Hygrobates colesi, Wiles, 2004

Wiles, P. R., 2004, Water mites (Acari: Hydrachnidia) from South-East Asia, Thailand and Sulawesi Tenggara (Indonesia): descriptions of new species and new records, Journal of Natural History 38 (17), pp. 2153-2165 : 2155-2156

Hygrobates colesi new species ( figure 2 )

Material examined. HOLOTYPE: „, slide S380„, 31 July 2001, S. Lamatano,

Kalaka , Buton, Sulawesi Tenggara, Indonesia. PARATYPE 1: S379”.

Description. Male: body length 504, width 356. Dorsum striate, without plates; A1 setae large. Infracapitulum length 170. EpI and EpII narrow and tapering, EpIII narrow; suture line EpIII/IV pushed anteriorly into EpIII by glandularium E2; E4 located posterior to EpIV. Fused genital plates, each with three acetabula in an arc, with the posterior acetabula level with the genital pore; length genital pore 41, width 15, width genital field 91. Pedipalp short and broad, denticles absent; length PI –PV 13, 39, 29, 32, 22. Short slender setae that resemble swimming setae on I-Leg-5 1, II-Leg-5 1, III-Leg-4 1, III-Leg-5 1, IV-Leg-4 1 IV-Leg-5 2. Length I-Leg-3–6 33, 52, 52, 63; II-Leg-3–6 42, 59, 63, 76; III-Leg-3–6 49, 85, 87, 104; IV-Leg-3–6 66, 90, 97, 93.

Female: body length 782, width 609. Dorsum striate, without plates. Infracapitulum length 195. Epimera as in male. Genital plates shorter than genital pore, each plate with three acetabula; length genital pore 108–132; length genital plate 49, width 28. Pedipalp length PI –PV 11, 50, 37, 37, 27. Short slender setae that resemble swimming setae on I-Leg-5 1, II-Leg-5 1, III-Leg-4 1, III-Leg-5 1, IV-Leg-4 1 IV-Leg-5 2. Length I-Leg-3–6 42, 59, 49, 66; II-Leg-3–6 42, 63, 63, 77; III-Leg-3–6 59, 87, 97, 104; IV-Leg-3–6 73, 94, 104, 108.

Etymology. This species is named after Dr Tim Coles (Operation Wallacea).

Remarks. The short broad pedipalp is diagnostic of the species. Female Hygrobates salamandrum Goldschmidt, Gereke and Alberti, 2002 , a parasite of salamanders in South China have short pedipalps but they are more slender than H. colesi and have denticles on P2. The infracapitulum is also much broader and the genital plate of the female is more than two-thirds the length of the genital pore.

Figures

FIG. 2. Hygrobates colesi new species. (a) Venter ”; (b) pedipalp ”; (c) genital field „. Scale bar: 45 Mm (a, c); 19.4 Mm (b).