Monatractides nipsanicus, Pešić, Vladimir & Smit, Harry, 2011

Pešić, Vladimir & Smit, Harry, 2011, Water mites of the genus Monatractides Viets (Acari: Hydrachnidia, Torrenticolidae) from New Guinea, with descriptions of nine new species, Zootaxa 2779, pp. 39-62 : 43-45

Monatractides nipsanicus sp. nov.

( Figs. 5 – 6 )

Type series. Holotype, male, dissected and slide mounted; Indonesia, New Guinea, Papua Province, Wao & Pao streams near confluence, Walmak, Nipsan district, 18.iii.2010, 4˚ 07.097 S 139˚ 38.520 E, 1739 m a.s.l.

Diagnosis (Female unknown). Idiosoma L> 900; idiosoma elongated (L/W ratio 1.6); capitular bay rounded at its proximal end; distal margins of P-2 and -3 without denticles, P-4 with well visible denticle near the insertion of the ventral hairs; genital field elongated (L/W ratio 1.6); postgenital area large; excretory pore on the line of primary sclerotization, Vgl-2 posterior and well away from the excretory pore.

Description. Male: Idiosoma (ventral view: Fig. 5B ) L 1013, W 675; dorsal shield ( Fig. 5A ) L 894, W 556, L/ W ratio 1.6; dorsal plate 831; shoulder plate L 247, W 94, L/W ratio 2.6; frontal plate L 166, W 75, L/W ratio 2.2; shoulder/frontal plate L ratio 1.49; capitular bay L 198, W 99, L/W ratio 2.0; Cx-1 total L 344, Cx-1 medial L 147, Cx-2+3 medial 76; ratio Cx-1 L/Cx-2+3 medial L 4.5; Cx-1 medial L/Cx-2+3 medial L 1.9; genital field L/W 204/ 128, L/W ratio 1.6; ejaculatory complex conventional in shape, L 216; distance genital field–excretory pore 226, genital field–caudal idiosoma margin 375; capitulum ( Fig. 6C ) ventral L 243; chelicera total L 295; palp ( Figs. 6A – B ) total L 289, dL and %L (in parentheses): P-1, 34 (11.8); P-2, 85 (29.4); P-3, 55 (19.0); P-4, 77 (26.6); P-5, 38 (13.2); L P-2/P-4 ratio, 1.1; L I-L-4-6 ( Fig. 6D ): 151, 166, 162.

Female: Unknown.

Etymology. The species is named after the district where it was collected.

Discussion. Due to the elongated idiosoma (e.g., dorsal shield L/W> 1.5) and the shape of the capitular bay which is more rounded at its proximal end, Monatractides nipsanicus sp. nov. resembles M. kootoma Cook, 1986 , known from Queensland ( Australia, Cook 1986). Monatractides nipsanicus sp. nov. differs from the latter species in its major idiosoma and gnathosoma dimensions (e.g., M. kootoma dorsal shield L/W 608/391, ventral shield L/ W 714/425, genital field L/W 140/129, palp total L 189; data taken from Cook 1986) and considerably elongated genital field (L/W ratio 1.6 vs. 1.1. in M. kootoma ).

Distribution. New Guinea.

Figures

FIGURE 5 A – B. Monatractides nipsanicus sp. nov., male: A = dorsal shield; B = ventral shield. Scale bar = 100 µm.

FIGURE 6 A – D. Monatractides nipsanicus sp. nov., male: A = palp, medial view; B = palp, lateral view; C = capitulum; D = I- L- 5 and - 6. Scale bars = 100 µm.