Wandesia Schechtel, 1912

Gerecke, Reinhard, 2020, The early derivative water mites (Acari: Hydrachnidia, superfamilies Eylaoidea, Hydrachnoidea and Hydryphantoidea) of Madagascar, Zootaxa 4727 (1), pp. 1-77 : 39

Genus Wandesia Schechtel, 1912

Pseudowandesia Habeeb, 1958 syn. nov.

The two species described below bridge the gap previously assumed to separate the subgenus Pseudowandesia (with dish-like, unstalked Ac, see Habeeb 1958) from Wandesia s.str. (with cupuliform Ac on stalks). Ac of water mites are plesiotypically located on a basal sclerite which may be reduced to a fine, nearly invisible ring, in other cases fused to surrounding sclerite plates, or extended to a cylindrical stalk which elevates the Ac over the idiosoma surface. As generally observed in other hydryphantid subfamilies, the length of such stalks differs species-specifically also in Wandesia . All intermediate situations are possible between nearly invisible (absent?) stalks (species previously attributed to Pseudowandesia ), rather short stalks (the species described here from Madagascar), and stalks elongated to a various degree (species previously attributed to Wandesia s.str.). This character is obviously not suitable for grouping species in the genus, and Pseudowandesia is therefore considered a junior synonym of Wandesia .