Punkochyzeria makolae Kolesnikov, Turbanov & Vorontsov, 2025, sp. nov.

Punkochyzeria makolae sp. nov. (Figs. 7–9, 16D, E, 17D, E, Table 2) Diagnosis. Long dorsal setae of two kinds: 1) ciliated, moderately rigid, length of cilia at least three times the width of setal shaft (Fig. 17D, E), uniform throughout entire length of seta and 2) thick, rigid, spine-like (Fig. 17E). Posterior part of opisthosoma with long ciliated setae (Fig. 8C). Odontus relatively slender (its base in lateral projection smaller than width of palptarsus), on short tibial projection (Figs. 9B, 18F, G). Palp tarsus twice longer than odontus (Fig. 18F, G). Ctenidium of 3 spinose setae (Fig. 18F, G). Type material. Holotype PIN 5608 /344a. Occurrence and geological age. Mid-Cretaceous amber, Hukawng Valley, Kachin State, northern Myanmar. Type deposition: Borissiak Paleontological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences. Description Holotype, PIN 5608 /344a (ex. IM-851a). Postlarval stage, incomplete (lacks distal segments of legs on left side) but otherwise well-preserved specimen (Figs. 7–9). Amber filled with microscopic debris and bubbles. Idiosoma (1050, 600) markedly widened behind aspidosoma/opisthosoma border and surrounded with cuticular rim, dorsally with four short rounded projections, each holding a tuft of long setae (Fig. 7B, C). Chelicera not visible, hidden under hypostome. Hypostome long, narrow (Fig. 8B, D), chaetotaxy not resolved, setae not longer than twice the width of hypostome. Palps relatively slender (Figs. 7E, 8B, C). Palp tibia with odontus on short tibial projection, without paradont (Figs. 8E, 18F, G). Row of three spinose setae, interpreted as ctenidia, dorsally on palptibia (Fig. 18F, G, arrows). Palp tarsus oval, elongate, with numerous short setae, ca. twice the length of odontus (Figs. 8E, 18F, G). Setae on palp strong with short sparse barbs or some simple setiform setae on palptibia. Aspidosoma clearly delimited, triangular in outline.Naso, sensillary area, crista metopica and eyes not discerned, obscured by long dorsal setae above them. Long dorsal setae originating from four dorsal projections of two types: 1) numerous very long, ciliated, moderately rigid, length of cilia at least three times the width of setal shaft (uniform throughout entire length of seta) (Fig. 17D, E), varying in length, longest 1100, ratio to idiosomal length 0.9; 2) slightly shorter, thicker, rigid, spine-like, without cilia, with small irregularities (Fig. 17E). Other idiosomal setae: 3) numerous long (270–370), densely ciliated, located in posterior part of opisthosoma (Fig. 8C) and in anterior part of aspidosoma (Fig. 7E); 4) numerous moderately long, 2–3 times shorter than (3), ciliated, located in lateral and ventral parts of opisthosoma and on aspidosoma (Fig. 8C), absent on dorsal surface of opisthosoma. Genital opening located behind level of coxae IV, surrounded by paired sclerites (valves); each valve covered with setae (Fig. 8C). Legs partially preserved, some distal segments of left legs missing (Fig. 8A). Setae on legs obscured by numerous small bubbles. Legs moderately robust. Legs I and IV longer than II and III, and a little longer than idiosoma. Legs I with slightly wider segments than other legs. Leg segments covered with numerous ciliated setae and rare simple setiform setae (Fig. 8G). Tarsus I densely covered with short, ciliated setae, significantly obscured by small bubbles. Tarsi II–IV terminated in paired claws of similar size and shape, tarsus I with a pair of shorter claws, empodium not resolved. Larva: unknown. Etymology. Punkochyzeria makolae sp.nov. is named after Joanna Mąkol (Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Poland), a renowned acarologist and a specialist in Parasitengona mites. Remarks. The holotype specimen (PIN 5608/344a) is better viewable in dorsal and ventral aspects; it is obscured by optical distortions at the borders between the layers of amber in frontal and lateral aspects (Fig. 8B, E), as the mite is located at such border. Long dorsal setae overhang the opisthosoma and do not allow to resolve most of its surface neither in reflected light (Fig. 7C) nor with CLSM (not shown). Palpi are better resolved in ventral aspect, where it was possible to grind the amber closer to the mite; in dorsal and lateral aspects the minimal dimensions of the prepared amber piece were determined by the long projecting setae. Palps are oriented fortunate for observation, as one of them (right) is axially rotated by almost 90 degrees and can thus be viewed in lateral aspect, the other palp (left) is in normal orientation (ventral aspect), with palptarsus bent ventrally (otherwise it would obscure the claw when viewed in transmitted light) (Figs. 8E, 18F, G). Long dorsal setae are mostly projected anteriorly, posteriorly and laterally (Figs.7B, 8F). Among the long dorsal setae on the left side of the mite there is a syninclusion (PIN 5608/344f, Figs. 7B, C, arrows): another mite, which was tentatively determined as Tenuipalpidae (Acari: Tetranychoidea) by Alexander A. Khaustov (Tyumen, Russia). Here we show as much as could be assessed with our optics through the thickness of amber (Fig. 19A–D), dictated by the length of dorsal setae of Punkochyzeria makolae sp. nov. The mite possesses a number of very long (longer than its body length) slightly barbed dorsal setae (Fig. 19C, D), entangled among the rich dorsal setation of Punkochyzeria.