Protzia halberti ( Walter, 1920 )

Pesic, Vladimir, 2005, Water mites of the genus Protzia Piersig, 1896 (Acari, Hydrachnidia: Hydryphantidae) from Iran, Zootaxa 1019 (1), pp. 53-64 : 55-56

Protzia halberti ( Walter, 1920)

( Figs. 1–4 )

Syn. P. durmitoris Pesic, 2003 : syn. nov.

Material examined: NHMB 1975­05­27 _2[6] Chalus area , stream, Varebon Tilakenar, 6 km fom Chalus, in forest, 70 m asl., leg. Bader & Kheiry (2/4/0).

Description: Male: leg claws with 5 Lcl and 6–7 Mcl; genital field ( Fig. 1 ) with 16 Ac; CAc L 43­54.5, CAc W 19­23.5, ratio L/ W 2.07 ­2.3; CAc stalk L 26.5–31, CAc ratio stalk L/Ac 0.57–0.62; genital skeleton L 150; gnathosoma L 199; cheliceraL 229, H 40, ratio L/ H 5.78, ratio basal segment/claw 2.54; palp total L 310, dorsal length and L/H ratio(in parentheses): P­1 19 (0.37), P­2 84 (1.88), P­3 40 (0.74), P­4 128 (3.15), P­5 39 (2.6), relative length (given as % of total length): P­1 6.1, P­2 27.1, P­3 12.9, P­4 41.3, P­5 12.6; L ratio P­2/P­4 0.66.

Females: genital field (n =2, Fig. 2 ) with 21 Ac, CAc L 50–59, CAc W 22–26.5, ratio L/ W 2.06 –2.51; CAc stalk L 30–31, CAc ratio stalk L/Ac 0.55–0.62; gnathosoma L 222– 223, W 135, L/W ratio 1.65; chelicera L 275, H 54, ratio L/H 5.09, ratio basal segment/ claw 2.35; palp ( Figs. 3–4 ) total L 373, dorsal length and L/H ratio (in parentheses): P­1 22 (0.38), P­2 99 (1.72), P­3 51 (0.79), P­4 154 (3.36), P­5 47 (2.9), relative length (given as % of total length): P­1 5.9, P­2 26.5, P­3 13.7, P­4 41.3, P­5 12.6; L ratio P­2/P­4 0.64; egg diameter 129.

Remarks: The number of stout plumose setae at the dorsodistal margin of P­2 varies from 1 to 2 within populations (see Figs. 3–4 ) and cannot serve for distinguishing species. Also the L/H ratio of the chelicera considerably overlaps with values established (Gerecke 1996a) for P. rotunda . In a description of P. durmitoris , the only differences found compared with P. halberti concerned the number of stout plumose setae at the dorsodistal margin of P­2 (2 vs. 1 in P. durmitoris ) and the slender chelicera ( Pesic 2003). As these characters are now known to be largely variable, this species should be regarded synonym of P. halberti .

Distribution: Central Europe, Balkan, Iran.

Figures

FIGURES 1–4. Protzia halberti (Walter, 1920). 1, male; 2–4, female: 1 = genital field; 2 = genital field; 3 = gnathosoma with palp, lateral view; 4 = palp, medial view. Scale bar = 0.1 mm.