Limnesia (Limnesia) stagnalis, Smit, 2021

Smit, Harry, 2021, Water mites from West Africa (Acari: Hydrachnidia), Acarologia 61 (3), pp. 700-746 : 707

Limnesia (Limnesia) stagnalis n. sp.

Zoobank: F7999793-634A-42EF-B557-906500A8FF83

( Figure 3 A-D)

Material examined. Holotype male, shallow part Amansuri wetland, Ghana, 4°59.635′

N 2°35.417′ W, 26 Feb. 2011 ( RMNH). Paratypes: one male, one female [young], Amansuri wetland, Ghana, 5°00.398′ N 2°35.162′ W, 12 m a.s.l., 26 Feb. 2011 ( RMNH).

Diagnosis. P2 ventrally with a setal tubercle, seta longer than tubercle; Cx-I fused medially, Cxgl-4 close to accompanying seta.

Description. Male: Integument smooth. Idiosoma dorsally 583 (632) long and 510 (575) wide, ventrally 616 (656) long. Dorsum posteriorly with a pair of small platelets, 30 and 36 long, respectively. Cx-I fused medially, apodemes of anterior coxae short. Cx-III + IV medially with a short secondary sclerotization. Cxgl-4 located close to accompanying seta ( Figure 3A ). Genital field with three pairs of acetabula, 160 long and 186 wide; gonopore 106 long. Second and third pair of acetabula closer to each other than to first pair. Length of P1–5: 26, 105, 72, 160, 44. P2 ventrally with a setal tubercle, and a seta directed anteriorly, this seta longer than the setal tubercle. P4 ventral margin undulating, with 2+1 setal tubercles ( Figure 3B ). Length of I-leg-4–6: 104, 122, 118. Length of IV-leg-4–6: 172, 176, 172; length of terminal seta

73; IV-leg-6 geniculated ( Figure 4C ), but not in the paratype. Swimming setae: III-leg-5 five, IV-leg-4 four or five, IV-leg-5 six. Excretory pore not sclerotized.

Female: Idiosoma dorsally 583 long and 130 wide, ventrally 624 long. Coxae as in male. Genital field 200 long, pregenital sclerite 102 wide. Genital field with three pairs of acetabula, second and third pair closer to each other than to first pair ( Figure 3D ). Length of P1-5: 28, 122, 96, 208, 55. Palp as in male. Length of I-leg-4-6: 114, 134, 112. Length of IV-leg-4-6: 211, 227, 219; terminal seta of IV-leg-6 78 long. Swimming setae: III-leg-6 six, IV-leg-4 five, IV-leg-5 seven. Excretory pore not sclerotized.

Etymology. Named for its occurrence in a wetland.

Remarks. The new species is close to L. lacustris K.O. Viets, 1973 from Kivu Lake, Congo.

It differs in the following characters (in parentheses L. lacustris ): Cxgl-4 close to accompanying seta (widely separated), genital field of male rounded (with an indistinct to distinct posterior extension), seta of P2 longer than setal tubercle (about as long as setal tubercle). Moreover, the palp of the new species is much longer, e.g., P4 of the male measures 160 in the new species and 100-110 in lacustris (K.O. Viets 1973) . The new species has the fourth leg with more swimming setae than in lacustris .

Figures

Figure 3 Limnesia (Limnesia) stagnalisn. sp., A-C holotype male, D paratype female. A – venter; B – palp; C – IV-leg-5–6; D – genital field region. Scale bars: A, D 100 = µm, B-C = 50 µm.

Figure 4 Tubophora limnesioidesWalter, venter female. Scale bar: 100 µm.