Feltria sannae, Pesic, Vladimir & Panesar, Arne, 2008

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 : 20

Feltria sannae sp. nov.

( Figs. 56–61 )

Type series. Holotype: male, dissected and slide-mounted in Hoyer's fluid. India: Himachal Pradesh State, IND' 95/236 Kullu-Valley, "P1" Kunoi-Nala, between Khaknal and Sujla (near Bridge), mosses in cascade, 1800m, 10.viii.1995.

Diagnosis. Males: one dorsal transverse plate in the posterior part of the body, the tarsus of leg III with a small ventrolateral projection bearing 3 long setae.

Description. Male: Idiosoma L/W 397/300. Dorsal shield large, L/W 294/206, bearing 4 pairs of setae: Postoc, Dgl-3, Dgl-5, Dgl-6 ( Fig. 56 ). A pair of glandularia (Dgl-7) and associated setae in the posterior part of the single transverse posterior dorsal plate. The excretory pore occupies a terminal position and opens dorsally on a small plate.

Leg coxae are incorporated into 4 groups, and occupy more than half of the ventral body surface ( Fig. 57 ). Anterior coxae with well developed posterior apodemes; Cxgl-2 located laterally on posterior margin of Cx-2. Posterior groups of coxae with secondary sclerotization, which extends to lateral and posterior margins of Cx- 4. Genital field transverse, anterior margin convex, posterior margin indented, L 122, W 197, with 48–50 genital acetabulae on each side of genital opening, which opens on the anterior part of the plate.

Shape and chaetotaxy of palp as in Figs. 58–59 ; P-2 ventral margins distally protruding; P-4 ventral margin convex; palp total L 232, dL and %L (in parentheses, given as % of total L): P-1 23 (9.9), P-2 70 (30.2), P- 3 30 (12.9), P-4 70 (30.2), P-5 39 (16.8); L P-2/P-4 ratio 1.0

III-L-6 with a small ventrolateral projection ( Fig. 60-61 ), bearing 3 long setae. L of III-L-4-6: 80, 89, 115, 106; L-IV-6 with one long slender ventral seta, L of IV-L-1-6: 77, 56, 74, 106, 120, 124.

Discussion. Due to the shape of the dorsum (presence of one transverse plate in the posterior part of the body), the male of Feltria sannae sp. nov. resembles F. zschokkei Koenike (W Palaearctic) (see e.g., Lundblad 1956; Bader 1975) from which it is easily distinguished by the shape of the genital field (transverse vs. triangular in F. zschokkei ) and the the tarsus of leg III with a ventrolateral projection bearing 3 setae (five setae in F. zschokkei ).

Etymology. The species is named for Sanna Mrkwiczka in appreciation of her help.

Habitat. Discovered in mosses in a mountain stream.

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

Figures

FIGURES 56 – 61. Feltria sannae sp. nov., male holotype: 56 = idiosoma, dorsal view; 57 = idiosoma, ventral view (right Cx- 1 + 2 missing); 58 = palp, medial view; 59 = palp, lateral view; 60 = III-L- 5 / 6; 62 = III-L- 6. Scale Bars = 100 µm.