First records of water mites (Acari: Hydrachnidia) from Bhutan, with description of two new species Author Pesic, Vladimir Author Smit, Harry text Zootaxa 2007 1613 45 56 journal article 10.5281/zenodo.178993 47088b53-41a2-4c58-b39e-2904ac4369a8 1175-5326 178993 Torrenticola (Torrenticola) bhutana sp. nov. ( Figs. 21–30 ) Type series. Holotype : male ( ZMAN ), dissected and slide mounted in Hoyer's fluid. Bhutan : Pele La, 01.05.2002 , 3200 m asl. Paratypes ( ZMAN , MNHP ): four females, same data and place as holotype , one of them dissected and slide mounted in Hoyer's fluid. Diagnosis. Cx-4 posteriorly extended beyond genital field in both sexes; P-2 long and slender, ventral projection on P-2 and P-3 blunt, one (of 4) P-4 ventral setae long. Description. Male : Idiosoma (ventral view: Fig. 22 ) L 875, W 625; dorsal shield ( Fig. 21 ) L 706, W 531, L/W ratio; dorsal plate 656; shoulder plate L 209, W 81, L/W ratio 2.6; frontal plate L 153, W 63, L/W ratio 2.4; shoulder/frontal plate L ratio 1.37; gnathosomal bay L 157, Cx-1 total L 344, Cx-1 medial L 187, Cx-2+3 medial 61; ratio Cx-1 L/Cx-2+3 medial L 1.84; Cx-1 medial L/Cx-2+3 medial L 5.6; genital field L/W 172/ 116, L/W ratio 1.48, ejaculatory complex ( Fig. 27 ) L 253; distance genital field–excretory pore 188, genital field–caudal idiosoma margin 288; capitulum ventral L 369; chelicera L 327; palp ( Figs. 23–24 ) total L 287, dL and %L (in parentheses, given as % of total L): P-1 29 (10.1), P-2 98 (34.1), P-3 60 (20.9), P-4 85 (29.6), P-5 15 (5.2); P-2/P-4 ratio 1.15; ventral margin of P-2 slightly convex, ventral projections of P-2 and P-3 blunt, ventral protuberances of P-4 ending in two tips separated by a concavity. FIGURES 21 – 24. Torrenticola bhutana sp. nov. , male: 21 = dorsal shield, 22 = ventral shield; 23 = palp, lateral view; 24 = palp, medial view. Scale bars = 100 m. Female : Idiosoma (ventral view: Fig. 26 ) L 938, W 719, dorsal shield ( Fig. 25 ) L 756, W 588, L/W ratio 1.29; dorsal plate 700; shoulder plate L 268, W 81, L/W ratio 3.3; frontal plate L 166, W 78, L/W ratio 2.1; shoulder/frontal plate L ratio 1.6; gnathosomal bay L 181, Cx-1 total L 356, Cx-1 medial L 175, Cx-2+3 medial 41; ratio Cx-1 L/Cx-2+3 medial L 2.0; Cx-1 medial L/Cx-2+3 medial L 8.7; genital field L/W 197/ 167, L/W ratio 1.18; distance genital field–excretory pore 194, genital field–caudal idiosoma margin 325; capitulum ( Fig. 28 ) ventral L 381; chelicera L 438; palp ( Figs. 29–30 ) total L 306, dL and %L (in parentheses, given as % of total L): P-1 33 (10.8), P-2 108 (35.3), P-3 62 (20.3), P-4 89 (29.1), P-5 14 (4.6); P-2/P-4 ratio 1.21; shape and setation as in male. Discussion. Due to sub-apical Cx-4, one (of 4) P-4 ventral setae long, a long rostrum, a short median suture line of Cx-2+3 and Cx-4 extended posterior to the genital flaps in both sexes, T. bhutana sp. nov. resembles Torrenticola semisuta (Halík) . T. bhutana sp. nov. can be distinguished from T. semisuta by the shape of the ejaculatory complex (conventional in shape with well-developed proximal horns in T. semisuta - compare Fig. 27 with Fig. 31 ), and the blunt P-2 ventral projection not strongly curved distally (P-2 ventral extension strongly curved distally in T. semisuta ). According to Wiles (1997) the projections of P-2 are probably variable in shape and therefore the blunt projections may not be a good character for separating species. Further differences in T. semisuta regard the shortened postgenital area in male and Cx-4 more strongly extended posterior to the genital flaps in the female. FIGURES 25 – 31. 25 – 30 Torrenticola bhutana sp. nov. (25–26, 28–30 = female, 27 = male): 25 = dorsal shield, 26 = ventral shield; 28 = capitulum, 27 = ejaculatory complex, 29 = palp, lateral view; 30 = palp, medial view. 31 Torrenticola semisuta (Halík) , male, India (Garhwal Himalaya): 31 = ejaculatory complex. Scale bars = 100 m. From T. dolichorhyncha Lundblad , a species similar in the shape of the palp (P-2 long and slender, ventral projections on P-2 and P-3 blunt), T. bhutana sp. nov. can be distinguished by the shape of the ejaculatory complex (conventional in shape – see Lundblad 1969 ) and Cx-4 are extended posterior to the genital flaps. Etymology. The species is named after country where it was collected. Distribution. Known only from the type locality in Bhutan . Biology. Torrenticola bhutana sp. nov. is probably a rhitrobiontic species.