Feltria balneatoris, Pesic, Vladimir & Panesar, Arne, 2008

Pesic, Vladimir & Panesar, Arne, 2008, Studies on water mites (Acari, Hydrachnidia) from the Himalayas, I. The water mite genus Feltria Koenike, with descriptions of eight new species, Zootaxa 1758, pp. 1-28 : 18-20

Feltria balneatoris sp. nov.

( Figs. 50–55 )

Type series. Holotype: male, dissected and slide-mounted in Hoyer's fluid. India: Himachal Pradesh State, IND' 95/43 Kullu Valley, Kunoi Nala, waterfall with mosses, 25 min trek upstream of Kakhnal, 2.000m, 16.vi.1995. Paratypes: one male, dissected and slide-mounted in Hoyer's fluid, IND' 95/170 H.P., Kullu Valley, Kunoi Nala, 30 min trek upstream from Kakhnal, mosses from pool, 2000m, 13.vii.1995.

Diagnosis. Males: Genital field somewhat triangular; the tarsus of male leg III with a small rounded ventrolateral projection, bearing 4–5 setae.

Description. Male (holotype, in parentheses some measurements of paratype): Idiosoma L/W 316 (322)/ 247 (247). Dorsal shield large, L/W 225/176, bearing 4 pairs of setae: Postoc, Dgl-3, Dgl-5, Dgl-6 ( Fig. 50 ). In the posterior part of the body one central pairs of plates present, bearing setae and glandularia Dgl-7. The excretory pore occupies a terminal position and opens dorsally on a small plate.

Leg coxae are incorporated into 4 groups, and occupy more than half of the ventral body surface ( Fig. 51 ). Anterior coxae with well developed posterior apodemes; Cxgl-2 located laterally on posterior margin of Cx-2. Posterior groups of coxae with secondary sclerotization, which extends to lateral and posterior margins of Cx- 4. Genital field somewhat triangular, posterior margin medially indented, L 120 (126), W 160 (176), with 35– 37 (40–41) genital acetabula on each side of genital opening, which opens on the anterior part of the plate.

Shape and chaetotaxy of palp as in Fig. 54 ; P-2 ventral margin distally convex; P-4 ventral margin convex; palp total L 182 (177), dL: P-1 17 (16), P-2 49 (48), P-3 25 (24), P-4 56 (54), P-5 35 (35); %L (given as % of total L): P-1 9.3 (9.0), P-2 26.9 (27.1), P-3 13.7 (13.6), P-4 30.8 (30.5), P-5 19.2 (19.8); L P-2/P-4 ratio 0.88 (0.89).

III-L-6 with a small rounded ventrolateral projection ( Fig. 52–53, 55 ), bearing 4–5 setae. L of III-L-3-6: 44 (41), 58 (60), 68 (70), 82 (81); IV-L-6 with one long, slender, ventral seta; L of IV-L-1-6: 53, 26, 46, 70, 83, 80.

Discussion. See discussion section under the proceeding species.

Etymology. balneator (lat.) = ‘Bader’. The species is named in memory of Dr Carl Bader.

Habitat. Discovered in mosses in a mountain stream.

Distribution. Known only from the region of the type locality in the Kullu Valley (Himachal Pradesh, India) in the western Himalayas.

Figures

FIGURES 50 – 55. Feltria balneatoris sp. nov., male (50 – 53 = holotype, 54 – 55 = paratype): 50 = idiosoma, dorsal view; 51 = idiosoma, ventral view; 52 - 53 = III-L- 5 / 6; 54 = palp, lateral view; 55 = III-L- 5 / 6. Scale Bars = 100 µm.