Albia (Dentalbia) hyporheica, Pešić & Smit & Saboori, 2012

Pešić, Vladimir, Smit, Harry & Saboori, Alireza, 2012, 3330, Zootaxa 3330, pp. 1-67 : 56-58

Albia (Dentalbia) hyporheica sp. nov.

( Fig. 45A – H)

Material examined. Holotype male, dissected and slide mounted, Iran, Hormozgan Province, IR22-2011, Rudan city N of Bandar Abbass, 5 km N of Rudan, Rudan stream, interstitial (pump), 27º 28.748 N, 57º 15.648 E, 210 m asl, 21.vii.2011 ( RMNH) . Paratypes: 0/1/0 (mounted), same data as holotype, interstitial (pump); 1/0/0 , same data as holotype, interstitial waters (dig); 2/4/0 , same data as holotype, surface waters (all RMNH) .

Diagnosis. Idiosoma dimensions small (L dorsal shield 414 – 423, ventral shield 400 – 409); glandularia on Cx- III shifted closer to D2 than E2; genital field with 6-11 Ac on each side.

Description. Male (holotype) — Dorsal and ventral shields present; dorsal shield ( Fig. 45A) L/W 414/247, oval, lateral margins indented posteriorly in the region of one of the posterior pair of glandularia; a ridge present on anterior and posterior portions of dorsal shield; dorsal shield colour indistinct. Ventral shield ( Fig. 45B) L/W 409/ 263, oval, notched on lateral margins at level of posterior end of Cx-III. Gnathosomal bay L 71. Suture line of Cx- IV well developed. Genital field completely fused with the ventral shield; 6 – 7 Ac on each side; distance between most lateral pair of Ac 106; gonopore small L/W 27/4. Excretory pore and a pair of flanking glandularia fused with the ventral shield. Ejaculatory complex ( Fig. 45D) L 65. Palp ( Fig. 45F): total L 123, dL: P-1, 14; P-2, 22; P-3, 23; P-4, 47; P-5, 17; L P-2/P-4 ratio, 0.47. Palps without sexual dimorphism: P-2 with two enlarged setae ventrodistally, P-4 medially with a thickened seta, near proximoventral hair, P-5 abruptly tapering at distal end. Gnathosoma ( Fig. 45E) vL 106, chelicera total L 116. Legs: dL of I-L-4-6 ( Fig. 45H): 39, 40, 59; dL of IV-L: 74, 42, 51, 72, 72, 61; IV-L-2/3 distally with pointed sheaths covering the base of the following segment; swimming setae numbers: III-L-5, 3; IV-L-5, 3.

Female (paratype) — Similar to male except for the shape of the genital field ( Fig. 45C). Dorsal shield L/W 423/263; ventral shield L/W 400/281; gnathosomal bay L 71. Genital field not fused with ventral shield; 9 – 10 Ac on each side; acetabular plates L 52 – 54; distance between outer margins of acetabular plates 128. Excretory pore and a pair of flanking glandularia lying free in the integument posterior to the genital field. Palp ( Fig. 42G): total L 120, dL: P-1, 16; P-2, 24; P-3, 23; P-4, 41; P-5, 16; L P-2/P-4 ratio, 0.59. Gnathosoma vL 77, chelicera total L 113. Legs: dL of I-L-3–6: 40, 42, 62; dL of IV-L: 72, 38, 51, 72, 72, 59; palp chaetotaxy and swimming setae numbers as in male.

Etymology. The species is named for its occurrence in hyporheic waters.

Remarks. The subgenus Dentalbia Cook, 1974 is characterized (after Wiles1992) by: 1) two glandularia (medially displaced L1 and L2 [sensu Wiles, 1996]) located on Cx-III; 2) P-2 ventrodistally with 1-3 greatly enlarged setae; and 3) suture line between Cx-III and Cx-IV greatly reduced or absent. This subgenus includes: Albia paucipora Viets, 1935 (Java, Indonesia), A. dentipalpis Cook, 1967 ( India) , A. phreatica Cook, 1967 ( India) and A. minutissima Lundblad, 1971 (Java, Indonesia).

Due to P-2 with two stout setae ventrodistally and the enlarged leg claws, the new species from Iran most closely resembles Albia phreatica Cook, 1967 , a hyporheobiontic species known from Maharashtra State in India ( Cook 1967, Pešić & Ranga Reddy, 2009). The new species differs from A. phreaticola (in the following, in parentheses, data taken from Cook 1967) in its smaller size (L dorsal shield 460-517, ventral shield 464-517, in the both sexes), the lower number of Ac on each side (13-25 Ac, in the both sexes), and in the glandularia on Cx-III shifted closer to D2 than E2 (closer to E2 than to D2).

Habitat. Interstitial waters associated with sand and gravel deposits of stream.

Distribution. Iran; only known from the interstitial waters in Hormozgan Province.