Torrenticola brevirostris ( Halbert, 1911 )

Pesic, Vladimir, Saboori, Alireza, Asadi, Mahdieh, Vafaei, Reza & Sanatgar, Elham, 2006, Water mites of the genus Torrenticola Piersig, 1896 (Acari, Hydrachnidia, Torrenticolidae) from Iran, with description of two new species, Zootaxa 1133 (1), pp. 45-59 : 46-47

Torrenticola brevirostris ( Halbert, 1911)

( Figs. 1–5 )

Material examined: IR11 Mazandaran Province, Ramsar, Safa stream near Gavramak village (ca. 37°14’N 49°9’E), 22ºC, 19.07.2003, leg. Pesic, Asadi, Saboori & Akrami (0/1/ 0) ; IR47 Tehran Province, Elburs Mt., Sijan stream in Sijan village (under Dareh Bridge , ca. 35°55’17N 51°8’54E), 14.08.2003, leg. Pesic & Saboori (0/1/0) ; IR106 Kermanshah Province, Sar Pol Kangarar stream in Sar Pol Kangarar village (ca. 47º55´E 34º30´N), 27.06.2005, leg. Pesic (6/1/0) ; IR108 Kermanshah Province, stream Gamasiab in village Gamasiab (ca. 47º45´E 34º27´N), 27.06.2005, leg. Pesic (5/5/0).

Remarks: The populations from Kermanshah Province fit the defination of T. brevirostris poorly (see Cicolani & Di Sabatino 1990). Most idiosoma and gnathosoma measurements are below the minimum values of Italian specimens: Males (female) idiosoma L 650–671 (806), dorsal shield L 581–600 (725), Cx­1 total L 247–269 (300), genital field L 151–159 (178), W 116–125 (168), ejaculatory complex L 234–256, distance genital field–excretory pore 81–97 (187), genital field–caudal idiosoma margin 134–139 (304), gnathosoma ventral L 247–257 (278), chelicera L 272–300, palp total L 263–290 (303); a relatively short postgenital area in males covering 20–21 % of the idiosoma L lies clearly below the minimum values stated for T. brevirostris . In view of the good agreement in proportions and the general shape of idiosoma and gnathosoma ( Figs. 1–5 ) these differences are most probably due to geographical variability.

Distribution: Palaearctic (new for Iran).

Figures

FIGURES 1–5. Torrenticola brevirostris (Halbert, 1911), male: 1 = dorsal shield; 2 = idiosoma, ventral view; 3 = gnathosoma; 4 = chelicera; 5 = palp, medial view. Scale bars = 100µm.