Torrenticola (Torrenticola) elisabethae Pešić, 2024

Pešić, Vladimir, Zawal, Andrzej, Ferreira, Sónia, Benitez-Bosco, Laura, Cruz-Oliveira, Ana, Girão, Dinis, Padilha, Adriana, Turaccio, Paolo, Rossini, Samantha, Ballini, Lorenzo, Staffoni, Giorgia, Fratini, Sara, Ciofi, Claudio, Iannucci, Alessio, Ekrem, Torbjørn & Stur, Elisabeth, 2024, DNA barcode library of Portuguese water mites, with the descriptions of two new species (Acari, Hydrachnidia), ZooKeys 1217, pp. 119-171 : 119-171

Torrenticola (Torrenticola) elisabethae Pešić sp. nov.

Figs 3 , 4 , 5 B, E

Type material examined.

Holotype • ♂, dissected and slide mounted, Portugal, Guarda, Manteigas, Poço do Inferno (Fig. 5 E ), 40.373°N, 7.516°W, 1078 m a.s.l., 21 Aug. 2023, leg. Ferreira, Benitez-Bosco & Padilha, sequenced ( BOLD ID: BSNTN 984-23 ) . Paratypes: • 1 ♂, 1 ♀ (sequenced), Portugal, Guarda, Manteigas, Poio do Leão , 40.399°N, 7.541°W, 734 m a.s.l., 22 Aug. 2023, leg. Ferreira, Benitez-Bosco & Padilha, 1 ♀ dissected and slide mounted ( RMNH) .

Diagnosis.

Morphological: Shoulder platelets fused with dorsal plate; dorsal shield with color pattern as illustrated in Figs 4 B , 5 B ; Cxgl – 4 subapical; medial suture line of Cx-II + III in male relatively long; ejaculatory complex with poorly developed anterior keel and a relatively large proximal chamber. Molecular: this lineage represent by a unique BIN ( BOLD: AFW 5336) differs from T. lundbladi clade by 9.8 % K 2 P for COI.

Description.

General features. Idiosoma oval; shoulder platelets fused to dorsal plate, but suture line visible; dorsal shield with a color pattern as illustrated in Figs 4 B , 5 B ; area of primary sclerotization of the dorsal plate with four dorsoglandularia (Fig. 3 A ); gnathosomal bay U-shaped, proximally rounded; Cxgl – 4 subapical; excretory pore and Vgl- 2 on the the line of primary sclerotization, excretory pore on the level of Vgl- 2; gnathosomal ventral margin curved, rostrum elongated (Fig. 3 D ); P- 2 ventral margin nearly straight or slightly concave, P- 2 and P- 3 ventrodistal protrusions bluntly pointed, P- 4 with a ventral tubercle bearing one long and three shorter setae (Figs 3 C , 4 D ). Male — Medial suture line of Cx-II + III relatively long; genital field subrectangular; ejaculatory complex with poorly developed anterior keel, proximal chamber relatively large; Fig. 3 E ). Female — Genital field large and pentagonal in shape.

Measurements.

Male (holotype). Idiosoma (ventral view: Fig. 3 B ) L 856, W 691; dorsal shield (Fig. 3 A ) L 731, W 619, L / W ratio 1.18; dorsal plate L 681; frontal plate L 173–183, W 64–66, L / W ratio 2.7–2.8. Gnathosomal bay L 194, Cx-I total L 383, Cx-I mL 188, Cx-II + III mL 131; ratio Cx-I L / Cx-II + III mL 2.92; Cx-I mL / Cx-II + III mL 1.43. Genital field L / W 183 / 150, ratio 1.22; distance genital field-excretory pore 103, genital field-caudal idiosoma margin 127. Ejaculatory complex L 275.

Gnathosoma vL 367, chelicera L 448; palp total L 390, dL / H, dL / H ratio: P- 1, 44 / 38, 1.17; P- 2, 133 / 64, 2.08; P- 3, 79 / 58, 1.36; P- 4, 112 / 38, 2.98; P- 5, 22 / 14, 1.55; L ratio P- 2 / P- 4, 1.19. dL of I-L- 4–6: 145, 160, 131; I-L- 6 H 46; dL / H I-L- 6 ratio 2.85.

Female (paratype from Poio do Leão, BGE_00227_H 06 ). Idiosoma (ventral view: Fig. 4 C ) L 975, W 794; dorsal shield (Fig. 4 A, B ) L 806, W 663, L / W ratio 1.22; dorsal plate L 766; frontal plate L 172–175, W 63–68, L / W ratio 2.6–2.75. Gnathosomal bay L 203, Cx-I total L 391, Cx-I mL 188, Cx-II + III mL 0. Genital field L / W 214 / 204, ratio 1.05; distance genital field-excretory pore 256, genital field-caudal idiosoma margin 347. Egg (n = 1) maximum diameter 227.

Gnathosoma vL 379, chelicera L 478; palp total L 389, dL / H, dL / H ratio: P- 1, 41 / 36, 1.15; P- 2, 130 / 64, 2.0; P- 3, 80 / 59, 1.35; P- 4, 116 / 40, 2.87; P- 5, 22 / 14, 1.55; L ratio P- 2 / P- 4, 1.13.

Etymology.

The new species is dedicated to Elisabeth Stur ( NTNU University Museum Trondheim, Norway), who facilitated a number of barcoding projects on water mites in Europe.

Species delimitation using DNA barcodes.

The sequences retrieved from Torrenticola specimens from Portugal, here described as T. elisabethae sp. nov., appeared as a sister group to the cluster containing sequences of T. lundbladi (K. Viets, 1930) , a rhitrobiontic species known from Spain ( Lundblad 1956; Pešić et al. 2012). The mean K 2 P genetic distance between COI sequences of T. elisabethae sp. nov. and T. lundbladi was estimated at 9.8 ± 1.25 %. The genetic distance was also here higher than the barcode gap found for Torrenticola in the ASAP analysis, supporting the species-status of the new taxon. The mean intraspecific divergence within the cluster of barcodes belonging to T. elisabethae was relatively low (0.2 ± 0.14 % K 2 P).

Discussion.

The new species is most similar to Torrenticola lundbladi K. Viets, 1930 , a species originally described from central Spain (K. Viets 1930). Both species have dorsal shield with the shoulder platelets partially fused with the dorsal plate, a similar color pattern of the dorsal shield, a Cxgl- 4 situated subapically and a relatively long median suture line of Cx-II-III in male. Torrenticola lundbladi differs by the characteristic shape of the ejaculatory complex (proximal and distal arms short, proximal chamber large, proximal horns reduced, see Lundblad 1956: fig. 83 E).

Distribution.

Portugal (this study).

Figures

Figure 3. Torrenticola elisabethae sp. nov., ♂ holotype A dorsal shield B ventral shield C palp, medial view D gnathosoma and chelicera E ejaculatory complex F photograph of ejaculatory complex. Scale bars: 100 μm.

Figure 4. Torrenticola elisabethae sp. nov., ♀ paratype A dorsal shield B photograph of dorsal shield C ventral shield D palp, medial view. Scale bars: 100 μm.

Figure 5. A – C Photographs of dorsal shield A Torrenticola soniae sp. nov., ♂ holotype B T. elisabethae sp. nov., ♂ holotype C T. tenuipalpis, ♀ (BGE _ 00227 _ F 03) D – E Photographs of selected sampling sites D Praia Fluvial de Sabugueiro, locus typicus of Torrenticola soniae sp. nov. E Poço do Inferno, type locality of T. elisabethae sp. nov. Photographs by JC (5 D) and SF (5 E).