Protzia squamosa Walter, 1922

Sabatino, Antonio Di, Gerecke, Reinhard, Gledhill, Terence & Smit, Harry, 2009, On the taxonomy of water mites (Acari: Hydrachnidia) described from the Palaearctic, part 2: Hydryphantoidea and Lebertioidea, Zootaxa 2266, pp. 1-34 : 16

Protzia squamosa Walter, 1922

Protzia multipora (Walter, 1922) , nov. syn.

Material examined: Austria, National Park Gesäuse (locality abbreviations from the NP database): SCHAF, Schröckengrabenquelle 1, 266.601 N 549.656 E; 1217 m, 17.07.2007 (0/2/1); SHRÖK E, large springs upstr. Ebneralm-Furt, 266.626 N 549.240 E; 1102 m, 19.07.2007 (0/1/1); SHRÖK H, spring line left affluent Klammbach 1, 266.689 N 549.285 E; 1115 m, 19.07.2007 (0/1/0); URO, captured spring West Unteres Rohr, 274.053 N 547.837 E; 698 m, 20.07.2007 (0/1/0). Germany, Baden-Württemberg, Schönbuch (TÜ), Western spring SE Teufelsbrücke, 23.02.2004 (15/12/11).

Discussion: The two adult types of P. multipora (collected at two sites far distant from each other in Austria and Switzerland) differ from typical P. squamosa only in having a rather large gnathosoma (L 230- 235) and a high number of Ac (33-34) (Gerecke 1996). In the material examined, most specimens agree in both characters with the variability range known for P. squamosa , but single, larger, specimens bridge the gap between this species and P. multipora , having a gnathosoma L> 200 and Ac numbers> 30. As such exceptional specimens may appear within P. squamosa populations, and all intermediate character states are found as well, there is no reason to consider them as representatives of a separate taxon. Protzia multipora is therefore here considered as a synonym of P. squamosa .