Torrenticola boettgeri K.O. Viets, 1977

Fisher, J. Ray, Fisher, Danielle M., Skvarla, Michael J., Nelson, Whitney A. & Dowling, Ashley P. G., 2017, Revision of torrent mites (Parasitengona, Torrenticolidae, Torrenticola) of the United States and Canada: 90 descriptions, molecular phylogenetics, and a key to species, ZooKeys 701, pp. 1-496 : 1

Torrenticola boettgeri K.O. Viets, 1977

Torrenticola boettgeri K.O. Viets, 1977a: 89.

Torrenticola esbelta Cramer, 1992: 22.

Material examined

(1 ♀; 4 ♂). New Mexico, USA: 1 ♀ and 1 ♂ from Catron County, Glenwood; Whitewater Picnic Area 8 km east of Rt. 180, (33°22'22"N, 108°50'50"W), 12 July 1987, by IM Smith, IMS870084 • 3 ♂ from Catron County, beside Rt. 15, 65 km north of Rt. 180, Silver City, (33°12'12"N, 108°13'13"W), 10 July 1987, by IM Smith, IMS870081A

Type deposition.

Holotype (♀), prep. no. 6381 SMF, Viets collection (not examined).

Diagnosis.

Torrenticola boettgeri are similar to other members of the Rala Group ( T. anoplopalpa , T. dolichodactyla , T. keesdavidsi , T. kurtvietsi , T. lamellipalpis , and T. rala ) by being colorless, having incomplete hind coxal margins and being distributed in the southwest. T. boettgeri can be differentiated from all other Rala Group by having a more elongate dorsum (length/width ♀ = 1.74-1.82 in T. boettgeri , 1.21-1.60 in others) and a stockier subcapitulum (ventral length/width = 1.96 in T. boettgeri , 2.06-3.52 in others; ♂ = 2.04-2.07 in T. boettgeri , 2.14-4.16 in others).

Re-description.

Female (Figure 30) (n = 3: one specimen examined from New Mexico; measurements from two additional specimens are included based upon those listed in Goldschmidt (2007) for K.O. Viets’s (1977a) specimen from Guatemala and Cramer’s (1992) specimen from Mexico) with characters of the genus with following specifications. Note: measurements below are from the above three combined sources; those in parentheses are from the Guatemalan holotype ( Viets 1977a) as listed in Goldschmidt (2007).

Dorsum - (668-800 (675) long; 367-440 (440) wide) ovoid, elongate, and colorless. Anterio-medial platelets (103-135 (126) long; 38-52.5 wide). Anterio-lateral platelets (179-200 (199) long; 47-70 wide) free from dorsal plate. Dgl-4 much closer to the edge of the dorsum than to the muscle scars (distance between Dgl-4 370). Dorsal plate proportions: dorsum length/width 1.53-1.82 (1.82); dorsal width/distance between Dgl-4 1.19; anterio-medial platelet length/width 2.57-2.71; anterio-lateral platelet length/width 2.86-3.81; anterio-lateral/anterio-medial length 1.48-1.74 (1.58).

Gnathosoma - Subcapitulum (245-280 (245) long (ventral); 185 long (dorsal); 142.5 tall) colorless. Rostrum (70-87.5 (70) long; 40 wide). Chelicerae with curved fangs (65 long). Subcapitular proportions: ventral length/height 1.96; rostrum length/width 2.19. Pedipalps short and stocky (especially tibiae) without extensions on femora and genua. Palpomeres: trochanter (32.5 long); femur (76.25 long); genu (65 long); tibia (32.5 long; 17.5 wide); tarsus (15 long). Palpomere proportions: femur/genu 1.17; tibia/femur 0.43; tibia length/width 1.86.

Venter - (668-955 (845) long; 452-570 (500) wide) colorless. Gnathosomal bay (164-200 (164) long; 45-50 (47) wide). Cxgl-4 apical. Medial suture (65-73 (73) long). Genital plates (170-188 (170) long; 148-160 (148) wide). Additional measurements: Cx-1 (340 long (total); 133-135 (133) long (medial)); Cx-3 (350 wide); anterior venter (212.5 long). Ventral proportions: gnathosomal bay length/width 3.49-4.44 (3.49); anterior venter/genital field length 1.15; anterior venter length/genital field width 1.33; anterior venter/medial suture 3.27.

Male (Figure 31) (n = 4: new specimens from New Mexico)

Dorsum - (710-780 long; 400-430 wide) ovoid, elongate, and colorless. Anterio-medial platelets (122.5-140 long; 45-50 wide). Anterio-lateral platelets (175-192.5 long; 55-62.5 wide) free from dorsal plate. Dgl-4 much closer to the edge of the dorsum than to the muscle scars (distance between Dgl-4 335-365). Dorsal plate proportions: dorsum length/width 1.74-1.81; dorsal width/distance between Dgl-4 1.16-1.19; anterio-medial platelet length/width 2.68-2.95; anterio-lateral platelet length/width 2.96-3.27 (3.08); anterio-lateral/anterio-medial length 1.25-1.47.

Gnathosoma - Subcapitulum (255-285 long (ventral); 165-187.5 long (dorsal); 125-137.5 tall) colorless. Rostrum (80-92.5 long; 35-40 wide). Chelicerae (285-310 long) with curved fangs (62.5-65 long). Subcapitular proportions: ventral length/height 2.04-2.07; rostrum length/width 2.13-2.36. Pedipalps short and stocky (especially tibiae) without extensions on femora and genua. Palpomeres: trochanter (30-31.25 long); femur (58.75-72.5 long); genu (60-62.5 long); tibia (32.5-37.5 long; 17.5-17.5 wide); tarsus (15-15 long). Palpomere proportions: femur/genu 0.98-1.16; tibia/femur 0.48-0.55; tibia length/width 1.86-2.14.

Venter - (800-960 long; 485-510 wide) colorless. Gnathosomal bay (192.5-205 long; 40-50 wide). Cxgl-4 apical. Medial suture (105-125 long). Genital plates (160-177.5 long; 120-125 wide). Additional measurements: Cx-1 (305-330 long (total); 115-130 long (medial)); Cx-3 (320-325 wide); anterior venter (235-262.5 long). Ventral proportions: gnathosomal bay length/width 3.85-5.00; anterior venter/genital field length 1.38-1.59; anterior venter length/genital field width 1.96-2.13; anterior venter/medial suture 2.00-2.24.

Immatures unknown.

Etymology.

Viets (1977a) named the specific epithet ( boettgeri ) in honor of Klaus Böttger of the University of Kiel, Germany, who collected the type specimen in Rio Chilax near Cobán, Guatemala.

Distribution.

New Mexico (probably also Arizona) and extending southward into Mexico and Guatemala (Figure 29).

Remarks.

Unfortunately, we were unable to acquire fresh material of Torrenticola boettgeri and therefore this species is not included in our phylogenetic analyses. We were also unable to examine types, but were able to examine new material from New Mexico. The overall appearance, incomplete hind coxal margins, distribution, and lack of coloration are consistent with placing this species in the Rala Identification Group.

Viets (1977a) described T. boettgeri from a single female collected in Guatemala. Cramer (1992) described T. esbelta from three females collected in one stream ( Peña Blanca) in San Francisco Oxtotilpan, State of Mexico, Mexico. Cramer (1992) differentiated T. esbelta from T. boettgeri by pedipalpal tibia length: 36 µm in T. esbelta ; 26-27 µm (right, left, respectively). Given our experience with the variability of tibial length across species, which often range well over 10 µm, and especially considering the very few number of specimens examined, we do not consider slight variations in pedipalp tibial length to be good evidence for separate species. Furthermore, our material from New Mexico includes specimens with tibiae in between the previously recorded specimens (32.5 µm in our single female specimen; 32.5-37.7 µm in males). Therefore, we consider T. esbelta as a junior synonym of T. boettgeri .