Monatractides gledhilli, Pesic, Vladimir & Smit, Harry, 2009

Pesic, Vladimir & Smit, Harry, 2009, Water mites of the family Torrenticolidae (Acari: Hydrachnidia) from Thailand, Part II. The genus Monatractides K. Viets, Zootaxa 2012, pp. 1-27 : 17-20

Monatractides gledhilli sp. nov.

( Figs. 75–84 )

Type material. Holotype: male dissected and slide mounted in Hoyer's fluid. Thailand: Pong Creek crossing road to Muang Kong, Doi Chiang Dao, 477 m asl, 22.xi.2007, 19° 24.774 N 98° 55.127 E, leg. Smit. Paratypes: 6/0/0 (2/0/0 mounted), same collecting site and data as holotype.

Diagnosis: three pairs of knob-shaped protrusions at the margin of the capitular bay; pointed, V-shaped capitular bay; Cxgl-4 subapical; capitulum with shorter rostrum; P-3 with two strong ventrodistal setae, P-4 with well visible denticle near the insertion of the ventral hairs.

Description. Male (holotype, in parentheses measurements of two paratypes): Idiosoma (ventral view: Fig. 76 ) L 794 (813–831), W 631 (606–638); dorsal shield ( Fig. 75 ) L 681 (675–694), W 506 (531–537), L/W ratio 1.35 (1.26–1.31); dorsal plate L 644 (638–656); shoulder plate L 213 (194–213), W 67 (66), L/W ratio 3.2 (2.9–3.2); frontal plate L 116 (122–123), W 63 (63), L/W ratio 1.8 (1.9–1.94); shoulder/frontal plate L ratio 1.8 (1.6–1.75); capitular bay L 150 (152–154), W 41, L/W ratio 3.7; Cx-1 total L 288 (287–294), Cx-1 medial L 138 (131–142), Cx-2+3 medial 91 (92–102); ratio Cx-1 L/Cx-2+3 medial L 3.2 (2.8–3.2); Cx-1 medial L/Cx-2+3 medial L 1.5 (1.3–1.54); genital field L/W 156 (156–162)/119 (113–116), L/W ratio 1.3 (1.38–1.4), ejaculatory complex ( Fig. 79 ) L 199 (206); distance genital field–excretory pore 159 (148–156), genital field–caudal idiosoma margin 237 (256–272); capitulum ( Fig. 80 ) ventral L 150 (139–149); chelicera ( Fig. 81 ) L 174 (183–185); palp ( Figs. 77 , 83–84 ) total L 229 (225–230), L: P-1 26 (26–27), P-2 65 (65–66), P-3 46 (44), P-4 59 (60–61), P-5 33 (29–33); %L (given as % of total L): P-1 11.4 (11.6–11.7), P-2 28.4 (28.3–29.3), P-3 20.1 (19.1–19.6), P-4 25.8 (26.5–26.7), P-5 14.4 (12.9–14.3); P-2/P-4 ratio 1.1 (1.07–1.1); P- 4 with well visible denticle near the insertion of the ventral hairs; L I-Leg-4-6 ( Fig. 82 ): 118 (118–120), 111 (111), 112 (109–110).

Discussion. Due to the presence of three pairs of knob-shaped protrusions at the margin of the capitular bay, a capitulum with shorter rostrum, and a pointed, V-shaped capitular bay, M. gledhilli sp. nov. is similar to M. tristis ( Lundblad, 1941b) (in parentheses data taken from Lundblad 1967), from which it can be easily distinguished by its smaller idiosoma and palp dimensions (e.g., idiosoma L 1017, dorsal shield L 845, genital field L/W 218/182, palp total L 258). Further differences regard subapical Cxgl-4, the presence of two strong ventrodistal setae on P-3, and a P-4 with a well visible denticle near the insertion of the ventral hairs.

Etymology. This species in named after Terry Gledhill ( UK) in appreciation of his studies of water mites. Distribution. Thailand; only known from the locus typicus.

Figures

FIGURES 75 – 82. Monatractides gledhilli sp. nov., holotype male: 75 = dorsal shield; 76 = idiosoma, ventral view; 77 = palp (P- 1 missing), lateral view; 78 = anterodorsal portion of ventral shield; 79 = ejaculatory complex; 80 = capitulum; 81 = chelicera; 82 = I-Leg- 5 - 6. Scale Bars = 100 µm.

FIGURES 83 – 84. Monatractides gledhilli sp. nov., paratype male: 83 = palp (P- 1 missing), medial view; 84 = palp, lateral view. Scale Bar = 100 µm.