Pseudaxonopsalbia (Pseudaxonopsalbia) ghanensis, Smit, Harry, 2016

Smit, Harry, 2016, The water mite family Aturidae Thor (Acari: Hydrachnidia) from Ghana, with the description of twelve new species, Zootaxa 4158 (4), pp. 523-543 : 541-543

Pseudaxonopsalbia (Pseudaxonopsalbia) ghanensis n. sp.

( Figs. 13A–E )

Material examined. Holotype female, Amedzofe Falls, Ghana, 6º 50.656 N 0º 26.868 E, alt. 599 m a.sl., 20-ii- 2013 . Paratypes: five females, same data as holotype.

Diagnosis. Dorsal furrow with three pairs of glandularia platelets; preocularia not fused with dorsal shield; vgl-2 covered by ventral shield; genital plates with four pairs of acetabula, not fused with postgenital sclerites.

Description. Female: Idiosoma dorsally 389 (373–405) long and 308 (316–332) wide, ventrally 340 (344– 365) long; dorsum slightly indented at posterior margin. Dorsal shield 381 (367–401) long and 262 (259–284) wide, with A2 and three pairs of glandularia plus a pair of setae without glands, postocularia anteromedially of dgl- 1; excretory pore fused with dorsal shield. Dorsal furrow with three pairs of glandularia platelets and a pair of preocularia. Anterior coxae far distanced from frontal margin. Suture lines of coxae obliterated. Fourth leg sockets with small condyles. Cxgl-4 more or less halfway between fourth leg sockets and genital field. Vgl-2 covered by fourth coxae and probably not fused with coxal shield. In a young female vgl-2 are still not covered by coxal shield. Genital field with four pairs of acetabula, not fused with post-genital sclerites; gonopore 88 long. Length of P1–5: 22, 37, 27, 52, 28. Length of I-leg-4–6: 46, 48, 44; I-leg-1 with a stout ventral seta, I-leg-2 with a somewhat less stout seta. Length of IV-leg-4–6: 48, 56, 42; IV-leg-5 with two swimming setae.

Male: Unknown.

Etymology. Named after the country where the new species was found.

Remarks. The new species is most close to Pseudaxonopsalbia acanthophora ( Cook, 1966) in similarly shaped acetabular plates, but differs in a less slender idiosoma, more posteromedially-placed postocularia and vgl- 2 are completely covered by the coxal field (only partially covered in acanthophora ). Moreover, no swimming setae have been reported for P. acanthophora .

Figures

FIGURE 13 A – E. Pseudaxonopsalbia ghanensis n. sp., A – D holotype female, E paratype female. A = dorsum; B = venter; C = palp; D = I-leg; E = posterior venter. Scale bars = 50 µm.