Lebertia (Lebertia) martini, Guelle, Pinar & Boyaci, Yunus Oemer, 2012

Guelle, Pinar & Boyaci, Yunus Oemer, 2012, Water mites of the genus Lebertia Neuman, 1880 (Acari, Hydrachnidia, Lebertiidae) from Turkey, with the description of one new species, ZooKeys 238, pp. 23-30 : 24-26

Lebertia (Lebertia) martini sp. n.

Type series.

Holotype male, Darıbükü spring, Sütçüler, Isparta, 17.08.2008, 37°33.66'N, 31°11.84'E, 870m a.s.l., leg. Y. Ö. Boyacı. Paratypes: 4 females, same data as holotype. Paratypes: 2 female, seepage spring feeding the Köprüçay river, Pazarköy, Isparta, 22.06.2008, 37°45.82'N, 31°2.00'E, 1190m a.s.l., leg. Y. Ö. Boyacı; Paratypes: 2 female and 3 male, Gürsu spring, Çameli, Denizli, 23.08.2008, 36°59.44'N, 29°33.62'E, 1500m a.s.l., leg. Y. Ö. Boyacı. Type material dissected and slide mounted in Hoyer’s fluid, deposited at the Faculty of Fisheries, Süleyman Demirel University, Isparta, Turkey.

Diagnosis.

Integument lineated. Dorsum with four paired median plates Dc-1-4 (Fig. 1a). Legs without swimming setae. Palp relatively small and stout; P-3 with paired dorsal setae located far proximally, tips of distomedial setae not extending beyond the tip of P-5, dorsodistal seta distanced from distal segment edge (Fig. 2a).

Description.

Both sexes. Integument dorsally and ventrally lineated. Dorsum with four paired median plates (equal in size in the both sexes) Dc-1-4, Dc-1 largest, triangular in shape and bearing the postocular setae, Dc-3 oval, Dc-2 and -4 much smaller and circular (Fig. 1a). Dorsoglandularia relatively large. Leg setation inconspicuous, no swimming setae present; number of ventral setae on IV-L-5-6: 7 and 3 respectively. Excretory pore unsclerotized. Palp relatively small and very stout; P-3 with tips of distal setae not extending beyond tip of P-5, dorsal mediodistal seta distanced from segment edge, paired dorsal setae located close together far proximally near segment base.

Male. (holotype, in parentheses variability of the paratypes given as mean, n = 3): Idiosoma L/W 275 (285)/165 (166) (Fig. 1c), integument dorsally and ventrally lineated. Capitular bay 30 (33), Cx–I mL 38 (38), capitulum 165 (171), chelicera 160 (162) (Fig. 2b), claw 14 (17) (Fig. 2c). Palp: total L 195, L/H: P-1, 17/23 (18/23); P-2, 50/47 (49/46); P-3, 53/40 (50/40); P-4, 56/25 (55/25); P-5, 19/8 (19/8). Coxae covering most of the ventral surface; posterior margin of Cx-IV smooth, not including posterior glandularia. Genital flap L 56 (58), distance between genital flap and posterior tip of the idiosoma 57 (59) (Fig. 1c). Leg segments L and total L: I-L: 22,27,23,31,39,46 = 188; II-L: 27,33,29,37,46,56 = 228; III-L: 31,37,33,44,57,55 = 257; IV-L: 40,37,45,52,68,56 = 298.

Female. (allotype,in parentheses variability of the paratypes given as mean, n = 8): Idiosoma L/W 340 (344)/200 (203). Capitular bay 33 (34), Cx-I mL 60 (61), capitulum 168 (170), chelicerae 158 (161),claw 17 (17). Palp: total L 197, L/H: P-1, 20 (21)/20 (20); P-2, 55 (55)/53 (53); P-3, 48 (48)/37 (37); P-4, 53 (54)/30 (30); P-5, 21 (22)/9 (9), distance between anterior edge of Cx-I and posterior mar gin of Cx-IV 307 (309). Genital flap, L 73 (74), distance between genital flap and posterior tip of the idiosoma 58 (58) (Fig. 1b). Leg segments L and total L: I-L: 23,29,25,35,42,50=204; II-L: 28,35,31,38,49,58=239; III-L: 31,37,35,49,58,57=267; IV-L: 40,38,48,55,70,71=322.

Discussion.

Lebertia martini sp. n.is the first Lebertia species having dorsal plates to be recorded from the Palaearctic. Presence of these plates, combined with the very stout palps will allow an easy distinction from all other Lebertia species in the region ( Gerecke 2009). Lebertia ventriscutata Cook, 1974, the only further known species of the genus bearing dorsal plates was described from a spring habitat in North America (Michigan - Cook 1974), is obviously not related to Lebertia martini . Among others, it differs strongly in the shape of the palp and the extreme extension of the male coxal field which forms a shield completely surrounding the genital field ( Cook 1974).

Etymology.

The species name is given in honour of the water mite specialist Dr Peter Martin (Kiel).

Habitat.

Crenobiontic species.