Protzia durmitoris

Pesic, Vladimir M., 2003, Three water mite species of the genus Protzia Piersig (Acari: Hydrachnidia) from the Balkan, with the description of one new species, Zootaxa 216, pp. 1-7 : 3-5

Protzia durmitoris nov. sp.

(Figs. 5­11, Table 1 )

Type material: Holotype: male, dissected and slide mounted in Hoyer's fluid; Serbia and Montenegro: Montenegro: CG116 Durmitor, stream near village Tepca, in Fagus forest, 760 m asl., 29.07.2002, leg. Pesic. Paratypes: 2 males, 1 female, same data as holotype, 1 male and 1 female of them dissected and slide mounted in Hoyer's fluid.

Diagnosis: Characters of the rotunda species group ( Gerecke, 1996b); leg claws with 3­4 Lcl and 5 Mcl; genital field with low Ac number (males: 18­20, female: 22), CAc elongate (L> 60 in both sexes, ratio L/ W 1.9 ­2.1 in male, 2.2 in female), chelicera (Fig. 10) slender (ratio L/H 5.2­5.8).

Description

Male (holotype, measurements of paratype are given in Table 1 ): Idiosoma 823 in length and 592 in width, Cx­1+2 L 260, Cx­3+4 L 238; leg claws with 4 Lcl and 5 Mcl (Fig. 6); genital field with 20 Ac; CAc L 77, CAc W 36, ratio L/ W 2.14; CAc stalk L 32, ratio stalk L/L of CAc 0.42; genital flaps reduced to a very faint setae–bearing sclerotized strip (Fig. 5); ejaculatory complex L 177, without particular features (Fig. 9); gnathosoma L 234, chelicera L 257, ratio basal segment/claw 2.9, ratio L/H 5.8; palp: total L 357,dorsal length and L/H ratio (in parentheses) of palp segments: P­1 23 (0.46), P­2 96 (1.82), P­ 3 48 (0.74), P­4 146 (3.62), P­5 44 (2.54); relative length [% of total length] of palp segments: P­1 6.5, P­2 26.9, P­3 13.5, P­4 40.9, P­5 12.3; L ratio P­2/P­4 0.66.

Female (for all measurements, see Tab. 1 ): Idiosoma 1282 in length and 859 in width, Cx­1+2 L 304, W 231, L/W ratio 1.31, Cx­3+4 L 280; leg claws as in male.

Discussion: Due to the character combination of genital flaps present as straight sclerified strips, chelicera with weak claw (ratio basal segment/claw 2.9), Cx­1+2 plates with obtuse­angled mediocaudal margin and higher number of setae, caudal Ac longish (length> 25 µm, ratio length/width> 1.1), stalk length 20­37 and P­4 more stocky (ratio length/ height> 2.9), Protzia durmitoris nov. sp. is most similar to Protzia halberti ( Walter, 1920) , Protzia rotunda Walter, 1908 , and Protzia cf. rotunda sensu Gerecke, 1996 b.

From P. halberti (in parentheses [the measurements of Gerecke, 1996a are given]), P. durmitoris nov.sp. differs in the following character combination: more slender chelicerae, ratio L/H 5.7­5.8 in male, 5.2 in female (ratio L/H 4.1­4.5, rarely up to 4.9 [in population from Savoie­France]), P­2 medially with one pennate dorsodistal setae (two in P. h a l b e r t i), leg claws with five medial clawlets (5­9 in most cases> 6). The number of medial clawlets, considerably overlaps values in populations of P. halberti from Savoie (5­6).

This population fits well the diagnostic character combination and the variability ranges given for P. halberti by Gerecke (1996a), but differs from typical P. h a l b e r t i populations by the fewer number of Mcl (5­6), and a more slender chelicera (ratio L/H 4.5­4.9).

Protzia durmitoris nov. sp., (5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 = male; 11 = female): 5 = coxae and genital field; 6 = leg claws; 7 = palp, lateral view; 8 = palp, medial view; 9 = ejaculatory complex; 10 = chelicera; 11 = genital field. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.

Compared with P. ro t u n d a (in parentheses [from Gerecke, 1996b]), P. durmitoris nov. sp. differs clearly in much longer CAc, L> 60 in both sexes, L/W ratio 1.9­2.1 in male, 2.2 in female (L<30, L/W ratio 1.1­1.5 in both sexes), and the more slender chelicera, ratio L/ H 5.2­5.8 (4.7­5.3). Furhermore, P. durmitoris nov. sp. differs from P. cf. rotunda (in parentheses [from Gerecke, 1996b]), in the lower number of Mcl (7­13 in most cases 9­ 10), and a lower ratio stalk L/L of CAc, <0.7 (ratio stalk L/L of CAc>0.7).

Etymology: The species is named after the nature reserve where the species was found.

Biology: Rhitral; 760 m asl.

Distribution: Serbia and Montenegro; only known from the locus typicus.