Halacaropsis hirsuta (Trouessart, 1889)

Durucan, Furkan, Paz, Juan Carlos De La & Hernández-Teixidor, David, 2023, Halacaridae (Acari) from Tenerife (Canary Islands), Persian Journal of Acarology 12 (1), pp. 1-19 : 10-11

Halacaropsis hirsuta (Trouessart, 1889)

Material examined

35 females, 7 males (FDHAL-21/8), 8 deutonymphs (FDHAL-21/9), 4 protonymphs (FDHAL-21/10), El Pris ( Jania sp. and Amphiora sp., 2 m); 14 females, 5 males, one larva (FDHAL-21/11), La Barranquera ( Corallina ferreyrae , Palisada perforata , mediolittoral zone).

Diagnosis

The length of females was 650–740 µm, for males 620–660 µm, for deutonymphs 560–580 µm, for protonymphs 410–470 µm and for the larva 300–310 µm long. Dorsal and ventral plates large. AD and OC with pair of gland pores. AD has a frontal spine anteriorly. Idiosoma have 5 pairs of idiosomatic setae on adult females and males. This species has the ds-1 on AD. Enlarged setae from ds-2, ds-3 and ds-4 situated in striated integument. It has ds-5 on PD. Adanal setae on anal plate. PE with one dorsal and three ventral setae. Leg I thickened and armoured with heavy spiniform setae and wider than the following legs in all stages ( Figs. 4A, C–E ). GA with 21 pairs of pgs and 5 pairs of sgs. Spermatopositor large, extending to anterior margin of GA (Fig. 10D).

Remarks

This species is very common in the Mediterranean Sea ( Croatia, Egypt, France, Italy, Spain, Strait of Gibraltar and Türkiye) ( Durucan 2020, 2021) and North Atlantic waters ( Bartsch 2009). Specimens were found among macroalgae and sand habitats. At the two Tenerife localities, we found more than 70 individuals including all life-stages. The morphological characteristics, habitat preferences and body sizes of the specimens reported here fit with previous records by Viets (1940) and Durucan (2019a).

Figures

Figure 4. Light-microscope images of halacarid species from Tenerife – A. Halacaropsis hirsuta (male), B. Rhombognathus procerus (female); C. H. hirsuta (DN); D. H. hirsuta (PN); E. H. hirsuta (L); F. Rhombognathus sp. with diatom colonies; G. Magnified view of Cocconeis placentula; H. Ciliate on Copidognathus magnipalpus indicated with black bar; I. Magnified view of Praethecacineta halacari (Scale bars: 100 µm).