Torrenticolid water mites (Acari: Hydrachnidia: Torrenticolidae) from Ghana
Author
Pešić, Vladimir
Author
Smit, Harry
text
Zootaxa
2014
3820
1
1
80
journal article
36832
10.11646/zootaxa.3820.1.1
e3d7d016-1d73-438f-95e4-1b028b2b9627
1175-5326
286303
BBE4177B-5A2C-4911-987C-454BB8FA767C
Torrenticola bomiensis
Cook, 1966
(
Figs. 3A–D
,
4A–B
,
12C–D
,
14C–D
)
Torrenticola bomiensis
Cook 1966
: 65
.
New records
.
Ghana
: Tagbo River, downstream of falls, 7º
00.708 N
, 0º
34.326 E
, alt.
394 m
asl.,
23.ii.2013
, Smit, 0/1/0 (mounted); Supon stream near Asiakwa, Atewa Hills, 6º
15.530 N
, 0º
30.642 W
,
7.iii.2011
, Smit, 2[one juvenile]/1/0 (1/0/0 mounted).
FIGURE 1A–D.
Torrenticola anomallela
Cook, 1966
, female, Apkonu stream: A = dorsal shield; B = idiosoma, ventral view; C = palp, medial view; D = gnathosoma. Scale bars = 100 Μm.
FIGURE 2A–C.
Torrenticola anomallela
Cook, 1966
, male, Akaa Falls: A = idiosoma, ventral view; B = palp, medial view; C = ejaculatory complex. Scale bars = 100 Μm.
Morphology.
General features
—Idiosoma roundish; Cxgl–4 subapical, only slightly posterior of Cx-I tips (not described in the original description); suture of Cx-IV extending beyond posterior margin of genital field; excretory pore and Vgl–2 slightly posterior the line of primary sclerotization, excretory pore slightly posterior to Vgl–2 (
Fig. 3B
); ventral margin of gnathosoma rather straight, rostrum not clearly set off from gnathosomal base (
Fig. 3D
); P-2 ventral margin straight, distally with a subrectangular, anteriorly directed and apically serrated projection and a very short, denticle-like seta laterally at base of projection; P-3 with a subrectangular, laterally directed and apically serrated ventrodistal projection and a long seta laterally at base of projection; P-4 stocky, with well developed ventral protuberance bearing one long and 1–3 short setae (
Figs. 3C
,
4B
). Male: genital field subrectangular in shape; ejaculatory complex normal in shape. Female: genital field pentagonal in shape.
Measurements.
Male (from Supon stream, n = 1)—Idiosoma (ventral view:
Figs. 4A
,
14C
) L 563, W 403; dorsal shield (
Fig. 12C
) L 458, W 334, L/W ratio 1.37; dorsal plate L 424; shoulder platelets L 130–134, W 48, L/ W ratio 2.7–2.8; frontal platelets L 122–125, W 50–52, L/W ratio 2.42–2.44; shoulder/frontal platelets L ratio 1.04–1.1. Gnathosomal bay L 87–88, Cx-I total L 219, Cx-I mL 131, Cx-II+III mL 94; ratio Cx-I L/Cx-II+III mL 2.3; Cx-I mL/Cx-II+III mL 1.4. Genital field L/W 122/100, ratio 1.22; ejaculatory complex L 174; distance genital field-excretory pore 91, genital field-caudal idiosoma margin 125. Gnathosoma vL 255; chelicera total L 289; palp total L, dL/H, dL/H ratio: P-1, 25/25, 1.0; P-2, 75/40, 1.88; P-3, 58/37, 1.56; P-4, 75/23, 3.2; P-5, 16/12, 1.3; P-2/P- 4 ratio 1.01; dL of I-L-2–6: 48, 54, 69, 74, 72; I-L-6 H 29, dL/H I-L-6 ratio 2.5.
FIGURE 3A–D.
Torrenticola bomiensis
Cook, 1966
, female, Tagbo River: A = dorsal shield; B = idiosoma, ventral view; C = palp, medial view; D = gnathosoma. Scale bars = 100 Μm.
FIGURE 4A–B.
Torrenticola bomiensis
Cook, 1966
, male, Supon stream: A = idiosoma, ventral view; B = palp, medial view. Scale bars = 100 Μm.
Female (from Tagbo River, n = 1)—Idiosoma (ventral view:
Figs. 3B
,
14B
) L 650, W 428; dorsal shield (
Figs. 3A
,
12D
) L 516, W 373, L/W ratio 1.38; dorsal plate L 481; shoulder platelets L 147, W 50–52, L/W ratio 2.8–2.9; frontal platelets L 134, W 53–55, L/W ratio 2.4–2.5; shoulder/frontal platelets L ratio 1.1. Gnathosomal bay L 100, Cx-I total L 248, Cx-I mL 148, Cx-II+III mL 75; ratio Cx-I L/Cx-II+III mL 3.3; Cx-I mL/Cx-II+III mL 2.0. Genital field L/W 133/125, ratio 1.06; distance genital field-excretory pore 137, genital field-caudal idiosoma margin 194. Gnathosoma vL 291; chelicera total L 325; palp total L, dL/H, dL/H ratio: P-1, 29/28, 1.04; P-2, 88/48, 1.85; P-3, 65/44, 1.48; P-4, 82/25, 3.3; P-5, 19/12, 1.6; P-2/P-4 ratio 1.08; dL of I-L-2-6: 53, 60, 79, 85, 85; I-L-6 H 32, dL/H I-L-6 ratio 2.6.
Remarks.
The specimens from
Ghana
in their general morphology agree well with
Torrenticola bomiensis
Cook, 1966
, a species widely distributed and numerous in
Liberia
(
Cook 1966
). Differences with the original description (in parentheses, from
Cook 1966
) are found in slightly larger dimensions, the suture of Cx-IV extending further beyond the posterior margin of the genital field and the excretory pore shifted slightly posterior to Vgl-2 (lying on the same level as Vgl-2). In the figure of the palp of
T. bomiensis
given by
Cook (1966)
the ventral seta on P-2 is missing completely. Furthermore, the subapical position of Cxgl-4 can be speculated only on the basis of Cook’s figure (
Cook 1966, Fig. 169
) of the ventral shield and the presence of a seta, with a minute dot, lying on the outer edge of Cx-I. Thus, our attribution of
T. bomiensis
is still provisional, and additional material is necessary to clarify its taxonomy.
Distribution.
Liberia
(
Cook 1966
);
Ghana
(first record).