Taintaturus rostratus Pesic & Smit

Pesic, Vladimir, Smit, Harry & Datry, Thibault, 2010, Water mites (Acari: Hydrachnidia) from the hyporheic waters of the Selwyn River (New Zealand), with descriptions of nine new species, Zootaxa 2355, pp. 1-34 : 10-13

Taintaturus rostratus Pesic & Smit sp. nov.

( Fig. 2C , 8A–B , 9A–B , 10A–C )

Type material. Holotype: male dissected and slide mounted in Hoyer's fluid. New Zealand, South Island: Selwyn River near Coalgate, 04.vi.2004. Paratype: 1/0/0 (mounted), same location as holotype, 10.v.2004; 0/ 1/0 (mounted), same location as holotype, 04.vi.2004; 1/0/0, Selwyn River near Chamberlain's Ford, 21.x.2004.

Diagnosis. Surface of dorsal sclerites smooth; anterodorsal portion of ventral shield forming a well developed and pointed hood; P-2 and -3 without ventral projection; P-4 relatively long; P-5 stocky.

Description. Male (holotype, in parentheses some measurements of the paratype). Integumental pigment absent; eye pigment reduced; surface of sclerites smooth (as shown in Fig. 2C ); dorsal shield ( Fig. 8A ) L 506 (484), W 388 (363); anteromedial plate L 253 (241), W 299 (283); anterolateral platelets bearing a pair of glandularia; a pair of small glandularia lying free in the integument between anterolateral and posterolateral platelets; posteromedial plate bearing two pairs of glandularia; anterodorsal portion of ventral shield forming a well developed and pointed hood; ventral shield ( Fig. 8B ) L 656 (650), W 469; capitular bay L 206; tips of first, second and third coxae somewhat pointed and with well developed intercoxal slots; projections associated with insertions of IV-L relatively small and extending lateral margins of idiosoma; medial of insertions of IV-L a pair of short apodemes and a pair of and a pair of glandularia; gonopore terminal, L 39 (37), W 15; palp ( Fig. 9A ): total L 319, dL: P-1, 46; P-2, 108 (102); P-3, 52 (59); P-4, 94 (88); P-5, 19 (19); %L: P-1, 14.4; P-2, 33.9; P-3, 16.3; P-4, 30.0; P-5, 6.0; P-2 and -3 without ventral projections; P-4 relatively long; P-5 very short; capitulum ventral L 146; chelicera total L 182; dL of IV-L-2-6: 100 (96), 49 (49), 60 (58), 77 (72), 71 (71); maximum H of IV-L-2, 65 (63); IV-L-2 L/H ratio, 1.54 (1.52); chaetotaxy of IV-L as illustrated in Fig. 9B ; swimming hairs absent.

Female. Similar to male except for genital field ( Fig. 10A ); dorsal shield L 519, W 414; anteromedial plate L 244, W 313; ventral shield L 665, W 544; capitular bay L 206; gonopore terminal; palp ( Fig. 10B ): total L 329, dL and %L (in parentheses): P-1, 48 (14.6); P-2, 109 (33.1); P-3, 59 (17.9); P-4, 94 (28.6); P-5, 19 (5.8); chelicera ( Fig. 10C ) total L 197; dL of IV-L-2-6: 114, 48, 62, 79, 74; maximum H of IV-L-2, 72; IV-L-2 L/H ratio, 1.58.

Etymology. Named for the distinct long hood at anterior margin of ventral shield.

Remarks. Due to the presence of relatively smooth sclerites, a proportionally long hood at anterior margin of the ventral shield and P-2 and -3 lacking a ventral projection the new species is similar to Taintaturus brevipalpis Cook, 1991 , known from driven wells in the vicinity of Nelson, South Island ( Cook 1991). The latter species differs from T. rostratus in a number of characteristics: relatively wide anteromedial and posteromedial plates of the dorsal shield, less developed and pointed hood at anterior margin of ventral shield, a relatively longer P-5 and shorter, stockier palpal segments, especially P-2 and P-4 (see: Cook 1991).

Ecology. The studied material was collected from May to November, from the perennial part of the river in the foothills (Coalgate) and coastal plains (Chamberlain’s Ford) regions.

Figures

FIGURE 2 A – L. Photographs of dorsal shield. A— Colobaturus selwynus Pesic & Smit n. sp., female; B— Taintaturus selwynus Pesic & Smit n. sp., male; C— T. rostratus Pesic & Smit n. sp., female; D— Canterburaturus minutus Pesic & Smit n. sp., male; E— C. novaeseelandicus Pesic & Smit n. sp., female; F— C. cooki Pesic & Smit n. sp., female; G— Abelaturus schwoerbeli Pesic & Smit n. sp., male; H— A. schwoerbeli Pesic & Smit n. sp., female; I— Abelaturus cornophorus Cook, 1983, female; J— Piotaturus bovalus Cook, 1983, male; K— Paratryssaturus cantermus Cook, 1983, female; L— Zelandalbia longipalpis Pesic & Smit n. sp., female.

FIGURE 8 A – B. Taintaturus rostratus Pesic & Smit sp. nov., male: A = dorsal shield and anterodorsal portion of ventral shield; B = ventral shield. Scale bars = 100 μm.

FIGURE 9 A – B. Taintaturus rostratus Pesic & Smit sp. nov., male: A = palp (P- 1 missing); B = IV-L. Scale bars = 100 μm.

FIGURE 10 A – C. Taintaturus rostratus Pesic & Smit sp. nov., female: A = ventral shield; B = palp; C = chelicera. Scale bars = 100 μm.