New species of Crotonia (Acari: Oribatida: Camisiidae) from Nothofagus and Eucalyptus forests in Victoria, Australia, with a redescription of the fossil species Crotonia ramus (Womersley, 1957)

Abstract

Six new species of oribatid mite belonging to the genus Crotonia are described from wet forests in Victoria, Australia. Crotonia alpina sp. nov., C. cornuta sp. nov. and C. victoriae sp. nov. belong to the Capistrata species-group, having the full complement of notogastral setae in the c series; whilst C. momitoi sp. nov., C. blacki sp. nov. and C. gadubanudi sp. nov. are members of the Cophinaria species-group, lacking setae c2. The fossil species Crotonia ramus (Womersley, 1957), also a member of the Cophinaria group, is redescribed from Tertiary Kauri pine resin (Agathis yallournensis). The new members of the Capistrata group share an unique combination of characters, including long flagelliform setae c3, shorter setiform c2 and with setae c3 the shortest of the c series; lateral strips of the notogastral shield ornamented with fields of tubercles; narrow, blunt bothridial auriculae and elongate parallel apophyses of setae h 2 projecting horizontally. The morphological homogeneity of this cluster of species is mirrored by the members of the Cophinaria species-group described herein which, together with C. pyColloff, 2009 and C. tasmanica Lochyńska, 2008 from Tasmania, plus C. jethurmerae Lee, 1985 from South Australia, share relatively well-developed setae d2, a porose notogastral shield with narrow lateral tuberculate strips; elongate, acute bothridial auriculae; long, flagelliform setae p1 and relatively short apophyses of setae h2, divergent apically, and projecting posteriodorsally. The Victorian members of the Capistrata and Cophinaria species-groups represent two homogeneous clusters of species associated with temperate rainforest refugia and wet sclerophyll forest in high-rainfall zones. An identification key is provided to the Australian species of Crotonia. Show more