Todothyas (Acerbitas) barbigera (K.Viets, 1908)

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 : 3

Todothyas (Acerbitas) barbigera (K.Viets, 1908)

Thyas barbigera K.Viets, 1908

Todothyas incerta ( Lundblad, 1941) , nov. syn.

Material examined: Todothyas barbigera (K. Viets, 1908) , Azores, coll. Smit (1/0/1).

Thyas incerta Lundblad, 1941 , Holotype Dn SMNH, Madeira, Bica da Cana, o. Caramujo, 14.08.1935 Lundblad.

Discussion: Lundblad described T. incerta with much detail from a single deutonymph and was aware about its similarity to T. barbigera . He proposed as the only diagnostic difference a less developed ramification of the distal setae on the central leg segments. A comparison of the holotype with adult and deutonymphal specimens collected from the Azores shows that this character is not suitable for species discrimination. Distal setae of deutonymphal leg segments are generally less ramificated than in adults, but both the holotype of T. incerta and the deutonymph from the Azores, have these setae rather enlarged and with numerous branches and agree from this point of view with adult T. barbigera . Therefore, we consider Todothyas incerta a junior synonym of T. barbigera . This species, with a Holarctic distribution, has a particular high dispersal capacity, probably due to its parasitism on culicid midges ( Mullen 1977).