Planaturus pileatus, Smit, Harry, 2017

Smit, Harry, 2017, Notoaturine water mites from New Zealand (Acari: Hydrachnidia: Notoaturinae) with the description of five new species, Zootaxa 4247 (1), pp. 16-30 : 20

Planaturus pileatus n. sp.

( Fig. 2 A-E)

Material examined. Holotype female, Shag River at crossing with road Ranfurly—Palmerston, 45° 10.663 S 170° 23.703 E, alt. 564 m asl, 3-i-2015 ( MONZ) .

Diagnosis. Hood hat-like, with a convex anterior margin.

Description. Female. Characters of genus Planaturus as described by Cook (1983). Integumental pigment absent, eyes present. Idiosoma ventrally 377 long and 235 wide. Dorsal shield 266 long. Hood relatively narrow ( Fig. 2A , arrow), 56 wide, with a convex anterior margin. Suture lines of coxae obliterated. Genital field with several acetabula, but these difficult to see. Gonopore 52 long. Length of P1-5: 16, 32, 24, -, 17. P2 with an anteroventral extension. Palp rotated due to mounting, and P4 therefore not measurable. Length of I-leg-4-6: 34, 38, 40 (till tip of segment). Length of IV-leg-2-6: 60, 20, 32, 32, 46 (till tip of segment). Swimming setae absent. Male: Unknown.

Etymology. Named for the hat-like appearance of the hood.

Remarks. The hood of the new species differs from all other species (including the new species described below) in the convex anterior margin. Three species ( P. lundbladi Cook, 1983 , P. serratus n. sp. and P. setipalpis ) have the anterior margin straight or concave. Planaturus rugosus Cook, 1991 has the anterior margin of the hood pointed, while P2 is anteroventrally with teeth (absent in the new species).

Figures

FIGURE 2 A – E. Planaturus pileatus n. sp., holotype female. A = dorsum; B = venter; C = gnathosoma + palp; D = P 1 – 3; E = IV-leg – 2 – 6. Scale bars = 50 µm.