Sperchon (Hispidosperchon) garhwalensis Kumar, Kumar & Pesic, 2007

Zhang, Xu & Jin, Dao-Chao, 2010, Three new species and one new record of the subgenus Hispidosperchon Thor, 1901 within the genus Sperchon Kramer, 1877 from China (Acari: Sperchontidae), Zootaxa 2684, pp. 14-24 : 18-20

Sperchon (Hispidosperchon) garhwalensis Kumar, Kumar & Pesic, 2007

Figure B (1–11)

Material examined. One male and two females, China, Hubei Province, Shennongjia National Nature Reserve, unnamed stream (N31°27'18'', E110°23'39''), 19 August 2009, leg. Cheng-Shuai Xu, altitude 1188m. One male and one female were dissected and slide-mounted.

Description. Male: Body oval in shape, 500 in length, 450 in width. Cuticle yellow in colour, covered with very fine spinules arranged in hexagonal pattern (Fig. B-3). A1 short and plumose, other dorsal setae thin and long. Chitinous plates and glandular plates on both dorsum and venter well developed as illustrated in Fig. B-1 and Fig. B-2. One pair of chitinous plates between D1 and D2 on dorsum fused. Coxae in four groups, surface of coxae reticulated. ACG 170 in length, close to each other but not fused, and with weakly developed apodeme. E2 on the lateral interval between ACG and PCG. PCG 175 in length, widely separated. E4 close to anterior margin of CxIII. Distance between anterior end of ACG and posterior end of PCG 310. Genital field between PCG. Genital valves not covering the genital acetabula, 140 in length, 110 in width. One small platelet in front of genital field. Pre- and postgentital sclerites not developed. Three pairs of genital acetabula in parallel rows, the two anterior pairs elliptic and the posterior pair more or less rounded. A single platelet close to the line between V1 and posterior to the genital area. V1 on sclerites in medium size and without accompanying glandularia. Excretory pore slightly posterior to the line between V2, and surrounded by a well developed sclerotized ring. Capitulum with a long rostrum, 163 in length. Chelicera total length 164, basal segment length 119, claw length 45, and the ratio of basal segment/claw length 2.6. Dorsal lengths of the palpal segments: P-I, 21; P-II, 87; P-III, 115; P-IV, 100; P-V, 25. P-I without seta. P-II with a long ventrodistal projection bearing a long seta and a short seta. About seven short setae on the lateral and dorsal side of P-II, none of them plumose. The ventral side of P-III straight and without seta, but the lateral and dorsal with three short smooth setae, one of them almost at one-thirds laterally and others at distal end. P-IV shorter than P-III. The venter of P-IV with two small peg-like setae and two normal thin setae, the proximal peg-like seta approximately at the middle and the distal one near to terminal end of the segment. Dorsal lengths of leg I: I- L-1, 40; I-L-2, 50; I-L-3, 55; I-L-4, 105; I-L-5, 95; I-L-6, 100. Dorsal lengths of leg IV: IV-L-1, 65; IV-L-2, 75; IV-L-3, 90; IV-L-4, 195; IV-L-5, 165; IV-L-6, 160. The dorsal of I-IV-3-5 with long plumose setae in longitudinal rows (Fig. B-9). Ambulacrum with two claws. Each claw with claw blade well protruding, bearing a long dorsal and a shorter ventral clawlet.

Female: Color, body shape, and the decorations of cuticle as in the male, morphological characters of the genital field and the size of dorsalia and ventralia different from the male. Body 730 in length, 680 in width. ACG 225 in length, PCG 235 in length. Distance between anterior end of ACG and posterior end of PCG 420. Gential field 175 in length, 155 in width. Pregentital sclerite well developed. Gnathosoma length 211. Chelicera total length 225, basal segment length 165, claw length 60, ratio of basal segment/claw length 2.8. Dorsal lengths of the palpal segments: P-I, 30; P-II, 153; P-III, 175; P-IV, 141; P-V, 39. Dorsal lengths of leg I: I-L-1, 55; I-L-2, 75; I-L-3, 70; I-L-4, 115; I-L-5, 120; I-L-6, 110. Dorsal lengths of leg IV: IV-L-1, 100; IV- L-2, 110; IV-L-3, 125; IV-L-4, 210; IV-L-5, 230; IV-L-6, 195.

Remarks. S. garhwalensis was described from India by Kumar, Kumar & Pesic in 2007 ( Kumar et al. 2007). But in their original description, only female was described and it’s taxonomic status of the subgenus was not given. It is the first report with the first description of the male from China. The features of both male and female examined well coincide with the characteristic of the subgenus Hispidosperchon , so it should be placed in this subgenus.

The decorations of cuticle, E4 on CxIII, P-4 shorter than P-3 and excretory pore with a sclerotized ring in the females from China show a general conformity with S. garhwalensis Kumar, Kumar & Pesic, 2007 from India. Some differences in the body size and the number of the plates on the dorsum and venter should be regarded as the variety between the different geographical populations.

FIGURE B (1–9). Sperchon (Hispidosperchon) garhwalensis , Male. 1. idiosoma, dorsal view; 2. idiosoma, ventral view; 3. decorations of cuticle; 4. capitulum; 5. chelicera; 6. palp; 7. IV-L-1-6. 8. claw 9. dorsal seta of IV-L-4.

FIGURE B (10–11). Sperchon (Hispidosperchon) garhwalensis , Female. 10. idiosoma, dorsal view; 11. idiosoma, ventral view.