Feltria schwoerbeli, 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 : 8-13

Feltria schwoerbeli sp. nov.

( Figs. 17–38 )

Type series. Holotype: male, dissected and slide-mounted in Hoyer's fluid. India: Himachal Pradesh State, IND' 95/152 Kullu-Valley, Hermeli/spring area, Kunoi-Nala, 8 h trek, spring region, mosses/lentic from pool, 3800m, 11.vii.1995. Paratypes: two males, one dissected and slide-mounted in Hoyer's fluid, IND'95/150 same collecting site and data as holotype.

New records. IND' 95/18 (1/0/0); IND' 95/82 (1/0/0); IND' 95/126 (1/0/0); IND' 95/152 (2/0/0); IND' 95/ 154 (1/0/0); IND' 95/219 (1/0/0).

Females probably belonging to this species (not included in the type series): same station as holotype (0/ 15/0), three dissected and slide-mounted in Hoyer's fluid; IND' 95/18 (0/5/0); IND' 95/20 (0/2/0); IND' 95/58 (0/2/0); IND' 95/88 (0/1/0); IND' 95/99 (0/1/0); IND' 95/99,99-9 (0/2/0); IND' 95/123 (0/1/0); IND' 95/150 (0/ 19/0); IND' 95/154 (0/10/0); IND' 95/167 (0/1/0); IND' 95/198 (0/1/0); IND' 95/219 (0/5/0); IND' 95/231 (0/1/ 0); IND' 96/9 (0/1/0); IND' 96/10 (0/1/0); IND' 96/14 (0/19/0); IND' 96/15 (0/13/0); IND' 96/17 (0/9/0); IND' 96/20 (0/4/0); IND' 96/22 (0/3/0); IND' 96/24 (0/14/0); IND' 96/25 (0/2/0); IND' 96/26 (0/1/0); IND' 96/29 (0/ 1/0).

Material from Darjeeling, West Bengal: IND' 93/4 (0/1/0); IND' 93/8 (1/2/0), one male dissected and slide-mounted in Hoyer's fluid; IND' 93/9 (2/5/0); IND' 93/14 (3/9/0), one male and one female dissected and slide-mounted in Hoyer's fluid; IND' 93/12 (0/2/0).

Diagnosis. Males: Tarsus of male leg III with a prominent truncated ventrolateral projection, bearing 5–6 short setae.

Description. Male (holotype, in parentheses some measurements of paratype): Idiosoma L/W 359 (347)/ 278 (266). Dorsal shield large, L/W 266 (241)/ 213 (195), with 4 pairs of setae: Postoc, Dgl-3, Dgl-5, Dgl-6 ( Fig. 17 ). In the posterior part of the body one central pair of plates present, bearing setae and glandularia Dgl- 7. The excretory pore occupies a terminal position and opens on a small plate.

Leg coxae are incorporated into 4 groups, close to each other, and occupy more than half of the ventral body surface ( Fig. 18 ). Anterior coxae with well developed posterior apodemes; Cxgl-2 located at posterior margin edge of Cx-2. Posterior groups of coxae with secondary sclerotization, extending to lateral and posterior margins of Cx-4. Genital field transverse, anterior margin strongly convex, posterior margin medially deeply indented, L 106 (103), W 185 (166), with 30–32 (21–25) genital acetabula on each side of genital opening, which opens on the anterior part of the plate.

Shape and chaetotaxy of palp as in Fig. 19 ; P-2 with weakly convex ventrodistal bulge; palp total L 218 (207), dL: P-1 18 (17), P-2 58 (55), P-3 32 (29), P-4 69 (65), P-5 41 (41); %L (given as % of total L): P-1 8.3 (8.2), P-2 26.6 (26.6), P-3 14.7 (14.0), P-4 31.7 (31.4), P-5 18.8 (19.8); P-2/P-4 ratio 0.84 (0.85).

Tarsus of leg III with an elongated and at the tip truncated ventrolateral projection ( Fig. 20–22 ), bearing 5–6 short setae. L of III-L-2-6: 39 (39), 46 (47), 65 (61), 73 (66), 91 (91); IV-L-6 with one long, slender, ventral seta; L of L-IV-1-6: 65 (68), 41 (33), 59 (53), 83 (82), 94 (96), 105 (103).

Female: Idiosoma L/W 481/325, dorsal shield L/W 231/192. Morphology is similar to that of the male but differs in the integument sclerotization ( Fig. 23 ), genital field, and tarsus III. The posterior part of the dorsum having 3 pairs of plates: 2 pairs of small anterior ones, posterior plates larges and more or less at right angles to a 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. 24 ) longer than the genital opening, their median margins straight and converging anteriorly. Genital plate L 122, W 106, with 42–44 genital acetabula. Palp total L 288, dL and %L (in parentheses, given as % of total L): P-1 23 (8.0), P-2 71 (24.7), P-3 46 (16.0), P-4 92 (31.9), P-5 56 (19.4); L P-2/P-4 ratio 0.77. Tarsus of legs III without ventrolateral projection.

Discussion: Due to the shape of the dorsum and genital field, the male of F. s c h w o e r b e l i sp. nov resembles the following species, Feltria himachali sp. nov. However, F. schwoerbeli sp. nov. has a prominent truncated ventrolateral projection, bearing 5-6 short setae on III-L-6, whereas F. himachali sp. nov. has a slightly pronounced and rounded ventrolateral projection situated on the posterior part of leg III. Further differences are found in the smaller palp, the lower number of acetabulae and in the more convexly protruding anterior margin of the genital field in the male of F. schwoerbeli sp. nov.

One male from site IND' 95/219 is much larger (Idiosoma L/W 406/328) than the type specimens and differs in possesing a larger genital field and longer setae on the ventrolateral projection on the III-L-6 ( Figs. 27– 28 ). The female from site IND' 95/219 differs from the typical specimens suspected to represent the female of F. schwoerbeli in having the posterior coxal plates more distanced from each other ( Fig. 29 )

The males from Darjeeling differ in larger idiosomal dimensions (L/W 391/345), in having proportionally wider dorsal plates in the posterior part of the body ( Fig. 30–31 ), in the anterior margin of the genital field being less convexly protruding and in a relatively shorter ventrolateral projection on the III-L-6.

The knowledge of the variability of additional Himalayan populations is necessary before we can assess the taxonomic state of these populations.

Etymology. The species is named for the memory of Professor Jürgen Schwoerbel. Habitat. Discovered in mosses in mountain streams and springs.

Distribution. Known from the Kullu Valley (Himachal Pradesh) in western Himalayas and Darjeeling in eastern Himalayas.

Figures

FIGURES 17 – 22. Feltria schwoerbeli sp. nov., male holotype: 17 = idiosoma, dorsal view; 18 = idiosoma, ventral view; 19 = palp, medial view; 20 = III-L- 5 / 6 (without claws); 21 = III-L- 6, posterior view; 22 = III-L- 5 / 6. Scale Bars = 100 µm.

FIGURES 23 – 24. Feltria schwoerbeli sp. nov., female: 23 = idiosoma, dorsal view; 24 = idiosoma, ventral view. Scale Bars = 100 µm.

FIGURES 25 – 29. Feltria schwoerbeli sp. nov., IND' 95 / 219 (25 – 28 = male, 29 = female): 25 = idiosoma, dorsal view; 26 = idiosoma, ventral view; 27 = III-L- 5 / 6 (without claws); 28 = III-L- 6 (without claws), posterior view; 29 = idiosoma, ventral view. Scale Bars = 100 µm.

FIGURES 30 – 34. Feltria schwoerbeli sp. nov., male, Darjeeling: 30 – 31 = idiosoma, dorsal view; 32 = idiosoma, dorsal view; 33 = palp, lateral view; 34 = palp (P- 1 missing), medial view. Scale Bars = 100 µm.

FIGURES 35 – 36. Feltria schwoerbeli sp. nov., male, Darjeeling: III-L- 5 / 6. Scale Bar = 100 µm.

FIGURES 37 – 38. Feltria schwoerbeli sp. nov., male, Darjeeling: 30 – 31 = idiosoma, dorsal view; 32 = idiosoma, dorsal view; 33 – 34 = palp. Scale Bars = 100 µm.