Limnohalacarus cultellatus Viets, 1940

Chatterjee, Tapas, 2022, An annotated checklist of halacarid mites (Acari, Halacaridae) from India, Zootaxa 5141 (4), pp. 301-320 : 308

Limnohalacarus cultellatus Viets, 1940

Records from India. ANDHRA PRADESH: Kakinada Bay (reported as L. kakinadus ), brackish water tidal flat— Chatterjee & Chang (2005).

Records from other places. BRAZIL: Central-West region of Brazil (Mato Grosso State)— Bartsch (2011); Rio Grande do Sul — Pepato & Costa (2015). CARIBBEAN AREA: Margarita, Curacao, Aruba and Bonaire Islands, found in Piped water, rivers and water in fissures— Viets (1940); West Indiz: Cayman Islands (Grand Cayman)— Bartsch (1984b). HUNGARY — Zánkai (2005). MADAGASCAR: South-eastern Madagascar, Fianarantsoa, Ionilahy, stream draining area Marosaro (River Ionilahy), 200-220 m depth, interstitial— Bartsch (2018); Northern Madagascar, Antsiranana, Antalaha, Marofinaritra, River Andranomenaheli, upstream confluence with River Ankavia, 70 m depth— Bartsch (2013b, c, 2018). MEXICO: Yucatán Peninsula, Anchialine cave— Ojeda et al. (2016). USA: Georgia and Wisconsin, river— Bartsch (2011). REPUBLIC OF EI SALVADOR– Bartsch (2011).

Distribution. AFROTROPICAL REGION — Madagascar; NEARCTIC REGION – United States; NEOTROPICAL REGION— Brazil (Mato Grosso, Rio Grande do Sul), Cayman Islands (Grand Cayman), El Salvador, Mexico (Quintana Roo), The Netherlands Antilles ( Bonaire, Curaçao), Venezuela (Margarita Island); ORIENTAL REGION— India (Andhra Pradesh); PALAEARCTIC REGION—Europe - Hungary.

Remarks. Limnohalacarus cultellatus has been reported from fresh and slightly brackish waters, in wells and ditches, amongst vegetation and bottom deposits ( Bartsch 2011). Future analysis based on molecular data should confirm or disprove the taxonomic status of populations of this species from wide geographical areas.

Bartsch (1999d) reported a new Limonhalacarus species L. australis from Kimberley, Western Australia based on a single female specimen. Limonhalacarus australis is very similar with L. cultellatus . More specimens of L. australis should be collected and studied to know the variability in characters e.g., number of genital acetabula. Future studies at morphological and molecular levels should investigate the status of the different species/populations.