Bharatavolzia (Bharatavolziella) arabica, Smit & Pesic, 2010

Smit, H. & Pesic, V., 2010, New Species Of Water Mites From Oman, With Some Zoogeographical Notes (Acari: Hydrachnidia), Acarologia 50 (2), pp. 151-195 : 152

Bharatavolzia (Bharatavolziella) arabica n. sp

( Figures 1 A-E)

Type series — Holotype female, stream Wadi Bani Auf , Oman, 23°16.699 N 57°27.690 E, alt. 655 m, 13-xi-2008.

Diagnosis — Gnathosoma slender in ventral view; P-4, in addition to the medial seta, with a heavy anteroventral seta.

Description

Female — Idiosoma dorsally L 802, W 520, with a large anteromedial and a large posteromedial plate and five pairs of smaller lateral plates. Eyes absent. Anteromedial plate L 263, W 336, anteriorly with a rounded extension. Posteromedial plate L 482, W 300. Large anterolateral plate L 243, W 102; large posterolateral plate L 251, W 70. All dorsal plates and platelets without glandularia, but the associated setae present. Idiosoma ventrally L 867, W 502. Suture lines of coxal plates indistinct. Genital field placed between first coxae, L 57, W 94. Gnathosoma slender in ventral view. Palp ( Fig. 1C ): total L 236; L: P-1, 8; P-2, 84; P-3, 52; P-4, 60; P-5, 32; P-4 anteroventrally with a heavy seta, medial side of P-4 also with a stout seta. L of I-Leg-4-6: 76, 96, 84 (120 to tip of segment). I-Leg-6 anterodorsally with a heavy seta, I-Leg-4 and I-Leg-5 anteroventrally with 1-3 setae. L of IV-Leg-4-6: 96, 106, 88 (140 to tip of segment). IV-Leg-6 anterodorsally with two heavy setae close to each other. IV-Leg-4 and -5 anteroventrally with a group of setae, one of these setae of IV-Leg-5 with large pectinations. All legs with large claws.

Male — Unknown.

Etymology — Named after the Arabian Peninsula.

Remarks — This is the fourth known species of the genus Bharatavolzia , two species are known from India ( Cook, 1967), while one species is known from Iran ( Schwoerbel and Sepasgosarian, 1980). Cook (1967) erected the subgenus Bharatavolziella for species without eye capsules. The new species differs from the two other known species of this subgenus in the slender gnathosoma and the presence of two heavy setae on P-4 instead of one or none. Moreover, compared to the Indian B. pallida Cook the new species has a larger anterior extension of the anteromedial dorsal plate, and compared to B. cooki Schwoerbel and Sepasgosarian from Iran the large anterolateral plate is less slender. The large posterolateral platelet of the new species is much longer than the smaller platelet posterior to it, but in B. cooki these platelets are much less different in size.

Figures

FIGURE 1: Bharatavolzia arabica n. sp., female: (A) – idiosoma, dorsal view; (B) – idiosoma, ventral view; (C) – palp; (D) – I-Leg-4-6; (E) – IV-Leg-4-6. Scale bars = 200 µm (A-B), 50 µm (C-E).