Feltria gereckei sp. nov.

(Figs. 62–66)

Type series. Holotype: male, dissected and slide-mounted in Hoyer's fluid. India: Himachal Pradesh State, IND'96/14 Kullu-Valley, Village Nishalla, side channel near Nishalla-Nala, mosses, 1800m, 12.iii.1996.

Paratypes: one male, dissected and slide-mounted in Hoyer's fluid, IND'95/233 H.P., Kullu Valley, Kunoi- Nala, near Khaknal, 09.viii.1995.

Diagnosis. Males. The anterior margin of the genital field approaching the posterior part of the capitular bay; the palpal segments stocky, especially P-4; the tarsus of leg III possesses one seta on the ventral margin.

Description. Male: Idiosoma L/W 293/241. Dorsal shield large, L/W 215/172, bearing 4 pairs of setae: Postoc, Dgl-3, Dgl-5, Dgl-6 (Fig. 62). In the posterior part of the body one transverse plate present, bearing setae and glandularia Dgl-7 (Fig. 62).

Leg coxae are incorporated into 4 groups, close to each other, and occupy more than half of the ventral body surface (Fig. 63). Anterior coxae with well developed posterior apodemes; Cxgl-2 located laterally on posterior margin of Cx-2. Genital field: anterior margin strongly protruding, approaching the posterior part of capitular bay, L 213, W 153, with 24-25 genital acetabulae on each side of genital opening, which opens in the anterior part of the plate between Cx-1. The excretory pore is fused with the posterior margin of genital field.

Shape and chaetotaxy of palp as in Figs. 64-65; palpal segments relatively short and stocky, especially P- 4, P-4 ventral setae well separated from each other; palp total L 153, dL and %L (in parentheses, given as % of total L): P-1 14 (9.2), P-2 42 (27.5), P-3 23 (15.0), P-4 46 (30.1), P-5 28 (18.3); L P-2/P-4 ratio 0.91.

III-L-6 without ventrolateral projection, bearing one seta on the ventrodistal margin (Fig. 66). L of I-L-3- 6: 29, 35, 39, 53; L of II-L-2-6: 26, 30, 40, 49, 62; L of III-L-2-6: 36, 51, 62, 69; L of IV-L-1-6: 49, 27, 38, 62, 76, 80.

Discussion. Due to the characteristic shape of the genital field, Feltria gereckei sp. nov. resembles F. baderi Oezkan (Turkey) from which it is easily distinguished by the following characters (in parentheses data from Oezkan 1982): the anterior margin of the genital field approaching the posterior part of capitular bay (approaching the mediocaudal margin of Cx-2), the palp segments are much stockier, especially P-4 (P-4 more slender in F. baderi), the tarsus of leg III possesses one seta on the ventral margin (without seta in F. baderi).

Etymology. The species is named after Dr Reinhard Gerecke (Tübingen) in appreciation of his studies on water mites.

Habitat. Discovered in mosses in the mountain stream.

Distribution. Known only from the region of the type locality in the Kullu Valley (Himachal Pradesh, India) in western Himalayas.