Sperchon bakeri, Pesic, Vladimir & Panesar, Arne, 2009

Pesic, Vladimir & Panesar, Arne, 2009, Studies on water mites (Acari, Hydrachnidia) from the Himalayas, II. New records and descriptions of seven new species from India, Zootaxa 2119, pp. 1-22 : 2-6

Sperchon bakeri sp. nov.

( Figs. 3A–I )

Type series. Holotype: female, dissected and slide mounted in Hoyer's fluid. India: Himachal Pradesh State, Lahaul, 4 km north of Keylong, road to Leh, near bridge over side brook, with layers of moss from rockface, 23.viii.1990, 3300m asl., leg. Schwoerbel & Panesar.

Further material. India: without locality, one female, dissected and slide mounted in Hoyer's fluid.

Diagnosis. Integument wrinkled, with flat papillae of various form and size; anterior margins of Cx-1 with rather long plumose setae; excretory pore surrounded by sclerotized ring; P-3 ventral margins with one thin seta.

Description. Female: Idiosoma (dorsal view: Fig. 3A ) L/W 750/588; integument wrinkled, with flat papillae of various form and size; setae Dgl-1 short and plumose, other dorsal setae thin and long; postoculare on small sclerite.

Anterior coxae lying close to each other, but not fused ( Fig. 3B ); apodemes of anterior coxae distinct; anterior margins of Cx-1 with rather long plumose setae. Posterior groups of coxae widely separated; Cx-3 without glandularia; L between anterior end of first coxae and posterior end of fourth coxae 453. Excretory pore surrounded by sclerotized ring; pre- and postgenital sclerite not developed.

Genital organ lying between posterior coxae; L of genital valves 205; genital valves not covering the genital acetabula; posterior acetabula more or less rounded; L of acetabula 1–3: 75-72-66. Measurements of mouthparts: capitulum ( Fig. 3F ) L 319; chelicera ( Fig. 3G ) L 381, basal segment L 288, claw L 98, L chelicerae basal segment/claw 2.9; palp ( Figs. 3D–E ) total L 671, dL and %L (in parentheses): P-1 23 (3.4), P- 2 200 (29.8), P-3 216 (32.2), P-4 188 (28.0), P-5 44 (6.6); L P-2/P-4 1.06; P-2 with long ventrodistal projection bearing one short thin seta, near base of the projection, there is a thin seta which is slightly longer than projection; P-3 ventral margin with one thin seta; P-4 ventral margin with 2 small tubercles, each bearing a peg-like seta, proximal tubercle larger than distal, tubercles with peg-like setae subdivides P-4 into 3 unequal parts, median part shorter than proximal or distal parts.

Fourth legs with a few short setae, none of which are plumose. Claw ( Fig. 3I ) with weakly protruding claw blade and 2 clawlets (long external and short internal one). L of I-Leg: 59, 100, 113, 175, 175, 172; L of IV-Leg: 156, 156, 169, 316, 294, 250.

Male: unknown.

Discussion. Due to the characteristic shape of the integument, Sperchon bakeri nov. sp. is similar to S. lepidophorus Lundblad, 1941 described by Lundblad (1941) from a female specimen collected in Burma, from which it is easily distinguished by the following features (for detailed description of S. lepidophorus see Lundblad 1967): anterior margins of Cx-1 with rather long plumose setae vs. without the long plumose setae in S. lepidophorus, P-3 ventral margins with one thin seta vs. in S. lepidophorus without seta, P-4 ventral margin with 2 small tubercles situated in the middle part of the segment vs. distanced from each other with distoventral one closely approached to the distoventral edge margin of the segment in S. lepidophorus.

Etymology. The species is named after Dr Richard Baker ( UK).

Habitat. Discovered in mosses in a mountain stream.

Distribution. Known only from the type locality and one unknown locality in Himachal Pradesh State ( India).

Figures

FIGURE 3 A – I. Sperchon bakeri sp. nov., female: A = idiosoma, dorsal view; B = detail of dorsum; C = idiosoma, ventral view; D = palp (P- 1 missing), lateral view; E = palp, medial view; F = capitulum and chelicera; G = chelicera; H = I-Leg- 5 and - 6; I = claw. Scale bars = 100 µm.