Piona damasiella Cook, 1966

Smit, Harry, 2021, Water mites from West Africa (Acari: Hydrachnidia), Acarologia 61 (3), pp. 700-746 : 724-725

Piona damasiella Cook, 1966

( Figure 16 A-B)

New record. Ghana. 0/1/0, lake Dahwenya, 5°46.760′ N 0°03.049′ E, 24 m a.s.l., 9

Feb. 2013; 1/1/0, Inlet Volta River at Kpong, 6°09.183′ N 0°03.709′ E, 25 m a.s.l., 27

Feb. 2013.

Description. Male: Idiosoma of the male of this study not fully sclerotized, dorsally 680 long and 547 wide, ventrally 688 long. Apodemes of anterior coxae short. Cx-III+IV fused with genital field. Genital field with numerous acetabula, extending laterally beyond posterolateral corner of Cx-IV ( Figure 16A ). Excretory pore probably fused with genital field. Length of P1–5: 30, 176, 64, 179, 64. P2 with a slightly convex ventral margin, P4 ventrally with three small setal tubercles ( Figure 16B ). Length of I-leg-4–6: 192, 215, 178. Length of IV-leg-4–6: 219, 235, 162. III-leg-6 with one of the claws elongated. Swimming setae: II-leg-5 one, III-leg-4 four, III-leg-5 two, IV-leg-4 three, IV-leg-5 five.

Remarks. The male of this species has not been described previously. Compared P to. damasi Lundblad, 1949, the genital plates are longer and extend more laterally. As in the female, the ventral margin of P2 is slightly convex, but straight P in. damasi.

Distribution. Liberia (Cook 1966), Nigeria ( Cook 1979), Ghana (this study).

Figures

Figure 16 Piona damasiellaCook, male. A – venter; B – palp. Scale bars: A = 100 µm, B = 50 µm.