Minibiotus diversus

Description of the adults (Figs 15 – 16) (measurements in µm, pt ratios and statistics in Table 3): Body white / yellowish (in live specimens) or transparent (after fixation in Hoyer’s medium). Eyes present. Entire cuticle covered by numerous round or oval pores (0.6 – 4.8 Μm in diameter). Pores are distributed randomly on dorsal side of the body or arranged in more or less regular rows (lines) on ventral side (Figs 15 – 16 and 19 – 20). Large, circular dorsal pores include: 3 – 6 pores (2.2 – 3.2 Μm in diameter) on head region (Fig. 22) and 3 – 5 pores (2.2 – 3.2 Μm in diameter) caudally, just above IV pair of legs (Figs 23 – 24). Large pores (3.1 – 4.8 Μm in diameter) also present on external side of legs I – III (one on each leg) (Fig. 29). Pores on ventral side less densely distributed and arranged in loose bands of 4 – 5 larger pores with smaller pores between (Fig. 19). On ventral side of head a triangular shape is formed by two rows of pores (three pores in first row and two or single pore in second) (Fig. 21). Overall, pores are larger on caudal end, head segment and on external side of legs I – III. A ring of pores around the mouth opening absent. Cribriform areas not visible. A fine granulation on all legs present (Figs 25 – 28). Mouth antero-ventral. Bucco-pharyngeal apparatus of the Minibiotus type (Fig. 17). Oral cavity armature absent or not visible under PCM. Buccal tube with poorly visible ventral lamina and with an anterior and a posterior bend (both visible in lateral view only). Buccal tube walls just below stylet attachments thickened (Fig. 17). Pharyngeal apophyses triangular or round; close to the first macroplacoid. Three granular macroplacoids and a minute microplacoid present in the round pharyngeal bulb. Septulum absent. All macroplacoids similar, almost identical in size and the macroplacoid length sequence: 1 = 2 ≅ 3 (Fig. 17). Claws of the Macrobiotus type (Figs 18 and 25 – 28). Primary branches of claws with thin accessory points. Smooth lunules present on all legs. Bars and other cuticular thickenings on legs absent. Eggs (all measurements in Table 4): White, laid free, spherical and without areolation (Figs 30 – 31). Processes screw-like, each surrounded by a separate membrane (Fig. 31). On the egg circumference 21 – 22 processes present. Surface between processes smooth under PCM (Fig. 30). Locus typicus: 47 ° 41 ' 19.6 '' N, 26 ° 57 ' 36.6 '' E; 147 m asl: Romania, Botoşani County, Suliţa village, Cozancea Monastery, deciduous forest (Fagus sylvatica L., Quercus robur L. and Q. petraea L.), moss from tree.

Etymology: In Latin ‘ diversus’ means ‘ diverse’ referring to the fact that this species has several different types of pores in the cuticle.

Material examined: Holotype, 100 paratypes, three exuvia and five eggs.

Type depositories: Holotype (slide: MC 1 - 1), 54 paratypes (slides MC 1 - 2, MC 1 - 3, MC 1 - 5, MC 1 - 6, MC 1 - 7, MC 1 - 8, MC 1 - 13) and three eggs (slide MC 1 - 4, MC 1 - 13) are preserved at the Department of Animal Taxonomy and Ecology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Umultowska 89, 61 – 614 Poznań, Poland. Additionally, 17 paratypes (slides: MC 1 - 11, MC 1 - 14) and one egg (slide MC 1 - 16) are deposited at Natural History Museum of “ Alexandru Ioan Cuza ” University from Iaşi, Romania (Bd. Independenţei No. 16, 700101), 29 paratypes (slides: MC 1 - 9, MC 1 - 10, MC 1 - 12, MC 1 - 17) and one egg (slide MC 1 - 15) are deposited at collection of Peter Degma, the Department of Zoology, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia. Differential diagnosis. The new species, in the arrangements of cuticle pores, are most similar to M. gumersindoi Guil & Guidetti, 2005 and in adults and eggs morphology to M. weglarskae Michalczyk et al., 2005, but it differs from: M. gumersindoi by: different arrangement of pores on the dorsal side of the body (randomly arranged pores in M. diversus sp. nov. vs pores arranged in an undefined number of transverse bands in M. gumersindoi), the presence of triangular formation of pores on the ventral side of the head, the absence of triangle / pentagonal-like formation of pores on legs I – III, presence of granulation on legs, presence of eyes and by slightly longer macroplacoids (mI / mII: 1.1 – 1.7 Μm; mIII: 1.2 – 1.7 Μm in M. diversus sp. nov. vs all 1.0 Μm in M. gumersindoi). M. weglarskae by: arrangement of pores on the dorsal side of the body (randomly arranged pores in M. diversus sp. nov. vs pores arranged in 10 transversal bands in M. weglarskae), absence of bi-, trilobed and starshaped pores, the presence of triangular formation of pores on the ventral side of the head, the presence of large pores on the frontal and caudal end, the presence of large pores on the external side of legs I – III, stylet supports inserted in a more anterior position ([50.5 – 52.9] in M. diversus sp. nov. vs [54.5 – 59.6] in M. weglarskae), a smaller pt of buccal tube internal width ([2.1 – 3.0] in M. diversus sp. nov. vs [4.0 – 4.7] in M. weglarskae), slightly larger diameter of eggs without processes (44.9 – 47.8 µm in M. diversus sp. nov. vs ca. 40 µm in M. weglarskae), slightly larger diameter of eggs with processes (51.5 – 53.9 µm in M. diversus sp. nov. vs ca. 50 µm in M. weglarskae), slightly smaller number of processes on the egg circumference (21 – 22 in M. diversus sp. nov. vs ca. 24 in M. weglarskae), shorter egg processes (3.1 – 3.6 µm in M. diversus sp. nov. v. s 5.0 – 5.5 µm in M. weglarskae), smaller diameter of the distal disc of the processes (3.0 – 3.8 µm in M. diversus sp. nov. vs 5.0 – 5.5 µm in M. weglarskae) and slightly larger distances between processes (3.6 – 4.8 µm in M. diversus sp. nov. vs ca. 3.0 µm in M. weglarskae).