Parathyas primitiva Lundblad, 1935

Sabatino, Antonio Di, Gerecke, Reinhard, Gledhill, Terence & Smit, Harry, 2009, On the taxonomy of water mites (Acari: Hydrachnidia) described from the Palaearctic, part 2: Hydryphantoidea and Lebertioidea, Zootaxa 2266, pp. 1-34 : 4

Todothyas (s. str.) primitiva (Lundblad, 1935) comb. nov.

Parathyas primitiva Lundblad, 1935

Material examined: Parathyas primitiva holotype 3 SMNH "1360 Typ. Indiska Tibet 1 mile väster om Dras, 3080 meter, 21.5.1932, leg. G. Hutchinson". Todothyas suber (Gerecke, 1996) , type series.

Remarks: With the presence of a frontal shield (frontal plate + frontalia), Todothyas suber (Gerecke, 1996) from Andalucia bridges the gap between Parathyas and Todothyas . Reasons to maintain Parathyas as a separate genus are the (possibly plesiomorphic) setation of P-4, and important differences in larval morphology ( Wainstein 1980). In view of the absence of setae from P-4, P. primitiva from Kashmir, apart from the nominate species P. thoracata ( Piersig, 1896) the only other species published in the genus, must be transferred to Todothyas . It is similar to T. suber in the frontal sclerite being not round, but with a concave posterior margin, and measurements (no significant differences in published data). A comparison of the type series of both species reveals the following differences: In T. primitivus , (1) the Ac are bulged, not flattened, (2) lateral margins of genital flaps are slightly concave, not convex, (3) the postgenital sclerite further from the genital field (> maximum W of one flap), and (4) the excretory pore sclerite ring is not continuous but laterally interrupted.