On the morphology and classification of larval water mites (Hydrachnidia, Acari) from springs in Luxembourg
Author
Martin, Peter
text
Zootaxa
2006
1138
1
44
journal article
10.5281/zenodo.172007
bd92c31d-534c-4bb2-a395-fb69e7ab01a9
11755326
172007
Sperchon denticulatus
Koenike, 1895
Records (
Table 2
): Benthos samples at two sites in Gutland, 16 individuals (
Gerecke
et al.
2005
). No larvae found in traps.
Description of larvae:
Walter (1922a)
, as
S. denticulatus
(?) by
Ullrich (1976)
.
Diagnostic characters of larvae: If the attribution of Ullrich's larvae to
S. denticulatus
is correct, they differ from the other
Sperchon
larvae presented here with regard to strikingly long setae on the dorsal idiosoma (up to 145µm).
Remarks: The separation of adults of
Sperchon denticulatus
and
S. hibernicus
Halbert, 1944
, the two species of the
S. denticulatus
group, is only possible in males (
Viets & Viets 1959
).
As
a result, all past reports on faunistics and larval morphology (e.g.
Walter 1922a
) must be regarded with caution. The species is rhitrobiontic rather than crenobiontic and rare in Luxembourgian springs, obviously being present in anthropogenicically affected rheocrenes only (
Gerecke
et al.
2005
).