded tips. Anogenital region . Four pairs of genital setae: g 1 (7), g 2 (4), g 3 (9) and g 4 (8). Distance g 3g 4 < g 1g 2 < g 2g 3 . Two pairs of minutes eugenital setae (3) and two pairs of genital papillae within genital orifice. Three pairs of adanal setae: ad 1 (14), ad 2 (33), ad 3 (7) and two pairs of anal setae: an 1 (7), an 2 (6). All anogenital setae filiform and smooth. Aggenital setae absent. Genital, anal and adanal plates absent. Genital tracheae reduced and represented by short cavities. FIGURE 2. Paralycus subiasi sp. nov. , female: A, dorsal view; B, ventral view. Scale bar, 100 μm. FIGURE 3. Paralycus subiasi sp. nov. , female: A, leg I, left, dorsal view; B, leg II, left, dorsal view; C, leg III, left, dorsal view; D, leg IV, left, dorsal view; E, palp, left, dorsal view. Scale bars, 25 μm (A–D), 10 μm (E). Legs . Relatively short. Measurements (total length from trochanter to tarsus, pretarsus excluded): I 46, II 36, III 36, and IV 38. Leg structure simple with highly visible five segments. Famulus ε of tarsus I bacilliform, thin and expanded at end; other setae filiform and smooth. Solenidion ω of tarsus I 5 × 1 not expanding in middle; ω of tarsus II 3 × 1 small and not expanding in middle. Solenidion φ of tibia I elongated and attenuate; φ of tibia III short (1) and bacilliform. Formula of leg setation (from trochanter to tarsus, solenidia in brackets): I 0-2-4-2(1)-9(1); II 0-2-2-3-6(1); III 0-2-0-2(1)-5; IV 0-2-0-2-5. Claws absent on all tarsi, each tarsus with minute empodial remnant and caruncle-like membrane. Male Unknown. Immatures Unknown. Etymology. This species is named in honor of our esteemed colleague, Prof. Dr. Luis S. Subías, who made a great contribution to the knowledge of the diversity of oribatid mite species in the world. Remarks. Paralycus subiasi sp. nov. is most similar to P. shibai Oshima & Shimano, 2024 in having four pairs of genital setae and the absence of epimeral seta 4a . However, P. subiasi sp. nov. differs from P. shibai in the following characteristics: gastronotal setae c 2 and f 1 longer, reaching the bases of the c p and h 1 setae, respectively ( c 1 and f 1 not reaching the bases of the c p and h 1 setae, respectively, in P. shibai ); epimeral seta 2a shorter, not reaching the tip of 1a (exceeding the tip of 1a in P. shibai ); genual seta d on leg II absent (present in P. shibai ); trochanteral setae v′ on leg III absent (present in P. shibai ). Paralycus pyrigerus ( Berlese, 1905 ) which was described inadequately, also has long gastronotal setae f 1 and h 1 , but P. subiasi sp. nov. has shorter setae e 1 , which do not reach the base of f 1 (extending beyond the base of f 1 in P. pyrigerus ). Additionally, for the labelling of epimeral setae, we do not follow the ontogenetic criterion (see the remark 15 in Norton & Franklin 2018 ), in fact we follow Kolesnikov et al. (2023) . However, we need to correct a mistaken statement in our previous paper: only in Fig. 2B of Oshima et al. (2024) , the “ 4b ” and “ 4c ” should be changed to “ 4c ” and “ 4b ”, respectively.