Limnochares spinosa, Smit, Harry & Pešić, Vladimir, 2014

Smit, Harry & Pešić, Vladimir, 2014, Water mites from Mount Kinabalu and the Crocker Range, Borneo, Malaysia (Acari: Hydrachnidia), with the description of 34 new species, Zootaxa 3876 (1), pp. 1-71 : 5-7

Limnochares spinosa n. sp.

( Figs. 1A–D )

Type series. Holotype male, Little Lumotok stream, Sayap, Mt Kinabalu, Borneo, Malaysia, 6º 0 9.467 N 116º 34.027 E, alt. 1069 m asl, 17-ix-2012 ( RMNH).

Diagnosis. Dorsum in addition to frontal plate without sclerites, capitulum nearly rounded in ventral view, coxae with numerous stiff setae, legs without swimming setae.

Description. Male: Colour in the preserved specimen undefined. Idiosoma approximately 1600 long, dorsum except for frontal plate without sclerites. Ocular plate 397 long, with two pairs of stout setae and two pairs of fine setae. Capitulum rounded, 248 long (but splitted before it could be figured due to detaching the palps). Coxae with numerous stiff setae, anterior coxal plate 429 long (measured from anteromedial till posterolateral corner), posterior coxal plate 494 long (measured from anteromedial till posteromedial corner). Genital field with one pair of larger, irregularly-shaped sclerites with 2–3 setae and 3–4 smaller sclerites with one seta. Genital field with 40–50 acetabula, on each side in two rows. Length/height of P2–P5 (P1 still attached to capitulum): 59/32, 24/28, 26/22, 28/6; P2 ventrally with three long setae, P3 ventrally with one seta, P4 with one heavy, distally feathered seta, two long dorsal setae and one long ventral seta, P5 distally with two setae. Length of I-leg-4–6: 140, 154, 130. Length of IV-leg-4–6: 178, 186, 130. Legs without swimming setae, claws large, without clawlet and claw blade; first segments of legs with stiff setae as on coxae. Leg segments with many fine setae, especially sixth segment. Excretory pore with a sclerotized ring.

Female: Unknown.

Etymology. Named for the numerous spiny setae on the coxae and first leg segments.

Remarks. This is the first species of the nominate subgenus from the Oriental region. The new species differs from all known species in the presence of stiff setae on coxae an basal leg segments. It differs furthermore in the absence of dorsal sclerites from L. anomala Habeeb, 1965 , L. azubi Gerecke, 2005 and L. danielei Gerecke & Smit, 2005 , and from the widespread L. aquatica Linnaeus, 1758 in the presence of a nearly rounded capitulum. The African L. expansipalpis Cook, 1966 has a greatly expanded P4.

Figures

FIGURES 1 A – D. Limnochares spinosa n. sp., holotype male: A = ventral view; B = palp; C = ocular plate; D = genital field. Scale bars: A = 200 µm, B – D = 50 µm.