NOTA BERVE: Abnormalities in some species of oribatid mites (Acari, Oribatida) from Burgos (NW Spain) Julio Arroyo & Juan Carlos Iturrondobeitia Abstract: During a survey of soil systems of NW Spain, some abnormalities were observed in adult oribatid mites. They appeared in individuals belonging to Zygoribatula hispanica Subías et Arillo, 1998, Neoliodes theleproctus (Hermann, 1804) and NOTA BREVE: Oribatula tibialis (Nicolet, 1855), and affected external structures (sensilla, rostral setae and anal setae). The number of aberrant individuals was very small. The Abnormalities in some species of abnormalities are described here. oribatid mites (Acari, Oribatida) from Key words: abnormalities, Acari, oribatids, Spain. Burgos (NW Spain) Julio Arroyo Anomalías en especies de oribátidos (Acari, Oribatida) de Burgos School of Biology and Environmental (Noroeste de España) Science (west). University College Dublin. Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland. Resumen: Email: [email protected] En una investigación llevada a cabo en sistemas edáficos del noroeste español, (MEC post doc fellow). Author for se observaron algunas anomalías en ácaros oribátidos adultos. Dichas teratolo- correspondence and proofs. gías aparecieron en individuos de las especies Zygoribatula hispanica Subías et Arillo, 1998, Neoliodes theleproctus (Hermann, 1804) y Oribatula tibialis (Nico- Juan Carlos Iturrondobeitia let, 1855) afectando estructuras externas (sensilos, setas rostrales y setas ana-. Department of Zoology and Animal les) El número de individuos aberrantes fue muy escaso. Las anomalías son Cellular Biology, Faculty of Science & descritas en esta nota. Technology, University of the Basque Palabras clave: anomalías, Acari, oribátidos, España. Country, 48940, Leioa, Spain. Email: [email protected] Revista Ibérica de Aracnología ISSN: 1576 - 9518. Dep. Legal: Z-2656-2000. Vol. 14, 31-XII-2006 Introduction Sección: Artículos y Notas. Teratology is the science concerned with malformations or terato- Pp: 173−175. Fecga publicación: 25 Octubre 2007 genesis (abnormalities or deviations from the normal). In other words, clear teratologies are an obvious abnormality, i.e. anything that extends beyond Edita: normality Many authors have previously recorded abnormalities among the Grupo Ibérico de Aracnología (GIA) Phylum Arthropoda with temperature effects being a well known causative Grupo de trabajo en Aracnología de la Sociedad Entomológica factor of these morphological anomalies. Caballero & Iturrondobeitia (2000) Aragonesa (SEA) summarized information on abnormalities in mites, using the works of Avda. Radio Juventud, 37 Grandjean (1971, 1973, 1974) on malformations observed in Heminothrus 50012 Zaragoza (ESPAÑA) Tef. 976 324415 (Platynothrus) peltifer (Koch, 1839) during its ontogenetic development as a Fax. 976 535697 source of their research. Grandjean distinguished the term of "écarts" within C-elect.: [email protected] "vertitions"as changes due to the presence or absence of structures with an evolutionary significance and “anomalies” as duplication setae or loss of Director: Carles Ribera C-elect.: [email protected] structures, among others. This note describes abnormalities found in oribatid mites from ed- Información sobre suscripción, aphic systems of Burgos province (Spain). The objectives were to report on índices, resúmenes de artículos on abnormal specimens. line, normas de publicación, etc. en: Indice, resúmenes, abstracts vols. Material and methods publicados: http://entomologia.rediris.es/sea/ In spring and autumn of 2000, 20 sampling plots with different land publicaciones/ria/index.htm use types (e.g., crop land and pasture), were sampled. The biota was col- Página web GIA: lected using Berlese´s funnels with soil samples of 1000 cc per plot. They http://entomologia.rediris.es/gia were taken at 5 cm depth using a soil corer. The arthropods were stored in 70 % ethanol or slide-mounted using Hoyer´s medium. The oribatids were all Página web SEA: identified to species level. http://entomologia.rediris.es/sea 174 Julio Arroyo & Juan Carlos Iturrondobeitia Results and discussion processes in comparison with the normal formula of the genus. However, we do not know if the extra seta was A total of 2.543 adult oribatids were collected in present in the pre-adult stages. the study and, of these, only three showed abnormalities The abnormalities found in O. tibialis and Z. his- (0.117 %). The malformations are described as follows: panica are more interesting to be described but as well as in N. theleproctus, we have no certain knowledge if Neoliodes theleproctus (Hermann, 1804): one the abnormalities existed in the immature instars of the individual out of three. collected in pasture had an extra individuals and we have not found similar abnormalities seta an anterior to the position of an on the right x 1 in previous reports. valve of the anal plate, i.e., 4 + 3 anal setae. Behan-Pelletier (com. pers.) reported unusual la- Oribatula tibialis (Nicolet, 1855): one individual mellar structure on Diapterobates siccatus Behan- from an abandoned crop land of Hordeum vulgare, out Pelletier, 1988 and possible fusion of some prodorsal of a total of 126 specimens collected in several land setae in other species (data not published). types, had one median rostral seta (ro) instead of the Moraza (2004) describes setation changes during usual pair of setae had one median rostral seta (ro). This the ontogenic development of Mesostigmata mites, could have been due to an ontogenetic fusion process of making reference to extra setae or deletion of setae in both setae (Fig. 1). the ontogenic processes in this suborder. The author Zygoribatula hispanica Subías et Arillo, 1998: one (com. pers) reports that the absence and/or the duplica- individual from a pasture, out of a total of 193 speci- tion of setae at the end of the development process are mens collected in several land types, had a filiform relatively common in some Gamasida groups, producing sensillus (ss) on one side and a normal clavate on the an asymmetry. other (Fig. 2) To see if the abnormalities we observed in the current study are the result of addition or suppression As seen in N. theleproctus, variation in anal seta- processes, ontogenic studies must be undertaken, but we tion is commonplace in oribatid mites and has been do not have the relevant juvenile stages for such an described in many papers i.e. Fujikawa (1983) or Baran examination. & Ayyildiz (2000) reported several abnormalities (extra Gross abnormalities in Acari have been attributed setae and asymmetry) of anal and adanal setae in the to temperature (e.g., Southcott, 1997) and humidity species Rhysotritia ardua (C.L. Koch, 1841) collected in (Buczek, 2000). However, we think that no such envi- Turkey. ronmental factors caused the abnormalities due to their The abnormality in N. theleproctus expresses an low frequency and the uniform seasonal climatic factors asymmetry which is not a new phenomenon among in the area where the mites were collected. oribatids even if it is a rare one, e.g., in the description All aberrant individuals are deposited in the De- of Ameronothrus dubinini Sitnikova, 1977, a setation partment of Zoology and Animal Cellular Biology, Uni- asymmetry has been established. This species normally versity of Basque Country. has 4 or 5 pairs of setae on the anal plate (Sitnikova, 1977) instead of the generic 2-3 pairs. In a paper about the distribution and ecology of A. dubinini in Finland (Laine et al., 1988), an asymme- try in the anal plate is shown, although the authors do Acknowledgements not refer to this in the text. The asymmetry consists of We would like to thank Dr. Mariló Moraza (Universidad de an anal plate with 3 + 4 setae. This asymmetry looks Navarra) for her comments and improvement of the manu- similar to that which we observed in N. theleproctus. script and to Dr. Kay Nolan and Ms. Joan Kenny (both from Although both examples are the same in the ex- University College Dublin) for their valuable suggestions. ternal appearance, in our specimen we think that the asymmetry represents a gain of a seta by an addition References BARAN, R. & AYYILDIZ, N. 2000. Systematic Studies on Rhy- mología, 24 (1-2): 207-212. sotritia ardua (C.L.Koch) (Acari, Oribatida) in Erzincan FUJIKAWA, T. 1983. Oribatid fauna from nature farm in Nayo- and Erzurum Plains. Turkish Journal of Zoology, 24: ro, 7. Edaphologia, 29: 1-5. 231-236. GRANDJEAN, F. 1971. Caractères anormaux et vertitionnels BUCZEK, A. 2000. Experimental teratogeny in the tick Hya- rencontrés dans des clones de Platynothrus peltifer lomma marginatum marginatum (Acari: Ixodida: Ixodi- (Koch). Première partie. Acarologia, 13: 209-237. dae): effect of high humidity on embryonic develop- GRANDJEAN, F. 1973. Caractères anormaux et vertitionnels ment. Journal of Medical Entomology, 37 (6): 807-814. rencontrés dans des clones de Platynothrus peltifer CABALLERO, A.I. & ITURRONDOBEITIA, J.C. 2000. Algunas (Koch). Chapitres I à VI de la deuxième partie. Acaro- malformaciones observadas en ácaros oribátidos (Acari, logia, 14: 454-478. Oribatida). Boletín de la Asociación española de Ento- GRANDJEAN, F. 1974. Caractères anormaux et vertitionnels Abnormalities in some oribatid mites 175 rencontrés dans des clones de Platynothrus peltifer SITNIKOVA, L.G. 1977. [New species of oribatid mites of the (Koch). Chapitres VII à XIII de la deuxième partie. Aca- families Ameronothridae and Hermanniidae (Oribatei) rologia, 135: 759-780. of the fauna of Soviet Union]. Parasitologicheskii LAINE, A., ORELL, M. & ITÄMIES, J. 1988. The distribution and Sbornik, 27: 161-168 (in russian). ecology of the mite Ameronothrus dubinini Sitnikova, SOUTHCOTT, R.V. 1997. Dysmelia and other developmental 1977 (Acarina, Oribatei) in northern Finland. Ann. Zool. abnormalities in prostigmatid mites (Acari). Interna- Fennici, 25: 253-256. tional Journal of Acarology, 23 (2): 93-102. MORAZA, M.L. 2004. Ontogenia en los ácaros Mesostigmata (Acari). Revista Ibérica de Aracnología, 9: 333-337. Fig. 1: Oribatula tibialis (Nicolet, 1855). Single rostral seta (ro) placed in a middle position. Scale lines: 100 µm. Fig. 1: Oribatula tibialis (Nicolet, 1855). Única seta rostral (ro) en una posición mediana. Escala: 100 µm Fig. 2: Zygoribatula hispanica Subías et Arillo, 1998. Differ- ent morphology of sensilla (ss). Scale lines: 100 µm. Fig. 2: Zygoribatula hispanica Subías et Arillo, 1998. Sensilos (ss) de diferente morfología Escala: 100 µm