Torrenticola laskai Di Sabatino

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 : 27-29

Torrenticola laskai Di Sabatino , sp. nov.

Torrenticola lativalvata auct. ( Láska 1955, E. Angelier 1954, 1959, Cicolani & Di Sabatino 1990, Di Sabatino et al. 1992) nec K. Viets, 1952; Torrenticola lativalvata sensu Angelier Gerecke & Di Sabatino 1996 , Di Sabatino et al. 2003).

Type series: SMF: Holotype 3, France, F 44m, Corse (2B) Ajaccio, Vico, F. Porto, Ponte Vecchio, 230 m, 08°46E, 42°15N, 27.07.1991 leg. Schwarz; paratype 3, same site and date, undissected, slide-mounted together with holotype.

Material examined: Czech Republic, Bohemia, T. Orlice 15.08.1924, leg. Halίk, SMNH (1/1/0);

for detailed locality records reported as T. lativalvata or T. lativalvata sensu Angelier from Corsica, Greece, Italy and Montenegro, see Cicolani & Di Sabatino (1990), Di Sabatino et al. (1992); Gerecke & Di Sabatino (1996) and Di Sabatino et al. (2003).

Diagnosis: Anterior plates separate from dorsal plate; palp segments P-2 and P-4 nearly equal in L; extensions on P-2 and P-3 narrow, not laterally flattened. Males with medial suture Cx-II+III as long as, or only slightly shorter than, medial suture of Cx-I (L ratio Cx-I/Cx-II+III, 1.0-1.2, relation idiosoma L/medial suture L Cx-II+III, 5.0-6.5), and genital field parallel-sided, anterior margin smoothly convex, anterolateral angles rounded.

Description: Both sexes: Opening of cxgl-4 near tip of Cx-I with a fine hair and covered by a fine membranous cap; gnathosoma with smoothly curved ventral margin and well developed rostrum; P-2 ventrodistally protruding in the form of an obtuse angle, ventral protuberances of P-4 ending in two tips separated by a concavity. Males (measurements of holotype, in parentheses variability data from Cicolani & Di Sabatino 1990): L/W Idiosoma 680/500 (710-830/510-590), dorsal shield 560/425 (600-675/ 420-475); L frontal plate 115 (120-140), shoulder plate 185 (200-210), L/W gnathosomal bay 145/75 (130-165/70-90); maximum L Cx-I, 300 (290-330), median L Cx-II+III, 112 (130-150); L/W genital field 160/135 (140-160/ 120-135); ejaculatory complex L/W (220/86), proximal chamber not enlarged; proximal horns developed as short elevations; distance genital field – excretory pore 80 (100-145), genital field - posterior idiosoma margin 120 (120-175); L/H gnathosoma 280/112 (295-315/95-135), with smoothly curved ventral margin and well developed rostrum; L chelicerae 340 (315-390), L/H P- 1 31/33 (28-35/-); P-2 92/54 (93-112/-); P-3 58/48 (56- 60/-); P- 4 92/27 (95-110/-); P- 5 20/12 (20-22/-). Females (data from Cicolani & Di Sabatino 1990): L/W Idiosoma 830-970/590-730, dorsal shield 680-840/490-600; L frontal plate 145-155, shoulder plate 215-250, L/W gnathosomal bay 170-205/105-115, maximum L Cx-I 325-390, median L Cx-II+ III 35 -50; L/W genital field 185-200/175-190; distance genital field – excretory pore 195-275, genital field - posterior idiosoma margin 245-360; L/H gnathosoma 345-360/150-170, L chelicerae 390-410; P-1 39-40; P-2 109-130; P-3 69- 72; P-4 105-120; P- 5 20-22.

Discussion: This species was first described by Láska (1955), but erroneously attributed to T. lativalvata K. Viets, 1952 described from Algeria, a species very similar to, probably synonymous with, T. barsica ( Szalay, 1933) . All successive records refer to the description by Láska ( Gerecke & Di Sabatino 1996) and should be attributed to T. laskai . Males of T. barsica (and also the holotype of T. lativalvata ) differ from T. laskai in a shorter medial suture of Cx-II+III (L ratio Cx-I/Cx-II+III 1.3-1.8, idiosoma/suture Cx-II+III> 7.0) and the shape of genital field (anteriorly slightly enlarged, forming an obtuse triangle, anterolaterally obtuseangled); in both sexes, palp segment P-2 is longer than P-4. T. laskai is actually known from Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, France (Corsice), Italy, Montenegro and Greece.