Two new species of Eremellidae and Scheloribatidae (Acari, Oribatida) from the Kuma district of southern Japan

A BSTRACT — A new oribatid species of Eremellidae was described from litter at the bottom of a hollow Ilex oldhami Miq. tree in Kumamoto Prefecture, in southern Japan in a subtropical area. The new species has long lamellar ridges subpararelly connected by two translamellar ridges, rostral setae longer than lamellar setae, two pairs of adanal setae, and long solenidion ϕ 1 about four times as long as the length of the tibia. A key to all species of the genus Eremella is provided. Another new species, Scheloribates yamaeensis n. sp. was described from a chestnut plantation in Kumamoto Prefecture. The new species has a plicate integument, diverged sacculi, immovable pteromorphae with inward curve, a dorsosejugal suture, four pairs of genital setae, minute notogastral setae, adanal setae ad3 inserted in a preanal position, Trägårdh’s organ, three claws of legs, and smooth fastigial setae of tarsus

The Eremellid group has several diagnostic characters such as having two linear, H-shaped costulae, lamellar setae originating near to rostral setae, large, plumose sensillus, rough reticulate notogaster, seven pairs of submarginal and three pairs of postero-marginal notogastral setae, genital and anal apertures separated by a great distance, genitoanal setal formula of 6-1-2-3, palpal eupathidium acm free from the solenidion, legs tri-heterodactyl or monodactyl, without a rostral incision, having a humeral enantiophysis, large dorsodistal tubercle of tibia I, neotrichy of ventral setae, taenidium and minitectum of border of epimere IV (Balogh 1972;Balogh and Balogh 1990;1992;Norton and Behan-Pelletier 2009). The present specimens of Eremella have some unique features and therefore, described as a new species in the present work.
According to Balogh (1962), Enami et al. (1996), Fujikawa (2003; 2011), Nakamura et al., 2013 andSubías (2004), 329 species and 18 subspecies belonging to 20 genera and 4 subgenera have been identified as members of the family Scheloribatidae Grandjean (1933). This family is characterized as having, four pairs of sacculi, immovable pteromorphae, ten pairs of notogastral setae, clavate or fusiform sensilli, arched dorsosejugal suture, four pairs of genital setae, one pair of aggenital setae and three claws (Balogh & Balogh, 1992). The present specimens that were collected from a chestnut plantation in southern Japan have plicate integument near the posterior margin of the notogaster and diverged sacculi, but have numerous character statements which are characteristic for Scheloribatidae.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Study site -Yamae Mura and Asagiri-cho are located in Kuma District, Kumamoto Prefecture, south Japan, in the subtropical zone. Some additional specimens of Scheloribatid species were collected from a chestnut, Castanea crenata Sieb. and Zucc. plantation (area of about 10a) belonging to S. Hashimoto (one of the authors) of Yamae Mura Sampling -Sample of about 4,000 cm 3 was collected by hand-picking from litter, humus and soil materials at the chestnut, Castanea crenata Sieb. And Zucc. plantation on 25 th Oct. 2007 by S. Hashimoto. Sample of about 1,000 cm 3 was collected by handpicking from deposit at the bottom of a hollow of an Ilex oldhami Miq. tree on 19 th Dec. 2009 by T. Fujikawa. After extraction with a modified Tullgren apparatus during seven days using 40 W electric bulbs, mites were kept in lactic acid for clearing during about 100 days, and then mounted on glass slides.
Terminology and classification -The notations and morphological terminology are mainly based on Balogh and Mahunka (1983), Grandjean (1952), van der Hammen (1989), Mahunka and Zombori (1985) and Norton and Behan-Pelletier (2009). Genito-anal setal formula refers to genital, aggenital, anal and adanal setae. The given number of tarsal claws is common to all legs of a species. Setal formula of legs is including famulus but excluding solenidia. [Right-left] means right and left sides of body from dorsal view. Measurements (µm) in the description are, for the most part, according to holotype.

RESULTS
More than 200 specimens of 34 oribatid species were collected from soil materials of a chestnut plantation of Yamae-mura, and about 50 specimens of eight species were collected from litter at the bottom of a hollow withered Ilex oldhami Miq. tree. Of them, Scheloribatid and Eremellid specimens are described in detail in the present study.
Description of different characters between male and female: Female with genital aperture and distance between genital and anal apertures longer than those of male.
Remarks -The new species has dorsal aspect similar to those of Scheloribates maoriensis Hammer (1968) and S. gunini Bayartogtokh (2000). However, the plications of posterial margin of notogaster and diverged sacculi are particular characters of the new species.

DISCUSSION
Chestnut, Castanea crenata Sieb. and Zucc. is native to Japan, and is widely cultivated all across the country. It would be interesting to know whether Scheloribates yamaeensis n. sp. depends on chestnut plantations or the subtropical region. Of six known species of Eremella, four species, E. africana, E. induta, E. matildebellae and E. vestita occur in the tropics, and two species, E. ensifera and E. pulchella in the temperate zone. However, in Japan E. induta has been recorded from both the temperate (Maruyama 1984, Ichisawa andHarada 2001) and the subtropical zones (Yamamoto and Yamamoto 2000). The new species, Eremella funnagasatoensis n. sp. was found in litter at the bottom of a hollow of an Ilex oldhami Miq. tree in the subtropical zone. The specimens of E. induta were collected from litter at the bottom of a hollow in a Quercus tree at 1.5 m above the ground (Yamamoto and Yamamoto 2000), from the canopy of Castanopsis cuspidate var. sieboldii (Maki.) Nakai at 1.5 -10 m above the ground (Ichisawa and Harada 2001), and from soil materials on the ground surface of Fagus forests (Maruyama 1984). Eremella matildebellae has also been found from the canopy level and other species have been collected from litter, humus, mosses and soil materials.