Hydrachna brehmi Szalay, 1955

Davids, Kees, Sabatino, Antonio Di, Gerecke, Reinhard, Gledhill, Terence & Smit, Harry, 2005, On the taxonomy of water mites (Acari: Hydrachnidia) described from the Palaearctic, part 1: Hydrachnidae, Limnocharidae and Eylaidae, Zootaxa 1061, pp. 36-64 : 38

Hydrachna brehmi Szalay, 1955

Species incerta

Holotype male missing; no material available. Locus typicus: Hungary, Ócsa, from a puddle, 0 2.05.1928 coll. Dudich.

Discussion: The author of this species considered it similar to H. perpera bulgarensis and H. geographica (see below). In fact, following the original description, it agrees with species of the geographica group (see there) in most important details (Cx­4 with two or more setae, gnathosoma with very long rostrum, palp rather slender and equally narrowed from segment to segment, P­2 relatively long, ventrally strongly concave, P­3 with ventral margin proximally concave, distally straight). In the curved shape of the sclerites flanking the postocularia and the number of setae on Cx­4 being less than five, H. brehmi agrees with H. incisa . The shape of the genital field, particularly important for species definition in the genus, remains unclear. The genital field in the figure of the original description is more like that of a female than male. It is suggested that, as often happened in studies on representatives of this genus, the author confused the sexes (Szalay stated that the genital field was damaged during an attempt to prepare the ejaculatory complex). It is impossible to reconstruct the taxonomic state of this taxon ­ it must be considered a species incerta.