Aturus ghanaensis, 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 : 525-527

Aturus ghanaensis n. sp.

( Figs. 2A–E )

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. Male: Dorsum with four pairs of glandularia, setae of anterior pair stout but not bifurcated, other glandularia setae slender; near posterior margin 2+3 small setae; dorsum posteriorly slightly indented, with a group of small setae in indentation; III-leg-5 with three curved setae in the middle of segment; IV-leg large, IV-leg-4 with a large blade-like seta, one claw heavy and without clawlets, the other normal.

Description. Male: Idiosoma pale rose-coloured, dorsally 312 long and 239 wide, ventrally 340 long. Dorsal shield 275 long and 211 wide, with four pairs of glandularia; anterior pair with stout, not bifurcated setae; middle two pairs close two each other; near posterior margin 2 + 3 small setae. Dorsum with four pairs of glandularia platelets in dorsal furrow. Posterior margin of dorsum slightly indented flanked by a sclerotized margin, with an irregularly shaped hyaline extension and a group of small dorsal setae. First coxae extending beyond anterior idiosoma margin. Coxal suture lines obliterated. Gonopore terminal, slender, approximately 46 long. Approximately 10 pairs of acetabula near posterior idiosoma margin, one pair of acetabula larger than the others lying lateral to gonopore. A pair of glandularia lateral to gonopore. Length of P1–5: 20, 48, 36, 74, 29; P2 with a short distoventral extension, ventral margin of P4 with a relatively stout seta. Length of I-leg-4–6: 62, 76, 92. IIIleg-5 with three curved setae near middle. Length of IV-leg-4–6: 68, 176, 156. IV-leg very large; IV-leg-4 with one large, blade-like seta, one much smaller seta and several (7?) small setae; IV-leg-5 ventrally with six proximal and four distal setae; IV-leg-6 dorsally elevated in distal part, with one heavy claw without clawlets and one normal claw with large dorsal and ventral clawlets.

Female: Unknown.

Etymology. Named after the country where the type was found.

Remarks. Male Aturus alpheus Lundblad, 1951 from Kenya has a similar setation of III-leg-5 and IV-leg-5, but has IV-leg-4 with two, not one, blade-like seta(e), both minor in size Moreover, the posterior margin of the dorsum has four slender extensions, the anterior glandularia setae of the dorsal shield are bifurcated and there are two rows of eight small setae on the posterior part of the dorsal shield ( Lundblad 1952).

Figures

FIGURE 2 A – E. Aturus ghanaensis n. sp., holotype male. A = dorsum; B = venter; C = palp; D = III-leg- 5 – 6; E = IV-leg- 4 – 6. Scale bars = 50 µm.