Bharatalbia Cook, 1967

Smith, Ian M., Cook, David R. & Gerecke, Reinhard, 2015, Revision of the status of some genus-level water mite taxa in the families Pionidae Thor, 1900, Aturidae Thor, 1900, and Nudomideopsidae Smith, 1990 (Acari: Hydrachnidiae), Zootaxa 3919 (1), pp. 111-156 : 132

Genus Bharatalbia Cook, 1967

Bharatalbia: Cook, 1974a , pp. 363–364, figs. 1605–1612. Bharatalbia: Smith, 1991 , pp. 487–496, figs. 31–41.

Bharatalbia: Smith & Cook, 1991 , p. 577.

Bharatalbia: Smith et al., 2001 , p. 613, figs. 378, 379. Bharatalbia: Smith et al., 2010 , p. 554, figs. 15.379, 15.380.

Diagnosis. Larva: Unknown.

Adults (modified from Smith 1991): Idiosoma elliptical in shape. Dorsal and ventral shields separate from one another, with ventral shield extending well onto dorsal surface of idiosoma anteriorly and completely surrounding dorsal shield. Dorsal shield with surface reticulate or with an embossed appearance; ventral shield with surface coarsely reticulate and with rough, scaly edges. Dorsal shield bearing one pair of glandularia and lacking or bearing one pair of well-defined longitudinal ridges. Dorsal furrow bearing no glandularia, one pair of glandularia and one pair of setae on pair of anterolateral platelets, or two pairs of glandularia on two pairs of platelets, one anterolateral and other posterolateral. Fourth coxal plate bearing coxoglandularium II, and bearing large projection associated with opening for insertion of fourth leg. Ventral shield bearing one pair of glandularia in region posterior to fourth coxal plates. Genital field subterminal and bearing sixteen to twenty pairs of acetabula; excretory pore borne dorsally on ventral shield; acetabular plates fused with ventral shield in females. First leg of males with distal segments unmodified or slightly modified; third leg of males with tibia bearing or lacking a ventral projection; fourth leg of males with distal segments unmodified or slightly modified. Pedipalp with all segments, but especially femur and tibia, extremely slender and long; tibia lacking ventral projection and bearing two sessile, slender setae distoventrally.

Type species. Bharatalbia sucirapalpis Cook.

Species included. Bharatalbia (s. s.) sucirapalpis Cook ( India) , B. (Bharatalbiella) talinapalpis Cook ( India) , B. (Japonalbia) ibarakiensis Imamura ( Japan) , B. (J.) cooki Smith (western North America), B. (J.) ohitaensis Imamura ( Japan) , B. (J.) longipalpis Imamura ( Japan) , B. (J.) tsugaruensis Imamura ( Japan) , B. (J.) rotunda Imamura ( Japan) , B. (J.) surensis Smith (western North America).

Distribution. Holarctic ( India, Japan, western North America).

Discussion. Cook (1974a) and Smith (1991) considered Bharatalbia to be a distinct genus. Smith & Cook (1991) and Smith et al. (2001, 2010) followed this treatment, as we do here. See Smith (1991) for a discussion of the subgeneric classification of this genus.