Hydrodroma despiciens ( Müller, 1776 )

Cantallo, Harold, Gomes, Nuno, Antunes, Carlos, Martins, Duarte & Costa, Dimítri De Araújo, 2022, Checklist of water mites from mainland Portugal and its archipelagos, Zootaxa 5213 (4), pp. 336-370 : 342

Hydrodroma despiciens ( Müller, 1776)

Synonym: Hydrachna despiciens Müller, 1776 (original designation)

Type material: Neotype deposited in NRM, catalogue number NHRS-GULI000050084 ( GBIF 2022; NRM 2022).

Type locality: Denmark: Gribsö ( GBIF 2022; NRM 2022), based on neotype.

Geographical distribution: Europe ( Więcek et al. 2020).

Distribution in Portugal: South: Alentejo, in Ribeira de Odivelas, and Guadiana River-between Serpa and Beja municipalities ( Lundblad 1956).

Ecological notes: Freshwater environments with low alkalinity; feeds of dead aquatic insects and the adult stage individuals have a preference for Chironomidae (Diptera) egg masses ( Di Sabatino et al. 2010); present in plants, such as Batrachium spp. , Myriophyllum spp. , Nymphea spp. , and Scirpus spp. ( Lundblad 1956) ; Adapted to acidic marshes environments ( Więcek et al. 2013).

Remarks: The old records of Hydrodroma despiciens constitute a species complex that has been demonstrated by morphological taxonomy and supported molecular data ( Gerecke 2017; Więcek et al. 2020). Therefore, it is likely that the Lundblad records for Portugal may be Hydrodroma pilosa but this has not yet been confirmed (Pers. comm., H. Smit). We point out that there is a male in the NRM collection, Lundblad No. Präp. 4242 from the Rio Guadiana near Serpa (Pers. comm., G. Lindberg)