Feltria rubra Piersig, 1898

Pesic, Vladimir & Panesar, Arne, 2008, Studies on water mites (Acari, Hydrachnidia) from the Himalayas, I. The water mite genus Feltria Koenike, with descriptions of eight new species, Zootaxa 1758, pp. 1-28 : 26

Feltria rubra Piersig, 1898

( Figs. 72–76 )

New records. IND' 93/8 (1/1/0).

Morphology. Male: Idiosoma L/W 350/266. Dorsal shield large, L/W 263/228, bearing 4 pairs of setae: Postoc, Dgl-3, Dgl-5, Dgl-6 ( Fig. 75 ). In the posterior part of the body one central pair of plates present, bearing setae and glandularia Dgl-7.

The coxae are incorporated into 4 groups, close to each other, and occupy more than half of the ventral body surface ( Fig. 72 ). Anterior coxae with well developed posterior apodemes; glandularia Cxgl-2 located laterally on posterior margin of Cx-2. Genital field: transverse, anterior margin a straight line, L 84, W 200, with 42–44 genital acetabula on each side of genital opening.

Shape and chaetotaxy of palp as in Fig. 74 ; P-2 ventral margin convex, palp total L 219, dL and %L (in parentheses, given as % of total L): P-1 18 (8.2), P-2 62 (28.3), P-3 30 (13.7), P-4 68 (31.1), P-5 41 (18.7); L P-2/P-4 ratio 0.91. III-L-6 without ventrolateral projection.

Female: Idiosoma L/W 441/356, dorsal shield L/W 297/241. The female morphology is similar to that of the male. It differs in the integument sclerotization ( Fig. 76 ) and genital field. The posterior part of the dorsum having 3 pairs of plates: 2 pairs of small anterior ones, posterior plates large and at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the body. The leg coxae occupy more than half of the ventral body surface. Apodemes of anterior coxae long. Genital plates ( Fig. 73 ) longer than the genital opening, their median margins concave. Genital plate L 115, W 109, with 48–53 genital acetabula. Palp total L 232, dL and %L (in parentheses, given as % of total L): P-1 19 (8.2), P-2 61 (26.3), P-3 30 (12.9), P-4 76 (32.8), P-5 46 (19.8); L P-2/P-4 ratio 0.80.

Habitat. Discovered in mosses in a mountain stream.

Distribution (New for India). Holarctic.

Figures

FIGURES 72 – 76. Feltria rubra Piersig, 1898 (72, 74, 75 = male, 73, 76 = female), 72 – 73 = idiosoma, ventral view; 74 = palp, lateral view; 75 – 76 = idiosoma, dorsal view. Scale Bars = 100 µm.