Hygrobates (s. str.) calliger Piersig, 1896

Gerecke, Reinhard, 2021, The water mites of the family Hygrobatidae (Acari, Hydrachnidia) in Italy, Zootaxa 5009 (1), pp. 1-85 : 46

Hygrobates (s. str.) calliger Piersig, 1896

(Figs 21 A; 23 C)

Material examined: Calabria: I 100, 0/1/0; I 1129, 1/0/2; I TG 18-02b (2/2/0); I TG 18-03a (13/6/0); I TG 18-04a (1/0/0); I TG 18-08a (14/3/1); Emilia-Romagna: I 888, 3/2/0; Friuli-Venezia Giulia: I Dor 6 pool 16.05.2017, 1/0/0; Lazio: I 1287, 3/9/1; Sardegna: I TG 15-01a, 0/1/0; I TG 20-01a,b,e, 2/2/0; Sicilia: I 49, 0/1/0; I 109, 1/0/0; I 237, 0/0/1. 12 sites, 70 specimens .

Previously published records from Italy: Abruzzo ( Cicolani & Di Sabatino 1985, 1988, Di Sabatino & Cicolani 2001); Basilicata ( Cicolani et al. 1992a); Calabria, Campania (Gerecke 1991); Friuli-Venezia Giulia ( Cicolani et al. 1994); Lombardia ( Maglio 1905); Marche (K. Viets 1955, Maglio 1956); Sicilia (Gerecke 1991, Ferrito 1994); Sardegna (Gerecke 1991); Toscana (“ H. italicus”, Thor 1927 ); Trentino-Alto Adige ( Gerecke et al. 2009).

Remarks: The new data include the first records of the species for the Italian regions Emilia-Romagna and Lazio. For Calabria and Sicily, additions are made of previously overlooked specimens that complete the data published by Gerecke (1991). The wide ecological range covered by records of H. calliger between Central-North Europe (mainly shaded low order streams in wooded areas) and Sicily (running waters of various order, also strongly exposed to sunlight), suggests that this is, as in the case of Hygrobates fluviatilis s.l. ( Pešić et al. 2017), a species complex that merits to be unraveled in near future. This interpretation finds also support from differences in the shape of the genital field between populations from different areas.

Habitat: Low to medium order streams, occasionally also in temporary flowing waters.

Distribution: Palaearctic.