Nota científica

 

A new Rotundabaloghia Hirschmann, 1975 species from Cuba (Acari: Mesostigmata: Uropodina)

 

Jenõ Kontschán

 

Systematic Zoology research Group of Hungarian, Academy of Sciences & Eötvös University & Hungarian Natural History Museum, H-1088 Budapest Baross u. 13. HUNGARY. kontscha@zool.nhmus.hu

 

Resumen

Se presenta el primer registro del género Rotundabaloghia (Acari Uropodina) para Cuba, y se describe e ilustra una especies nueva para la ciencia: Rotundabaloghia cubana sp. nov., así mismo se proporciona una clave para las especies de Rotundabaloghia en islas caribeñas. Con 4 figuras.

 

Hirschmann (1975. Acarologie 21:28-34) described the genus Rotundabaloghia from New Guinea. Now several species are known from the tropical area of the world. Sixteen species are published from New Guinea (Hirschmann 1975. op. cit.), 34 species are known from South-East Asia (Hirschmann & Hiramatsu 1992. Acarologie 39:9-25), 31 species from Africa (Hirschmann 1992c. Acarologie 39:25-45, Kontschán 2004. Folia ent. hung. 65:5-11, 20 06. Acta zool. hung. 52:1-20), 69 from South and Central-America (Hirschmann 1992a. Acarologie 39:45-68, b. Acarologie 39:69-95) and only five species are described from the Caribbean region, all of them from Dominican Republic (Kontschán 2005. Annls hist.-nat. Mus. natn. hung. 97:241-249).

From the all Caribbean islands, Cuba has the most investigated Uropodina fauna, up till now 34 Uropodina species are published from Cuba (Wisniewski 1993. Acarologie 40:221- 291), but no Rotundabaloghia species have hitherto been found in Cuba (Wisniewski 1993. op. cit.).

The specimens were studied with traditional methods. Lactic acid was used to clear the specimens. The drawings were made with camera lucida.

The holotype and the two paratypes are stored in alcohol and deposited in Collections of Soil Zoology of the Hungarian Natural History Museum.

Measurements are given in micrometers (μm).

 

Rotundabaloghia cubana sp. nov.
(Figs. 1-3.)

 

 

Diagnosis: All dorsal setae spatuliform, ornamentation of dorsal shield lacking. One smooth setiform seta is placed between two spatuliform setae on marginal shield. Ventral shield without pattern, but genital shield has alveolate ornamentation. Peritreme hook-form. Ventral setae smooth and setiform.

Description: Female. Length of idiosoma 354-332 μm, width 286-265 μm (n=2). Shape oval, posterior margin rounded.

Dorsal side (Fig. 1): Marginal and dorsal shields on anterior part of idiosoma fused. All dorsal setae spatuliform and pattern of dorsal shield lacking. Marginal shield without ornamentation, marginal setae spatuliform, but one smooth setiform seta is placed between two spatuliform.

Ventral side (Fig. 2): Most part of sternal shield without ornamentation, only region between coxae 3 and 4 bear a small area with alveolar pattern. All sternal setae short, smooth and filiform, St3 placed near St4. Ornamentation of ventral shield lacking, ventrianal setae short, smooth and filiform.

Stigmae situated between coxae 2 and 3. Peritreme hook-form.

Genital shield linguli form with peaky apical part and without process. Ornamentation of genital shield alveolate.

Gnathosoma: not clearly visible (covered by coxae 1)

Male: Length of idiosoma 326 μm, width 272 μm (n=1). Shape oval, posterior margin rounded. Dorsal side similar to the female. Ventral side (Fig. 3): Sternal shield with alveolar ornamentation. Sternal setae smooth, short and filiform, ventrianal setae similar to the sternal seate. Genital shield of male circle and situated between coxae 4.

Material examined: Holotype: Female, Cuba, Vinales, near Mogote, 11.01.1983. leg. J. Balogh. Paratypes: one female and one male, locality and date same as holotype.

Etymology: The new species is named after the island where the specimens were collected.

Remarks: This species is belong to the haradai species group (with ornamentation on genital shield of female, ornamentation of sternal shield of male and the pattern of ventrianal shield lacking). The shape of the genital shield of female and the short ventrianal setae are unique in this species group; the new species is not similar to the other species from the haradai species group.

This is the first record of the genus Rotundabaloghia Hirschmann in Cuba, the species ofthis genus are known only from two countries (Dominican Republic and Cuba) of Caribbean islands (Fig. 4).