Quartusmichaelia plumata, Uusitalo, 2025

Uusitalo, Matti, 2025, A review of the family Alycidae (Acari, Acariformes) from North America, Zootaxa 5602 (1), pp. 1-92 : 56-58

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5602.1.1
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:D4E6D5D7-2723-4AAB-BAB4-A1F11E40AE37
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15012467
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03C02B11-FFDB-4327-0EED-FB48FEA280DD
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Quartusmichaelia plumata
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Quartusmichaelia plumata sp. nov.

( Figs. 33A–C, 34A–G)

Description. Dorsum (n= 1 female, Fig. 33A, B). Length 250 µm; primary pattern comprising rosettes of roundish to subpolygonal cells around a seta; ca. 50 dorsal lanceolate setae; a seta with a short petiolus, elongated shaft from which the plump setules or bristles extend to the sides and upper surface, but leaving the lower surface bare, a few ciliate setae in caudal end; on prodorsum: 10–12 lanceolate setae along anterior rim; fingertip-like naso; crista eminent with sidelines and reticulation; grooved sensilla ve with a distal bunch of short barbs resembling an ear of wheat; one pair of lanceolate setae in on sclerotised integument.

Venter ( Figs. 33B, 34F, G). Setae sparsely ciliated; 8–10 genital setae per valve; 3 anal setae per valve.

Gnathosoma ( Figs. 33B, 34E, F). Chelate chelicera stylet-like with relatively short shafts; 3 pairs of ciliate setae on subcapitulum; medially constricted palpal solenidion in contact with 2 eupathidia.

Legs ( Figs. 33B, C, 34A–D). Solenidial formula for tarsi, tibiae, genua and femora on legs I, II, III and IV, respectively: 2B-2B-0-0, 2B-1B-1B-1B, 3P-1B3P-1P-1P, 4P-1B1P-0-0, ω1 on tarsus I S-shaped and on tarsus II bent adaxially, other baculiform solenidia mostly straight forward, abaxial famulus I ventrodistal.

Type material. Holotype female from soil, flooded lowland tropical forest (selva baja inundable), Sian Ka’an , Quintana Roo, Mexico, 5. Sept. 1995, María Magdalena Vázquez . Holotype (SK-37) is deposited in the LAAH (Laboratorio de Acarología ” Anita Hoffmann ”), Faculty of Sciences at UNAM (Universidad Nacional Autonóma de México), Mexico City .

Differential diagnosis. The new species can be differentiated from other species with lanceolate setae (i.e. Q. setigera with simple sensilla ve and Q. lanceolata with branched sensilla ve) by having sensilla ve with a grooved stalk and a distal bunch of scales, and by the solenidial formula.

Etymology. The species name is a feminine gender of the Latin word plumatus and refers to the feather-like dorsal setae.