Water mites of the family Hygrobatidae Koch from southern Africa (Acari: Hydrachnidia)
Author
Smit, Harry
text
Journal of Natural History
2005
2005-12-23
39
38
3369
3405
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00222930500256284
journal article
10.1080/00222930500256284
1464-5262
5220482
Hygrobates (Hygrobates) acutidens
K.
Viets, 1956
(
Figures 1–4
)
Material examined
South Africa
,
Western Cape Province
:
four females
, one nymph,
Rondgat River
at
Algeria
,
Cederberg Wilderness Area
, alt.
491 m
above sea level
(a.s.l.), 32
°
22.491
9
S, 19
°
03.742
9
E,
1 November 2004
;
one male
,
four females
, one nymph, tributary of
Rondgat River
near
Algeria
,
Cederberg Wilderness Area
, 32
°
22.411
9
S, 19
°
03.863
9
E,
1 November 2004
;
four males
,
five females
, one nymph,
Rondgat River
at
Bos Herberge
,
Cederberg Wilderness Area
, alt.
655 m
a.s.l.
, 32
°
24.044
9
S, 19
°
05.264
9
E,
2 November 2004
;
one male
,
one female
, one nymph,
Wolwekloof River
at
Tweede Tol
,
Limietberg NR
, alt.
285 m
a.s.l.
, 33
°
34.115
9
S, 19
°
08.255
9
E,
3 November 2004
;
three males
, three nymphs,
Wit River
at
Tweede Tol
,
Limietberg Nature Reserve
, alt.
296 m
a.s.l.
, 33
°
34.210
9
S, 19
°
08.356
9
E,
3 November 2004
;
one male
,
one female
, unnamed creek north of
Swartberg Pass
,
Swartberg Nature Reserve
, altitude not measured, 33
°
18.080
9
S, 22
°
02.958
9
E,
12 November 2004
.
Description
Male.
Idiosoma 600 (510–575) long and 405 (421–478) wide, integument finely striated. Capitulum fused with first coxal plates. Pharynx ventrally with small papillae. Suture line between third and fourth coxal plates incomplete. Glandularia of fourth coxal plates located just posterior of medial end of suture line of third and fourth coxal plates. Fourth coxal plates rounded posteromedially. Genital field with three pairs of acetabula, which are lying in a triangle. Gonopore 78 long. Excretory pore without sclerotization. Lengths of PI– PV: 24, 82, 77, 131, 42. PII with a long extension, which is pointed to somewhat rounded, with distally some minute papillae. PIII slightly to strongly convex, with large, pointed papillae; ventrally, 14–16 teeth are visible. Ventral setae of PIV well distanced. Lengths of I-leg-4–6: 156, 166, 124; IV-leg-5 distally with two heavy, pointed setae of equal length (but appear of different length in illustration). Lengths of IV-leg-4–6: 236, 224, 170. Legs without swimming setae.
Female.
See K.
Viets (1956)
. Idiosoma 624–778 long and 526–648 wide.
Remarks
Until now, only the
holotype
female was known, which was collected in the Great Berg River,
Western Cape Province
. According to K.
Viets (1956)
this was a teneral female. PIII of this female is less convex than in my specimens, but specimens show some variation in this character. K.
Viets (1956
, p 25) mentioned that
two specimens
were collected, but his description is very likely based on the
holotype
only. Also, in the Viets collection of the Senckenberg Museum only the
holotype
is present.