Abstract
A new species Neoribates isabelaensis sp. nov. showing an interesting sexual dimorphism is described from bamboo litter on Luzon Island in the Philippines. This species is unique among other species of Neoribates in the structure of the posterior part of notogaster in males, which has a large round concavity bearing a pair of large sacculi S3. The specific function of this structure is not yet known, but the found sexual dimorphism is presumably involved in pheromonal communication allowing rapid sperm transfer. This is the fourth Neoribates species displaying sexually dimorphic characters. Additionally, Neoribates isabelaensis sp. nov. differs from the morphologically most similar species, Neoribates barbatus Hammer, 1968, by its smaller body size, pointed rostrum, long and setiform bothridial setae and the localization of notogastral setae h1 and h2, which insert close to each other. Further, we discussed all cases of sexual dimorphism in the family Parakalummidae as well as other related groups of Oripodoidea, and the possible function of these modifications.
References
Alberti, G. & Schuster, R. (2005) Behavioural and ultrastructural peculiarities of reproduction in Collohmannia gigantea (Oribatida: Mixonomata). In: Weigmann, G., Alberti, G., Wohltmann, A. & Ragusa, S. (Eds.), Acarine Biodiversity in the Natural and Human Sphere. Proceedings of the V Symposium of the European Association of Acarologists (Berlin 2004). Phytophaga (Palermo), 14, pp. 129–140.
Aoki, J. (1966a) Epizoic symbiosis: An Oribatid mite, Symbioribates papuensis, representing a new family, from cryptogamic plants growing on backs of Papuan weevils (Acari: Cryptostigmata). Pacific Insects, 8 (1), 281–289.
Aoki, J. (1966b) The large-winged mites of Japan (Acari: Cryptostigmata). Bulletin of the National Science Musuem, Tokyo, 9 (3), 257–275.
Balogh, J. & Mahunka, S. (1969) The scientific results of the Hungarian Soil Zoological expedition to South America. 10. Acari: oribatids, collected by the second expedition. I. Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae, 15 (1–2), 1–21.
Balogh, J. & Mahunka, S. (1978) New data to the knowledge of the oribatid fauna of Neogaea (Acari) III. Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae, 34 (3–4), 269–299.
Banks, N. (1904) The Arachnida of Florida. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, 56, 120–146.
Behan-Pelletier, V.M. (2015a) Review of sexual dimorphism in the brachypyline oribatid mites. Acarologia, 55 (2), 127–146.
https://doi.org/10.1051/acarologia.20152163Behan-Pelletier, V.M. (2015b) Sexual dimorphism in Autogneta, with description of three new species from North America and new diagnosis of the genus (Acari, Oribatida, Autognetidae). Zootaxa, 3946 (1), 55–78.
https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3946.1.2Behan-Pelletier, V.M. & Eamer, B. (2010) The first sexually dimorphic species of Oribatella (Acar, Oribatida, Oribatellidae) and a review of sexual dimorphism in the Brachypylina. Zootaxa, 2332, 1–20.
Berlese, A. (1910) Brevi diagnosi di generi e species nuovi di Acari. Redia, 6, 346–388.
Berlese, A. (1914) Acari nuovi. Manipulus IX–XIII. Redia, 10, 113–150.
Canestrini, G. & Canestrini, R. (1882) Acari italiani nuovi e poco noti. Atti del beale Istituto Veneto Scienze Lettere ed Arti, 8 (5), 913–930.
Ermilov, S.G. & Corpuz-Raros, L. (2015a) A new subgenus and two new species of oribatid mites of the genus Neoribates (Acari, Oribatida, Parakalummidae) from the Philippines. Zootaxa, 3956 (2), 224–238.
https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3956.2.4Ermilov, S.G. & Corpuz-Raros, L. (2015b) New species of galumnid oribatid mites of the genera Mirogalumna and Pergalumna from the Philippines (Acari, Oribatida, Galumnidae). Systematic and Applied Acarology, 20 (5), 556–566.
https://doi.org/10.11158/saa.20.5.9Ermilov, S.G. & Corpuz-Raros, L. (2016a) Contribution to the knowledge of carabodid oribatid mites (Acari, Oribatida, Carabodidae) of the Philippines. Systematic and Applied Acarology, 21 (8), 1055–1068.
https://doi.org/10.11158/saa.21.8.6Ermilov, S.G. & Corpuz-Raros, L. (2016b) Contribution to the knowledge of the oribatid mite genus Microzetes (Acari, Oribatida, Microzetidae). Acarologia, 56 (4), 573–585.
https://doi.org/10.1051/acarologia/20164147Ermilov, S.G. & Corpuz-Raros, L. (2017a) New data on oribatid mites of the family Oppiidae (Acari: Oribatida) from the Philippines. Acta Zoologica Bulgarica, 69 (1), 9–16.
Ermilov, S.G. & Corpuz-Raros, L. (2017b) New data on the Philippine oribatid mite fauna, with a contribution to knowledge of the genus Drymobatoides (Acari, Oribatida, Mochlozetidae). Acarologia, 57 (2), 295–308.
https://doi.org/10.1051/acarologia/20174156Ermilov, S.G. & Starý, J. (2017) New Neoribates (Acari, Oribatida, Parakalummidae) from Vietnam. Zootaxa, 4303 (1), 51–72.
http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4303.1.3.
Estrada-Venegas, E., Norton, R.A. & Moldenke, A.R. (1996) Unusual sperm-transfer in Pilogalumna sp. (Galumnidae). In: Mitchell, R., Horn, D.J., Needham, G.R. & Welbourn, C.W. (Eds.), Acarology IX. Proceedings, Ohio Biological Survey, Columbus, Ohio, 1, pp. 565–567.
Grandjean, F. (1964) Nouvelles observations sur les Oribates (3e série). Acarologia, 6, 170–198.
Grandjean, F. (1966a) Collohmannia gigantea Selln. (Oribate). Premiere partie. Acarologia, 8, 328–357.
Grandjean, F. (1966b) Erogalumna zeucta n.g., n.sp. (Oribate). Acarologia, 8, 475–498.
Hammer, M. (1968) Investigations on the Oribatid fauna of New Zealand. Part III. Det Kongelige Danske Videnskabernes Selskab Biologiske Skrifter, 16 (2), 1–96.
Haq, M.A. & Adolph, C. (1981) Spermatophore deposition and transfer in Pelokylla malabarica (Acari: Oribatei). Entomon, 6 (2), 135–141.
Karasawa, S. & Behan-Pelletier, V. (2007) Description of a sexually dimorphic oribatid mite (Arachnida: Acari: Oribatida) from canopy habitats of the Ryukyu Archipelago, Southwestern Japan. Zoological Science, 24, 1051–1058.
https://doi.org/10.2108/zsj.24.1051Mahunka, S. (1978) Neue und interessante Milben aus dem Genfer Museum. XXIV. First contribution to the Oribatid fauna of the Dominican Republic (Acari: Oribatida). Redia, 61, 551–564.
Mahunka, S. (1998) New data on oribatids (Acari: Oribatida) from St. Lucia (Antilles). (Acarologica Genavensia 89). Revue Suisse de Zoologie, 105 (4), 839–877.
https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.part.80061Maruyama, I. & Shimano, S. (2014) A new species of the genus Symbioribates (Acari: Oribatida: Symbioribatidae) from Niigata Prefecture, Central Japan. Edaphologia, 94, 1–8.
Norton, R.A. (1977) A review of F. Grandjean's system of leg chaetotaxy in the Oribatei (Acari) and its application to the family Damaeidae. In: Dindal, D.L. (Ed.), Biology of oribatid mites. SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, pp. 33–61.
Norton, R.A. (1983) Redefinition of Mochloribatula (Acari: Mochlozetidae), with new species, recombinations, and notes on plant associations. Acarologia, 24 (4), 449–464.
Norton, R.A. & Alberti, G. (1997) Porose integumental organs of oribatid mites (Acari, Oribatida). 3. Evolutionary and ecological aspects. Zoologica, 146, 115–143.
Norton, R.A. & Behan-Pelletier, V.M. (2009) Chapter 15. Suborder Oribatida. In: Krantz, G.W. & Walter, D.E. (Eds.), A Manual of Acarology. Texas Tech University Press, Lubbock, pp. 430–564.
Norton, R.A., Kethley, J.B., Johnston, D.E. & O’Connor, B.M. (1993) Phylogenetic perspectives on genetic systems and reproductive modes of mites. In: Wrensch, D.L. & Ebbert, M.A. (Eds.), Evolution and diversity of sex ratio in insects and mites. Chapman and Hall, New York, pp. 8–99.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-1402-8_2Norton, R.A. & Sidorchuk, E.A. (2014) Collohmannia johnstoni n.sp. (Acari, Oribatida) from West Virginia (U.S.A.) including description of ontogeny, setal variations, notes on biology and systematics of Collohmanniidae. Acarologia, 54, 271–334. https://doi.org/10.1051/acarologia.20142134
Oliveira, A.R., Norton, R.A., de Moraes, G.J. & Faccini, J.L.H. (2007) Preliminary observations on courtship behaviour in Mochloribatula (Oribatida: Mochlozetidae). In: Morales-Malacara, J.B., Behan-Pelletier, V., Ueckermann, E., Pérez, T.M., Estrada-Venegas, E.G. & Badil, M. (Eds.), Acarology XI: Proceedings of the International Congress. Instituto de Biología and Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; Sociedad Latinoamericana de Acarología, México, pp. 715–718.
Oppedisano, M., Eguaras, M. & Fernandez, N.A. (1995) Depot de spermatophores et structures de signalisation chez Pergalumna sp. (Acari: Oribatida). Acarologia, 36 (4), 347–353.
Pauly, F. (1952) Die Copula der Oribatiden. Naturwissenschaften, 39, 572–573.
https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00590305Pavlitshenko, P.G. (1991) New species of oribatid mites (Acari, Ceratozetoidea) from Ukraine. Vestnik Zoologii, 91 (6), 19–25. [in Russian]
Pavlitshenko, P.G. (1994) A guide to the Ceratozetoid mites (Oribatei, Ceratozetoidea) of Ukraine. National Academy of Sciences of the Ukraine, Kiev, 144 pp. [in Russian]
Pfingstl, T. (2015) An interesting case of sexual dimorphism in intertidal mites: Fortuynia dimorpha sp. nov. (Acari, Oribatida, Fortuyniidae). Systematic and Applied Acarology, 20 (5), 567–578.
https://doi.org/10.11158/saa.20.5.10Schatz, H., Behan-Pelletier, V.M., OConnor, B.M. & Norton, R.A. (2011) Suborder Oribatida van der Hammen, 1968. In: Zhang Z.-Q. (Ed.), Animal biodiversity: An outline of higher-level classification and survey of taxonomic richness. Zootaxa, 3148, pp. 141–5148.
Schuster, R. (1962) Nachweis eines Paarungszeremoniells bei den Hornmilben (Oribatei, Acari). Naturwissenschaften, 49 (21), 502–5503.
https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00637051Sellnick, M. (1922) Milben der Sammlung des Deutschen Entomologischen Instituts. I. Oribatidae. Entomologische Mittelungen, 11, 18–20.
https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.part.3330Subías, L.S. (2004) Listado sistemático, sinonímico y biogeográfico de los ácaros oribátidos (Acariformes: Oribatida) del mundo (excepto fósiles). Graellsia, 60 (número extraordinario), 3–305. Online version accessed in February 2017, 598 pp. Available from: http://escalera.bio.ucm.es/usuarios/bba/cont/docs/RO_1.pdf (accessed 12 September 2017)
Travé, J. & Vachon, M. (1975) François Grandjean. 1882–1975 (Notice biographique et bibliographique). Acarologia, 17 (1), 1–19.
Wallwork, J.A. (1962) Sexual dimorphism in the genus Epilohmannia Berlese 1916 (Acari: Oribatei). Revue de Zoologie et de Botanique Africaines, 65 (1–2), 90–96.
Woodring, J.P. (1970) Comparative morphology, homologies and functions of the male systems in Oribatid mites (Arachnida: Acari). Journal of Morphology, 132 (4), 425–451.
https://doi.org/10.1002/jmor.1051320405