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Fig. 1.  Notonychus asper adult female - detail of empodium and claws (redrawn from Davis 1969).

Fig. 2.  Notonychus asper adult female (paratype) - dorsal habitus.

Fig. 3.  Notonychus asper adult female (holotype) - detail of minute tactile seta of duplex seta on tarsus I.

Fig. 4.  Notonychus asper adult female - detail of associated setae on tarsus IV.

Fig. 5.  Notonychus asper adult female (holotype) - detail of anterior margin of prodorsum, indicating single median lobe/projection.

Fig. 6.  Notonychus asper adult female (paratype) - detail of anterior margin of prodorsum, indicating single median lobe/projection.

Fig. 7.  Notonychus asper adult female - detail of dorsum (note position of seta f1) (redrawn from Davis 1969).

Fig. 8.  Notonychus asper adult female (paratype) - detail of dorsum.

Fig. 9.  Notonychus asper adult male (paratype) - detail of tip of tarsus I (dorsal aspect; arrow indicates empodium with two rows of tenent hairs).

Fig. 10.  Notonychus asper adult male (paratype) - detail of aedeagus.

Material examined

types; non-types

Taxonomy

Subfamily Bryobiinae

Tribe Hystrichonychini

Distribution

*Australia:  Queensland

Only 1 species known worldwide.

 

Taxonomy Changes

None

Diagnosis

Female

• empodia = short pad with two rows of tenent hairs ventrally (Figs 1, 9)
• true claws = short pad with one pair tenent hairs (Fig. 1)
• peritreme ending in expanded oblong bulb, anastomosing
• body flattened, narrow
• leg I much longer than body, with femur and tibia significantly elongate and narrow (Fig. 2)
• tarsi I-II duplex setae with tactile seta minute and solenidion extremely long (Fig. 3); note that tactile seta was considered absent in original description
• tarsi III-IV with a pair of associated setae (one tactile and one solenidion of equal length) (Fig. 4)
• prodorsum with single lobe/projection medially on anterior margin, bearing setae v1 (Figs 5, 6, 7) 
• prodorsal setae v2 inserted on small projections on either side of median projection (Figs 5, 6, 7)
• prodorsum with 4 pairs of setae (v1, v2, sc1, sc2) (Fig. 7)
• dorsal opisthosoma with 9 pairs of setae (c1-3, d1-2, e1-2, f1, h1 ) (Figs 6, 7) 
• dorsal opisthosomal setae f1 inserted near lateral margin (Fig. 7) 
• dorsal setae spatulate, barbed, inserted on small tubercles
• prodorsal and opisthosomal shields with rough, rugose cuticle (Figs 5-7)
• dorsal leg setae strongly pectinate/barbed
• pale yellow with green tinges and small dark spots laterally along body; gnathosoma, legs and anterior prodorsum reddish

Male (previously unknown, as yet undescribed)

• aedeagus linear, directed posteriorly, narrow, tapering distally (Fig. 10)

Larva

• leg I not elongate
• dorsal setae v1, f1, h1 much longer than in adult, not spatulate
• prodorsal setae v1 not inserted on projection (= anterior projection absent) 
• dorsal shields strong, separated by widely spaced transverse striae
• pale yellow with greenish tinges

Hosts

*Gahnia aspera (Cyperaceae)

Similar Taxa

Monoceronychus McGregor from USA and Fiji

Mesobryobia Wainstein from Armenia, Kasakhstan, USA

References

*Davis, J.J. (1969a)  A new genus and a new species of the tribe Hystrichonychini (Acarina: Tetranychidae) from Queensland.  Journal of the Australian Entomological Society 8: 103-106