Hygrobates (Rivobates) norvegicus ( Thor, 1897 )

Gerecke, Reinhard, 2021, The water mites of the family Hygrobatidae (Acari, Hydrachnidia) in Italy, Zootaxa 5009 (1), pp. 1-85 : 49-50

Hygrobates (Rivobates) norvegicus ( Thor, 1897)

(Figs 22 G-H)

Material examined: Friuli-Venezia Giulia: I 1298, 0/1/0; Trentino-Alto Adige: I sa 102, 0/1/0; I 1573, 0/0/1; I 1631, 0/2/0; I AD 1853 1.9.1999, 27/3/2, 9.9.2002, 0/1/0, 2.9.2003, 2/0/0. 6 sites, 41 specimens .

Previously published records from Italy: Abruzzo ( Cicolani et al. 1995); Emilia-Romagna ( Gerecke & Di Sabatino 2013); Friuli-Venezia Giulia ( Di Sabatino et al. 2000); Piemonte ( Monti 1910, Gerecke & Di Sabatino 2013); Trentino-Alto Adige (Maglio 1908, 1909, Crema et al. 1996, Gerecke et al. 2009); Veneto ( Walter 1922).

Remarks: Records from Calabria and Sicily published under this name by Gerecke (1991) in fact refer to H. helocrenicus (see above). Populations in Central and Northern Europe represent at least two separate species in course of description - representatives of the N Italian populations are most probably not identical with the typical clade from Norway (Blattner pers. com.).

Habitat: Crenobiont; preferably in weakly flowing rheohelocrenes.

Distribution: Central and Northern Europe (but see remarks).