Halacarus mollis Sokolov, 1952

Bartsch, Ilse, 2011, Halacarus socius (Acari: Halacaridae), description of the male and diagnoses of species of the Halacarus actenos group, Zootaxa 2800, pp. 18-40 : 32

Halacarus mollis Sokolov, 1952

Halacarus mollis: Sokolov (1952: 72–75, fig. 27, 1–6) .

Diagnosis. Length of male 515 µm. Frontal spine slender, moderately long, extending anteriad just beyond middle of P-2. Length of spine equalling 0.3 and 0.1 times length of AD and idiosoma, respectively. Posterior part of AD linguiform. Pair of glp-1 at 0.6. Ocular plates lacking. Pairs of ds-5 and ds-6 medial to glp-4 and glp-5, respectively, at an interval of more than twice diameter of glp. Anterior margin of male GA rounded. GO in anterior half of GA. Distance between anterior margins of GA and GO almost same as length of GO. Anterior pair of pgs removed from margin of GA by less than half that length.

Gnathosoma 2.1 times longer than wide. Rostrum longer than gnathosomal base, extending to end of P-3. Basal seta on P-2 at 0.6. Telofemur, genu and tibia I with 2, 2, 4 spiniform ventral setae. Basalmost ventral spine on telofemur I at 0.3. Tarsi I to III with 2, 2(?), 3(?) ventral setae, respectively. Paired claws with accessory process but without tines.

Remarks. This is a species of the H. actenos group but none of the characters mentioned in the description is really unique and allows a reliable identification. A detailed description of material from the type locality is necessary.

Distribution and ecology. Sea of Japan. Amongst littoral algae.