Acidoturus, Smit, 2019

Smit, Harry, 2019, New and rare species of hyporheic water mites from New Zealand (Acari: Hydrachnidia: Aturidae, Momoniidae with the description of two new genera, one new subgenus and one new species, Acarologia 59 (3), pp. 364-373 : 365

Acidoturus n. gen.

Zoobank: 1B48A517-17D6-427F-835C-A9EDF69379BA

Diagnosis — (Female only) Integument smooth. Dorsal shield small, covering only half of the dorsum, consisting of unpaired anteromedial and posteromedial plates and two pairs of lateral platelets. Anteromedial plate with a pair of postocularia, much larger than posteromedial plate, the latter with two pair of glandularia. Anterolateral platelets each with two pairs of glandularia, posterolateral platelets without glandularia. No “free”glandularia (= dgl-2) on the dorsal shield. Anterodorsal portion of ventral shield protruding into a rounded hood. All coxae pointed. Projections associated with insertion of fourth legs very large. A pair of glandularia medially to insertions of fourth legs. Gonopore terminal in position, genital plates somewhat bulging and extending onto dorsum. Palp rather stocky, especially P4. IV-leg-2 much larger than other segments, suture line separating IV-leg-2 from IV-leg-3 obliterated.

Type species — Acidoturus parviscutatus n. sp.

Etymology — Named for the pointed coxae.

Remarks — The remarkable small dorsal shield, much smaller than the dorsum, is not found in any other notoaturine genus. Moreover, an anteromedial dorsal plate much larger than the posteromedial plate, is also unique within the Notoaturinae . The configuration of the glandularia on the dorsal shield and the shape of the fourth leg are similar to those in Planaturus Cook , but the latter genus has a much larger dorsal shield with the anteromedial and posteromedial dorsal plates about equal in size. Furthermore, in this genus the projections associated with the insertions of the fourth legs are much smaller. Large projections associated with the fourth legs are also found in Abelaturus Cook , but species of this genus have a different configuration of the dorsal glandularia. Moreover, Abelaturus species have the gnathosoma attached to a protrusable tube, which is not developed in Acidoturus . Finally, the very stocky leg segments are similar to those of Taintaturus Cook and Hestaturus Cook species , but these genera have different configurations of the dorsal glandularia.