Agaue adriatica Viets, 1940

Durucan, Furkan, Paz, Juan Carlos De La & Hernández-Teixidor, David, 2023, Halacaridae (Acari) from Tenerife (Canary Islands), Persian Journal of Acarology 12 (1), pp. 1-19 : 3-4

Agaue adriatica Viets, 1940

Material examined

Two females (FDHAL-21/1), La Barranquera ( Corallina ferreyrae , mediolittoral zone). Diagnosis

The lengths of females' idiosoma were between 470 and 500 μm. Dorsal and ventral plates large. Dorsal plates and margins of idiosoma with cerotegumental lamellae. Known length range of female idiosoma is 440–539 µm long ( Bartsch 2016). All dorsal plates bear longitudinal cerotegumental costae. Both margins of AD rounded. Wide cerotegumental lamellae on idiosoma and legs with honey comb-like ornamentation, which is the most distinctive characteristic among other very close Agaue species ( A. chevreuxi and A. panopae ). OC with two corneae and eye pigment. The ovipositor extends to the anterior margin of GA. Rostrum slender, slightly longer than gnathosomal basis. Both pairs of maxillary setae long. Telofemora with prominent cerotegumental cover. Claws slender, accessory processes minute, 5–9 tines can be seen in the basal part of the concave flank ( Figs. 3A , 5A, B , 7A–D).

Remarks

This species was described by Viets (1940) for the first time for the Mediterranean Sea (Adriatic Sea, Croatia) from a variety of habitats and depths. Afterwards the species was recorded in Italy ( Mari and Morselli 1990), Cadiz ( Spain) and France ( Bartsch 2016). The morphological characteristics of the female specimens and idiosoma sizes from Tenerife accord with previous reports of the species from Croatia and Italy ( Viets 1940; Mari and Morselli 1990).

Figures

Figure 3. Light-microscope images of halacarid species from Tenerife – A. Agaue adriatica (female); B. Agauopsis brevipalpus (female); C. Agauopsis microhyncha (male); D. Agauopsis tricuspis (male); E. Copidognathus lamelloides (male); F. Copidognathus magnipalpus (male); G. Copidognathus remipes (male); H. Halacarus actenos (male); I. Halacarus subtilis (female) (Scale bars: 100 µm).

Figure 5. Light-microscope images of halacarid species from Tenerife – A & B. Agaue adriatica (female) – Medial view of: tarsus I (A), telofemur I (B); C & D. Agauopsis tricuspis (male) – Medial view of: tarsus I (C), telofemur I (D); E–G. Halacarus actenos (male) – tarsus IV (E), integument (F), tip of gnathosoma (G); Rhombognathus procerus: H & J – female, I & K – male, ventral view of gnathosoma (H), genital openings (I, J, K).