Hygrobates spathuliferus cederberg, Smit, 2005

Smit, Harry, 2005, Water mites of the family Hygrobatidae Koch from southern Africa (Acari: Hydrachnidia), Journal of Natural History 39 (38), pp. 3369-3405 : 3389-3391

Hygrobates spathuliferus cederberg subsp. nov.

( Figures 23–25 )

Material examined

Holotype: male, tributary of Rondgat River at Algeria, Cederberg Wilderness Area , Western Cape Province, South Africa, 32 ° 22.411 9 S, 19 ° 03.863 9 E, 1 November 2004 ( BMSA) . Paratypes: two males same data as holotype ( ZMAN) ; two males, Rondgat River at Algeria, Cederberg Wilderness Area, alt. 490 m a.s.l., 32 ° 22.491 9 S, 19 ° 03.742 9 E, 1 November 2004 ( BMSA) .

Description

Male. Idiosoma 551 (567–591) long and 510 (518–591) wide. Idiosoma soft, sclerotized parts pale red. Anterior coxal plates with short apodemes. Medial margins of coxal plates incomplete. Posterior margin of fourth coxal plates with short extensions. Genital field with three pairs of acetabula, which are arranged in a triangle. In one paratype one of the anterior acetabula missing. Lateral margin of genital field with a row of small setae. Genital field 130 long and 156 wide, gonopore 96 long. Lengths of PI–PV: 28, 124, 98, 216, 76. PII with a large extension, distal part covered with small papillae. Ventral margin of PIII slightly convex. Setae of ventral margin of PIV small and widely separated. Ventral margin of PV with five curved setae. Lengths of I-leg-4–6: 180, 192, 140. I-leg-5 distally with one short, pointed and bowed heavy seta. Ventral margin of I-leg-5 with nine more small heavy setae. Lengths of IV-leg-4–6: 300, 324, 194. Legs without swimming setae.

Female. Unknown.

Etymology

Named after the Cederberg mountains.

Remarks

The new subspecies differs from the nominate form in the shape of the first legs and PV. Hygrobates spathuliferus spathuliferus has the ventral margin of PV with one curved seta, the new subspecies has PV with five ventral setae. Moreover, I-leg-5 of the nominate form has a blunt distal heavy seta, while the ventral margin of this segment has two or three (occasionally up to seven) small heavy setae. Another difference can be found in the ventral extension of PII, which is more slender in the nominate form.

Figures

Figure 23. Hygrobates spathuliferus cederberg, holotype male, ventral view. Scale bar: 50 mm.

Figure 24. Hygrobates spathuliferus cederberg, holotype male, I-leg-5–6. Scale bar: 50 mm.

Figure 25. Hygrobates spathuliferus cederberg, holotype male, palp. Scale bar: 50 mm.