Protzia persica Bader & Sepasgozarian, 1980

Pesic, Vladimir, 2005, Water mites of the genus Protzia Piersig, 1896 (Acari, Hydrachnidia: Hydryphantidae) from Iran, Zootaxa 1019 (1), pp. 53-64 : 61-62

Protzia persica Bader & Sepasgozarian, 1980

( Figs. 15–18 )

Type series: Lectotype, male, here designated: dissected and slide mounted in Hoyer's fluid. Iran: 1977­06­05 _3[23]; Gebiet Schiraz, Esfahan; Quelle u. Quellbach Behreghan. Von Dobiz einige km in Richtung Esfahan (> 110 km NW von Shiraz), leg. Bader. Paralectotypes: 46 males, 17 females, same data as lectotype , 6 males and 1 female of them dissected and slide mounted on Hoyer's fluid.

Diagnosis: Characters of the eximia species group; genital field with 14–16 Ac, caudal Ac on short stalks (L 5–10 µm, ratio caudal stalk length/Ac length 0.2–0.4); genital skeleton L 97–110 µm.

Description: Variability given as mean (minimum–maximum); Males (n=7): leg claws with 4 Lcl and 5–6 Mcl; genital field ( Fig. 15 ) with 15 (14–15) Ac; CAc L 24.6 (21–28), CAc W 20 (16–24), ratio L/ W 1.24 (1.0–1.6); CAc stalk L 7 (5–10), stalk L/L of CAc 0.29 (0.23–0.37); genital skeleton (n=2) L 97–110; gnathosoma ( Fig. 17 ) L 192 (182–205), L/ W ratio 2.26 (2.1–2.39); chelicera ( Fig. 18 ) L 229 (215–238), ratio basal segment/claw 1.8 (1.74–1.9), ratio L/H 5.5 (5.0–5.9); palp ( Fig. 16 ) total L 280 (268–238), dorsal length: P­ 1 26 (25–28), P­2 69 (66–72), P­3 43 (40–44), P­4 109 (100–116), P­5 34 (32–37), L/H ratio: P­1 0.61 (0.58–0.65), P­2 1.83 (1.65–1.92), P­3 0.98 (0.9–1.03), P­4 3.3 (3.1–3.5), P­5 2.4 (2.3–2.5), relative length (given as % of total length): P­1 9.2 (8.7–9.5), P­2 24.5 (24.0–25.2), P­3 15.4 (14.6–16.4), P­4 39 (37.3–40.0), P­5 12 (11.7–12.4); L ratio P­2/P­ 40.63 (0.6–0.66).

Female: Ac number 16; CAc L 23–27, CAc W 15–18, ratio L/ W 1.5; CAc stalk L 7, stalk L/L of CAc 0.29; gnathosoma L 188; chelicera L 247; palp total L 294, dorsal length and L/H ratio (in parentheses): P­1 29 (0.64), P­2 73.5 (1.85), P­3 45 (1.02), P­4 113 (3.35), P­5 34 (2.4), relative length (given as % of total length): P­1 99, P­2 25.0, P­3 15.3, P­4 38.4, P­5 11.5; L ratio P­2/P­4 0.65.

Remarks: Generally, e.g. with regard to the variability of CAc, low number of Ac, caudal Ac on relatively short stalks (L <20 µm), P. persica is similar to the other species of the eximia group in Iran, P. zagrosiensis and P. caucasica . From the aforementioned spe­ cies (in parentheses), P. persica can be distinguished by the shorter stalks of CAc (L stalk> 10 µm, stalk L/L of CAc> 0.5), and the longer Gsk (L> 130 µm). The short stalked (L stalk 6–10 µm), Central Mediterranean P. felix Gerecke, 1996 (in parentheses, from Gerecke 1996b) can be easily distingushed from P. persica in the increased number of Ac (17–22 in male; 20–25 in female), and in the L of the Gsk (L> 125 µm).

Figures

FIGURES 15–18. Protzia persica Bader & Sepasgozarian, 1980. 15, lectotype male; 16–18, paralectotype male: 15 = coxae and genital field; 16 = palp, lateral view; 17 = gnathosoma; 18 = chelicera. Scale bar = 0.1 mm.