Brachypodopsis (Brachypodopsis) indistincta, Smit, Harry, 2016

Smit, Harry, 2016, The water mite family Aturidae Thor (Acari: Hydrachnidia) from Ghana, with the description of twelve new species, Zootaxa 4158 (4), pp. 523-543 : 532

Brachypodopsis (Brachypodopsis) indistincta n. sp.

( Figs. 7A–C )

Material examined. Holotype male, Tagbo River downstream of falls, Ghana, 7º 0 0.708 N 0º 34.326 E, alt. 394 m a.s.l., 23-ii-2013 .

Diagnosis. Idiosoma rounded; dorsal shield with five pairs of glandularia; genital field with four pairs of acetabula.

Description. Male: Idiosoma rugose, yellowish with rose-coloured coxal field and posterior part, 340 long and 284 wide, ventrally 348 long. Dorsal shield 259 wide, anteriorly fused with ventral shield, with a V-shaped ridge, five pairs of glandularia flanked by setae and one pair of setae without glandularia; excretory pore fused with dorsal shield. First coxae relatively broad, extending beyond frontal margin. Coxal suture lines obliterated. Between fourth leg sockets and genital field two pairs of glandularia, posterior pair difficult to see due to rugosity. Genital field with four pairs of acetabula, three most lateral pairs in a triangle, medial pair separated from three other pairs; gonopore 24 long. Length of P1–5: 24, 34, 18, 50, 22; P4 ventrally straight, narrowed near base. Length of I-leg-4–6: 44, 50, 74. Length of IV-leg-4–6: 62, 69, 72. Legs unmodified, without swimming setae.

Female: Unknown.

Etymology. Named for the indistinctness of the dorsal and ventral glandularia, due to the rugosity of the idiosoma.

Figures

FIGURE 7 A – C. Brachypodopsis indistincta n. sp., holotype male. A = dorsum; B = venter; C = palp. Scale bars = 50 µm.