Torrenticola khuzestanica, Pešić & Asadi & Etemadi & Smit, 2019

Pešić, Vladimir, Asadi, Mahdieh, Etemadi, Isa & Smit, Harry, 2019, New records of water mites (Acari: Hydrachnidia) from the Khuzestan Province (South Iran) with description of three new species, Zootaxa 4559 (3), pp. 550-558 : 551

Torrenticola khuzestanica sp. nov.

( Figs. 1 , 4C )

Type series. Holotype male ( RMNH), dissected and slide mounted, Iran, Khuzestan Province, Behbahan river , 30°39'28''N, 50°8'12''E, 15 April 2016, coll. Isa Etemadi.

Diagnosis. Dorsal shield without distinct colour pattern; Cxgl–4 shifted proximally, located halfway between tip of Cx-I and insertion of I-L; posterior suture lines of Cx-IV medially starting from genital field at a 45° angle to main body axis, distinctly extending beyond the level of posterior genital field margin; P-2 and P-3 ventrodistal protrusions bluntly pointed; P-4 slender (L/H ratio 3.6), with a well-developed ventral tubercle.

Description. Male. Idiosoma elongated-oval (dorsal shield L/W ratio 1.4); dorsal shield with colour pattern as illustrated in Fig. 4C ; gnathosomal bay U-shaped, proximally pointed; Cxgl–4 posterior to margin of Cx-I/II, halfway between tip of Cx-I and insertion of I-L ( Fig. 1B , arrow); medial suture line of Cx-II+III relatively short; suture lines of Cx-IV distinctly extending posteriorly beyond posterior margin of genital field, laterally curved; genital field with obtuse, but distinct anterior angles, posteriorly parabola-shaped; ejaculatory complex conventional in shape (with well developed anterior keel and proximal arms); excretory pore and Vgl–2 slightly away from the line of primary sclerotization, excretory pore on the level of Vgl–2; gnathosoma with a curved ventral margin ( Fig. 1D ); P-2 as long as P-4, P-2 ventral margin straight or slightly concave, P-2 and P-3 ventrodistal protrusions bluntly pointed, P-4 with a well developed ventral tubercle ( Fig. 1C ).

Measurement. Idiosoma (ventral view: Fig. 1B ) L 641, W 458; dorsal shield ( Figs. 1A ) L 521, W 373, L/W ratio 1.4; dorsal plate L 492; shoulder plate L 153, W 50–51, L/W ratio 3.0–3.1; frontal plate L 109–116, W 50–51, L/W ratio 2.19–2.28; shoulder/frontal plate L 1.32–1.4. Gnathosomal bay L 147, Cx-I total L 275, Cx-I mL 128, Cx-II+III mL 72; ratio Cx-I L/Cx-II+III mL 3.8; Cx-I mL/Cx-II+III mL 1.8. Genital field L/W 119/106, ratio 1.12; ejaculatory complex L 176; distance genital field-excretory pore 131, genital field-caudal idiosoma margin 172. Gnathosoma vL 295, chelicera total L 344; palp total 315, dL/H, dL/H ratio: P-1, 34/28, 1.22; P-2, 106/58, 1.84; P- 3, 55/50, 1.09; P-4, 103/29, 3.57; P-5, 17/11, 1.56; P-2/P-4 ratio 1.03.

Female. Unknown.

Etymology. Named after its occurrence in Khuzestan province of Iran.

Remarks. The new species is most similar to Torrenticola birmana (Lundblad, 1941) from Myanmar ( Lundblad 1967) and T. uttarakhandensis Peši ? & Smit, 2019 from Uttarakhand State of India ( Pešić et al. 2019). These two species share Cxgl–4 shifted proximally between tip of Cx-I and insertion of I-L, with the new species. Torrenticola uttarakhandensis differs by the colour pattern of the dorsal shield and P-4 stocky with widely separated ventral tubercles ( Pešić et al. 2019). Torrenticola birmana can be separated by the suture line of Cx-IV starting medially from the posterior margin of the genital field in a right angle to the main idiosoma axis, the ventral projections of P-2 and P-3 pointed and P-4 more stout (see Wiles 1997, fig. 6h).

Distribution. Iran (Khuzestan Province); known only from the locus typicus.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Torrenticola khuzestanica sp. nov., male holotype, Behbahan river, Iran: A = dorsal shield; B = idiosoma, ventral view; C = palp, lateral view; D = gnathosoma. Scale bars = 100 µm.

FIGURE 4. Photographs of dorsal shield. A–B Torrenticola neoungeri sp. nov., male. A = paratype, photographed immediately after dissection, B = holotype mounted in Hoyer’s medium. C Torrenticola khuzestanica sp. nov., holotype mounted in Hoyer’s medium. D–F Torrenticola ungeri (Szalay, 1927), male, Mrtvica River: D = photographed immediately after dissection E–F = mounted in Hoyer’s medium.