Sterkspruitia comorosensis Pešić & Smit, 2015

Pešić, Vladimir, Smit, Harry & Mary, Nathalie, 2018, Fifth contribution to the knowledge of water mites (Acari: Hydrachnidia) from the Comoros: a checklist and description of one new genus and four new species, Zootaxa 4483 (2), pp. 331-348 : 339

Sterkspruitia comorosensis Pešić & Smit, 2015

( Fig. 5 )

Material examined. Comoros, Mayotte: River Banano, upstream, 12°54'1,2"S, 45°11'9, 8"E, alt. 50 m asl., 21-vii- 2015 0/1/0 (dissected and slide mounted, MNHN).

Morphology. Female—Idiosoma L/W 619/467; dorsal shield L/W 469/366, consisting of four pairs of platelets, each with one glandularium ( Fig. 5A ); suture lines of coxal plates visible, dividing coxae in 3 groups, separated by strips of porose sclerotization, tips of Cx-I extending beyond frontal idiosoma margin; gnathosoma broadly fused with Cx-I ( Fig. 5B ), L gnathosoma + Cx-I mL 328, Cx-III W 412; genital field with three pairs of Ac, altogether fused to medial margin of a plate bearing a pair of glandularia at posterior margin, anterior to gonopore a large, transverse plate separated from ventral shield and other surrounding sclerites by narrow strips of soft integument, flanked by a pair of small plates, each with a glandularium; excretory pore on a small, subtriangular platelet.

Palp: total L 348, dL/H, dL/H ratio: P-1, 25/34, 0.73; P-2, 81/40, 2.0; P-3, 111/39, 2.8; P-4, 92/31, 3.0; P-5, 39/ 16, 2.5; P-2/P-4 ratio 0.87; P-2 with a spatula-shaped ventrodistal protrusion, P-3 with a central protrusion; P-4 with ventral setae and a short, fine sword seta, inserted far proximally ( Fig. 5D ).

Legs: I-L-5 strongly thickened, with ventral and dorsal margins diverging from base to S-1 insertion, distal part abruptly narrowed, I-L-5 dL 204, vL 86, dL/vL ratio 2.37, maximum H 86, dL/maximum H ratio 2.37, S-1 and -2 heteromorphic and distanced, S-1 ending in a fine pointed tip, S-2 with well developed dorsal projection, apically rounded, S-1 L 92, L/W ratio 4.9, S-2 L 50, L/W ratio 2.67, distance, L ratio S-1/2 1.84; I-L-6 long and slender, only slightly narrowed from the base to the tip, I-L-6 L 186, central H 18, L/central H ratio 10.3; L I-L-5/6 ratio 1.1; dL of IV-L: 84, 95, 141, 167, 200, 182; as in male IV-L-3-6 with strongly serrated setae (see Pešić et al. 2015a, fig. 9D).

Remarks. This species was described by Pešić et al. (2015a) based on a single male specimen from Koualé River. No further records were published, this is the first description of the female.

Distribution. Comoros: Mayotte.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Sterkspruitia comorosensis Pešić & Smit, 2015, female, River Banano, Mayotte: A = dorsal; B = ventral; C = I-L- 5 and -6; D = palp. Scale bars = 100 µm.