Harpagopalpus indicus Cook, 1967

Wiles, P. R., 2004, Water mites (Acari: Hydrachnidia) from South-East Asia, Thailand and Sulawesi Tenggara (Indonesia): descriptions of new species and new records, Journal of Natural History 38 (17), pp. 2153-2165 : 2162-2164

Harpagopalpus indicus Cook, 1967

( figure 7 )

Material examined. S376„, 31 July 2001, S. Lamatano, nr Labundobundo, Buton, Sulawesi Tenggara, Indonesia. M474”, 15 September 1992, S. Temburong, Brunei .

Description. Male: colour: blue/green/brown. Body broadly rounded anteriorly and tapered to a truncated posterior end; in lateral view, dorsal surface behind EpIV curves ventrally, length 815, width 650, depth 484. R2, and three dorsoglandularia located on large dorsal plate; length 767, width 550. Dorsal furrow complete. R1, A1, A2, one pair of dorsoglandularia and L1–4 on ventral. L2

located close to IV-Leg socket and L3–L4 anteriorly displaced. EpI fused medially and not projecting beyond the anterior idiosoma. Ventral shield pilose with medial suture lines of epimera indistinct. Genital field with fourzfive asymmetrically distributed acetabula in genital pore and many acetabula on idiosoma located around the posterior epimera; genital opening oval, length 100, width 61. Pedipalp with PIV broad distally and PV narrow and claw-like, length PI–PV 26, 68, 28, 81, 53. Anus posterior to genital opening. Legs with swimming setae III-Leg-4 10, III-Leg-5 13, IV-Leg-4 6z9, IV-Leg-4 9z14, IV-Leg-5 10. Length I-Leg-3–6 82, 103, 126, 113; II-Leg-3–6 87, 119, 139, 119; III-Leg-3–6 126, 142, 194, 148; IV-Leg-3–6 103, 123, 129, 135.

Remarks. The species is described from a single female from India. A second female was collected in Brunei ( Wiles, 1999). This is the first record of a male. The Brunei specimen differs from the holotype in that it has an asymmetrical distribution of acetabula either side of the genital pore, five and six, respectively, compared with four on the holotype. However, it is almost identical in other respects and is considered to be H. indicus . The designation of the female of the only other species, H. octoporus Viets, 1925 from Africa, is dubious (see Cook, 1967: 210). Furthermore, Cook’s (1967) newly hatched male H. octoporus is very different from H. indicus described above, being broader than long. The male H. indicus is like H. octoporus in that it has acetabula in the genital pore and widespread on the ventral shield. Better specimens of H. octoporus are required for a comprehensive comparison with H. indicus .

Figures

FIG. 7. Harpagopalpus indicus „ Cook, 1967. (a) Venter; (b) dorsal shield; (c) pedipalp; (d) IV-Leg; (e) I-Leg; (f) lateral view. Scale bar: 170 Mm (a, b, f); 23 Mm (c); 60 Mm (d, e).