Description of a new species of ptyctimous mites (Acari Oribatida) from Ethiopia and a checklist of ptyctimous mites of the Afrotropical Region

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1 Tropical Zoology : -9, 008 Description of a new species of ptyctimous mites (Acari Oribatida) from Ethiopia and a checklist of ptyctimous mites of the Afrotropical Region Wojciech Niedbała Department of Animal Taxonomy and Ecology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska 89, 6-6 Poznań, Poland ( niedbala@amu.edu.pl) Received 0 July 006, accepted May 007 The zoogeographical distribution of 9 species of ptyctimous mites has been more precisely determined based on new localities from the Afrotropical Region. The description of a new species Arphthicarus ethiopicus n. sp. is given. A few taxonomical and nomenclatorial comments are given. key words: Acari, Ptyctima, new species, new records. Introduction List of localities, the species found and the number of specimens. Zoogeographical and taxonomical notes Description of the new species Conclusions Acknowledgements References INTRODUCTION The knowledge of ptyctimous mites of the Afrotropical Region has been summarised in my monographs (Niedbała 998, 00). In the recently studied material from different localities, I found specimens of 0 known species. One species is new and was found during my trip to Ethiopia in a sample from the central part of the country. The species belongs to the genus Arphthicarus Niedbała 99. The genus Arphthicarus comprises nine species represented in the Afrotropical Region. Five of them occur in continental Africa and all are endemic. Drawings are from specimens cleared in lactic acid and examined under a phase-contrast microscope. Metric characters are given in micrometers (μm). Terminology is based on that of Niedbała (00).

2 W. Niedbała Abbreviations: DANM, Department of Acarology, National Museum, Bloemfontein; DI, Department of Invertebrates, Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals, Polish Academy of Sciences, Krakow; FMHD, Field Museum, Chicago; RGM, Royal Museum of Central Africa, Tervuren; RS, Prof. R. Schuster collection, University of Graz; UMZC, University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge. LIST OF LOCALITIES, THE SPECIES FOUND AND THE NUMBER OF SPECIMENS Species Number Location H. discrepus P. dignus Ivory Coast, Appouesso, F.C. Bossematié forest leaves, 5.XI.99, leg. R. Jocqué and S. Tanoh (RGM, ) P. dignus Ivory Coast, Appouesso, F.C. Bossematié, forest litter, 5.XI.99, leg. R. Jocqué and M. Séabé (RGM, 78.6) P. dignus Ivory Coast, Appouesso, F.C. Bossematié, forest litter, 07.V.995, leg. R. Jocqué and M. Séabé (RGM, 78.05) A. ardua P. machadoi A. (H.) vitrinus M. invisitata O. africana A. rustica A. aokii A. (H.) cucullatus A. ardua P. kugohi M. invisitata P. kugohi P. kugohi S. (S.) inurbanus S. (S.) vestitus H. ambiguus H. frater A. (H.) brevipilis Angola, soil, loc. de Barros Machado (DANM) Kenya, Kakamega, rain forest, 08.VIII.998, leg. Ł. Przybyłowicz (DI) Kenya, Massai Mara Nat. Res., savannah, 5.VIII.996, leg. B. and K. Kowalscy (DI) Kenya, RS 8 Kenya, RS 9 A. ardua Kenya, 90 km N of Nairobi, agricultural environment, litter of banana and papaya trees,.xii.00, leg. W. Niedbała

3 New Afrotropical records of ptyctimous mites A. comteae A. ardua Kenya, 50 km N of Nairobi, litter of deciduous forest,.xii.00, leg. W. Niedbała A. comteae Kenya, 50 km N of Nairobi, litter of coniferous forest,.xii.00, leg. W. Niedbała A. comteae P. ngongi Tanzania, Ngorongovo, conservation area, volcano crater, sec forest, 8.VIII.996, leg. B. and K. Kowalscy (DI) P. venustus Tanzania, Mt Meru, 5-0.VI.957, Rec. Miss. Zool. (RGM, 0.85) O. paraspinosa O. virgulata O. spinosa A. comteae M. tropica P. mayottei A. sculptilis Madagascar, Fianarantsoa, 8 km SSW Ambositra, Ankazomivady, disturbed montane rainforest, sifted litter (leaf mold, rotten wood),.i.998, leg. B.L. Fisher (FMHD 98-56) Madagascar, Fianarantsoa, 8 km SSW Ambositra, Ankazomivady, disturbed montane rainforest, sifted litter (leaf mold, rotten wood), 7.I.998, leg. B.L. Fisher (FMHD 98-56) Comoro Isls, Mayotte, Mt Combani, forest litter, -. II.999, leg. R. Jocqué and G. De Smet (RGM, 78.8) P. mayoetti Comoro Isls, Mayotte, Mt Combani, forest litter, -.II.999, leg. R. Jocqué and G. De Smet (RGM, 78.0) P. mayoetti A. sculptilis Comoro Isls, Mayotte, Mt Combani, forest litter, -.II.999, leg. R. Jocqué and G. De Smet (RGM, 78.6) A. (H.) singularis Comoro Isls, Mayotte, Chembenyoumba, forest litter, -.III.999, leg. R. Jocqué and G. De Smet (RGM, 78.) P. mayottei Comoro Isls, Mayotte, Mt Benara, forest litter, - 7.II.999, leg. R. Jocqué and G. De Smet (RGM, 78.96) A. sculptilis Comoro Isls, Mayotte, Sazile, forest litter, 6.II-0.III.999, leg. R. Jocqué and G. De Smet (RGM, 78.98) A. comteae Comoro Isls, Mayotte, Mt. Choungui, forest litter, 5-7.II.999, leg. R. Jocqué and G. De Smet (RGM, 78.00) I. krakatauensis A. (H.) stilifer Seychelles, Praslin Island, Mango soil,.ii.98, leg. S.B. Hill (CNC) I. krakatauensis Seychelles, Praslin Island, soil by trunk,.ii.98, leg. S.B. Hill (CNC) A. (H.) hamatus A. (H.) vitrinus 0 Seychelles, Praslin Island, Cosmarina soil,.ii.98, leg. S.B. Hill (UMZC)

4 W. Niedbała I. krakatauensis A. (H.) hamatus A. (H.) singularis A. (H.) hamatus A. (H.) singularis I. krakatauensis A. spiculifera A. (H.) hamatus A. (H.) singularis I. krakatauensis P. pygmaeus Seychelles, D Arros Island, litter of Callophyllum inophyllum, 0.IV.98, leg. S.B. Hill (UMZC) Seychelles, D Arros Island, guano, grass and Strachytarpleta jamaicensis, 0.IV.98, leg. S.B. Hill (UMZC) Seychelles, D Arros Island, soil Siratro, 0.IV.98, leg. S.B. Hill (UMZC) Seychelles, Conception, Phoenicophorium borsigianum palm forest, 0 m above sea level, 07.X.00, leg. J. Gerlach (UMZC) I. krakatauensis Seychelles, Anonyme mixed woodland, Cinnamomum verum litter, 0 m above sea level, XII.000, leg. J. Gerlach (UMZC) A. (H.) singularis Seychelles, Round Island Pterocarpus indicus woodland, 0 m above sea level, 0.X.00, leg. J. Gerlach (UMZC) ZOOGEOGRAPHICAL AND TAXONOMICAL NOTES The new material was collected from localities in countries where the species had not been recorded earlier. One species is new: Arphthicarus ethiopicus n. sp., reported from Ethiopia, and its description is given. Moreover, I have identified of the hitherto known species: Mesoplophora invisitata Niedbała 98, Oribotritia africana Stary 99, Oribotritia paraspinosa Mahunka 999, Oribotritia spinosa (Mahunka 988), Oribotritia virgulata Niedbała 00, Indotritia krakatauensis (Sellnick 9), Acrotritia ardua (C.L. Koch 8), Acrotritia comteae (Mahunka 98), Acrotritia rustica (Niedbała 99), Acrotritia spiculifera (Mahunka 99), Microtritia tropica (Märkel 96), Phthiracarus pygmaeus Balogh 958, Plonaphacarus kugohi (Aoki 959), Plonaphacarus machadoi (Balogh 958), Plonaphacarus ngongi Niedbała 00, Hoplophthiracarus ambiguus Niedbała 98, Hoplophthiracarus discrepus Niedbała 98, Hoplophthiracarus frater (Balogh 958), Steganacarus (Steganacarus) inurbanus Niedbała 98, Steganacarus (Steganacarus) vestitus Niedbała 98, Austrophthiracarus aokii (Mahunka 98), Arphthicarus sculptilis (Niedbała 988), Protophthiracarus dignus (Niedbała 98), Protophthiracarus mayottei Niedbała 00, Protophthiracarus venustus (Niedbała 98), Atropacarus (Hoplophorella) brevipilis (Balogh 958), Atropacarus (Hoplophorella) cucullatus (Ewing 909), Atropacarus (Hoplophorella) hamatus (Ewing 909), Atropacarus (Hoplophorella) singularis (Sellnick 959), Atropacarus

5 New Afrotropical records of ptyctimous mites 5 (Hoplophorella) stilifer (Hammer 96), Atropacarus (Hoplophorella) vitrinus (Berlese 9). The geographical distributions of 0 species have been changed, mostly extended, on the basis of the new localities, and the zoogeographical elements have been updated for some species. For the following three species hitherto treated as endemic, the zoogeographical element has been changed to Ethiopian: P. ngongi (known from Kenya and Tanzania), S. (S.) inurbanus (known from Uganda and Kenya), P. venustus (known from Uganda and Tanzania). Seven Ethiopian species have been found at a new locality: M. africana (Nigeria), O. africana (Kenya), S. (S.) vestitus (Kenya), H. frater (Kenya), H. discrepus (Ivory Coast), P. dignus (Ivory Coast), A. aokii (Kenya). Six pantropical species have been reported from new localities in the Afrotropical Region: M. invisitata (Kenya), A. comteae (Tanzania, Kenya), M. tropica (Madagascar), P. pygmaeus (Seychelles), P. kugohi (Kenya), A. (H.) singularis (Comoro islands and Seychelles). A. spiculifera, hitherto assumed as oriental, has changed zoogeographical element to pantropical because of the new localities in Madagascar and Seychelles. Two semicosmopolitan species have been found at new localities in the Afrotropical Region: A. (H.) cucullatus (Kenya), A. (H.) vitrinus (Nigeria and Seychelles). Two species: Mesoplophora ifeana Badejo et al. 00b and Atropacarus (Hoplophorella) nigeriensis Badejo et al. 00a, described from Nigeria by Nigerian and German authors, are now considered synonyms: Mesoplophora ifeana Badejo et al. 00b n. syn. of Mesoplophora africana Balogh 958 and Atropacarus (Hoplophorella) nigeriensis Badejo et al. 00a n. syn. of Atropacarus (Hoplophorella) vitrinus. A comparison of the description and figure of M. ifeana and redescription and figure of M. africana (Mahunka 995) showed that the chaetotaxy of the ventral plates, genital and adanal plates are identical. Distinction of two pairs of the exobothridial setae in M. ifeana is incorrect. The seta labelled as ex in Fig. A in the paper by Badejo et al. (00b) is the lamellar (le) seta. The only difference is the number of spines on the sensilli: 8 pairs in M. ifeana and -5 pairs in M. africana. However, in my opinion this minor difference should be treated as a manifestation of the intraspecific variation and cannot be the basis for concluding that M. ifeana is a new separate species. All morphological characters of Atropacarus (Hoplophorella) nigeriensis (Badejo et al. 00a) and Atropacarus (Hoplophorella) vitrinus are identical, especially the shape of the rostral setae directed inwards (Mahunka 99), a character found exceptionally in this subgenus. Mesoplophora africana and Atropacarus (H.) vitrinus had not been previously recorded from Nigeria. Mahunka (997) remarked that Phthiracarus insularis Balogh 96 (designated as the type of the genus Archiphthiracarella Mahunka 996 but which is, in my opinion, the synonym of Phthiracarus Perty, 99) is a junior homonym of Phthiracarus insularis Jacot 9 and, therefore, he replaced it with Archiphthiracarella baloghorum n. name.

6 6 W. Niedbała In my monograph (00) for Phthiracarus insularis Balogh 96, I reported Phthiracarus minor n. name, which was noted by Mahunka (00) who assumed the second name as conspecific. In 00, Mahunka described species of ptyctimous mites from Madagascar, and he confirmed that Archiphthiracarella baloghorum Mahunka 997 was n. name of Phthiracarus insularis Balogh 96. After revision of the nomenclature, the status is: Phthiracarus baloghorum (Mahunka 997) Archiphthiracarella baloghorum Mahunka 997 Phthiracarus insularis Balogh 96: Mahunka 997, Niedbała 00 Phthiracarus insularis: Niedbała 986, 99 Archiphthiracarus insularis: Mahunka 996 Archiphthiracarella bulbifera Mahunka 996: Niedbała 00 Phthiracarus minor Niedbała 00: Mahunka 00 The genus Archiphthiracarella introduced by Mahunka (996) is poorly justified. The main morphological character in distinction of the genera Phthiracaroidea is the arrangement of genital setae in two or one rows. Indeed, in the arrangement of genital setae of the type species Phthiracarus insularis Balogh 96 there are some disturbances. Nevertheless, the setae g - in progenital position are not so remote from the paraxial margin as setae g -8 so the arrangement of genital setae in two rows remains unchanged. A similar arrangement of genital setae has been found in other Phthiracarus species, e.g. P. cavernosus (Wallwork 977), P. parapocsi Niedbała 00. In view of the above, Archiphthiracarella Mahunka 966 should be treated as a synonym of Phthiracarus Perty 99. Balogh & Balogh (00) are right to claim that Archiphthiracarus anonymus Grandjean 9 is a synonym of Archiphthiracarus pocsi Mahunka 98 (Archiphthiracarus is a synonym of Phthiracarus: Niedbała 986). In my earlier monographs on ptyctimous mites (Niedbała 998, 00) from among the Arthroptyctima Grandjean 967 of the Afrotropical Region, the Protoplophoridae Ewing 97 were not covered, although they have been discussed in another paper (Niedbała 00). They include the following six species: Hauseroplophora flagellata Mahunka 987 and Hauseroplophora soniae Mahunka 977 from Kenya, Bursoplophora ethiopica Mahunka 98 from Ethiopia, Bursoplophora madagassica Mahunka 99 from Madagascar, Arthroplophora vulpes Berlese 96 from Somalia and Kenya, Prototritia armadillo (Berlese 96) from Somalia. Subias (00) is right to have introduced a new name of Phthiracarus neonominatus nov. nom. for Microphthiracarus* baloghi Mahunka 98 because it is nom. praeoc. for Phthiracarus baloghi Feider & Suciu 957 (* synonym of Phthiracarus Perty 99). In Indotritia (Afrotritia) compacta Mahunka 988, type-species of Afrotritia, the anal and adanal plates are incompletely separate. Since the concept of introduction of higher taxa in the Euphthiracaroidea is related to the fusion of the genital and aggenital plates and anal and adanal plates, the separation of the plates is a sufficient argument to distinguish this subgenus in the genus Indotritia Jacot 99.

7 New Afrotropical records of ptyctimous mites 7 DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW SPECIES Arphthicarus ethiopicus n. sp. (Fig. A-H) Description. Measurements of holotype: prodorsum: length 7, width 5, height 90.9; sensillus 55.7, setae: in.0, ro 60.7, le 7.6; notogaster: length 9, width 98, height 9; setae: c 55.7, h and ps 5.5; genitoaggenital plate 9 8.0; anoadanal plate Small species, colour grey-yellow. Surface of body covered with feeble concavities. Prodorsum with large median sigillar field and very short lateral fields. Lateral carinae absent. Sensilli sickle shaped, without head, covered with cilia in distal head. Interlamellar setae similar to notogastral setae, rigid, obtuse and covered with dense cilia in distal half, slightly swollen. Rostral setae smooth, the longest. Lamellar setae minute. Exobothridial setae vestigial. Notogaster with 5 pairs of rather short (c < ½ c -d ), rigid, obtuse setae covered with dense cilia in distal half, slightly swollen. Setae c and c slightly remote from anterior border, setae c far from border. Vestigial setae f posterior to h setae. All four pairs of lyrifissures: ia, im, ip, ips present. Ventral region. Setae h of mentum shorter than distance between them. Genitoaggenital plates with nine pairs of setae with formula: 5(+):. Anoadanal plates each with five rather long, rough setae. Setae ad and ad lanceolate, other setae filiform. Legs. Formulae of setae and solenidia of complete type. Setae d on femora slightly remote from distal end of article. Holotype and 0 paratypes. Ethiopia, Chencha, village near Arba Minch, litter under old deciduous trees, , leg. W. Niedbała. Etymology. The name of new species refers to the country of locality. Comparison. The new species is similar to Protophthiracarus venustus (Niedbała 98) from Uganda because the length and shape of notogastral setae but has differently shaped sensilli, longer rostral setae, four pairs of lyrifissures and different arrangement of setae on genitoaggenital and anoadanal plates. CONCLUSIONS The new material was collected from localities in countries where the species considered had not been recorded earlier. The new localities permitted a more precise determination of the geographical distribution of the species known from this region. Usually their ranges have been extended. For

8 8 W. Niedbała Fig.. Arphthicarus ethiopicus n. sp. holotype. A, prodorsum, lateral view; B, prodorsum, dorsal view; C, opisthosoma, lateral view; D, mentum of infracapitulum; E, genitoaggenital late; F, progenital fragment of genitoaggenital plate; G, anoadanal plate; H, trochanter and femur of leg I.

9 New Afrotropical records of ptyctimous mites 9 three species, the zoogeographical element has been changed. The description of a new species Arphthicarus ethiopicus n. sp. from Ethiopia is given. Moreover, a few comments have been given on the synonymisation of three species, confirmation of n. name of one species, nomenclatorial revision of one species, presentation of six species of Protoplophoridae, as well as discussion of the earlier introduced genus and subgenus. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am very grateful to Dr L. Coetzee, Department of Acarology, National Museum, Bloemfontein; Dr J. Gerlach, University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge; Dr F. Puylaert, Royal Museum of Central Africa, Tervuren; Prof. Schuster, University of Graz; Dr D. Summers, Field Museum, Chicago and Prof. W. Weiner, Department of Invertebrates, Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals, Polish Academy of Sciences, Krakow for the loan of the material used in this study. REFERENCES Badejo M.A., Woas S. & Beck L. 00a. Atropacarus (Hoplophorella) nigeriensis, a new species of phthiracarid mite (Acari, Oribatida) from Nigeria. Andrias 5: Badejo M.A., Woas S. & Beck L. 00b. Mesoplophora ifeana, a new species of ptychoid mite (Acari, Oribatida) from Nigeria. Andrias 6: Balogh J. & Balogh P. 00. Identification keys to the oribatid mites of the extraholarctic regions. Miscolc: Well-Press Publishing Limited, I: 5 pp. Mahunka S. 99. Further notes, additions and redescriptions of the oribatid species preserved in the Berlese Collection (Acari: Oribatida), II. Folia Entomologica Hungarica 55: -6. Mahunka S Description and redescription of Ethiopian Oribatids (Acari, Oribatida), II. Annales Historico-Naturales Musei Nationalis Hungarici 77: -9. Mahunka S Oribatid mites (Acari: Oribatida) from Madagascar. I. Archiphthiracarella gen. n. Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientarum Hungaricae (): 7-. Mahunka S Notes and remarks on oribatid taxa (Acari), III. Folia Entomologica Hungarica 58: Mahunka S. 00. A survey of the Oribatida of Madagascar (Acari: Oribatida). Folia Entomologica Hungarica 6: 5-6. Niedbała W Système des Phthiracaroidea (Oribatida, Euptyctima). Acarologia 7 (): 6-8. Niedbała W. 99. Phthiracaroidea (Acari, Oribatida). Systematic Studies. Amsterdam, Warszawa: Elsevier, Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe, 6 pp. Niedbała W Ptyctimous mites of the Ethiopian region. I. Euphthiracaroidea (Acari, Oribatida). Journal of African Zoology (): Niedbała W. 00. Study on the diversity of ptyctimous mites (Acari, Oribatida) and quest for centres of its origin: the fauna of the Ethiopian Region. Monographs of the Upper Silesian Museum : -5. Niedbała W. 00. Protoplophoridae (Acari: Oribatida) of the world. Annales Zoologici 5 (): Subias L.S. 00. Listado sistemático, sinonímico y biogeográfico de los Ácaros Oribátidos (Acariformes, Oribatida) del Mundo (758-00). Graellsia 60 (Numero Extraordinario): -05.