Skip to main content Skip to main navigation menu Skip to site footer
Responsive image
Issue: Vol. 3330 No. 1: 31 May. 2012
Type: Articles
Published: 2012-05-31
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3330.1.1
Page range: 1–67
Abstract views: 74
PDF downloaded: 1

Water mites delineating the Oriental and Palaearctic regions—the unique fauna of southern Iran, with description of one new genus, one new subgenus and 14 new species (Acari: Hydrachnidia)

Department of Biology, University of Montenegro, Cetinjski put b.b., 81000 Podgorica, Montenegro
Netherlands Centre for Biodiversity Naturalis, P.O. Box 9517, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands
Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran
Acari water mites taxonomy Palaearctic Oriental Iran

Abstract

This paper deals with a collection of epigean and hypogean water mites from the Hormozgan and Sistan va Baluchestan prov-inces in southern Iran. One new genus, Haloaxonopsis, is described, characterized by the presence of so-called wheel-likeacetabula, a unique character so far known only in marine mites of the family Pontarachnidae. One new subgenus, Halolimne-sia, and fourteen new species are described: Hydrachna sistanica, Nilotonia hormozgana, Torrenticola asadiae, T. hormozgan-ensis, Monatractides martini, Neoatractides calidus, Limnesia diversipes, Atractides hormozganus, Javalbia persica,Axonopsis gloeeri, A. interstitialis, A. hyporheica, Haloaxonopsis salina and Albia hyporheica. The first descriptions of thefemale are given for Neumania cf. maharashtris Cook, 1967 and Arrenurus bharatensis Cook, 1967. The following species arereported for the first time in Iran: Hydrachna cf. vaillanti K. Viets 1951, H. globosa lacerata Lundblad, 1969, Diplodontus sil-vestrii (Daday, 1898), Hygrobates hamatus K. Viets, 1935, Atractides biscutatus Cook, 1967 and Arrenurus bharatensis Cook,1967. The zoogeographical and ecological characteristics of the water mite fauna of southern Iran are discussed. The fauna ofSE Iran is of Oriental character, and no typical Palaearctic species were found. Our study shows that this fauna is not transitional, suggesting a rather ‘sharp’ boundary between the Palaearctic and Oriental regions in southern Iran.

References

  1. Asadi, M. (2011) Checklist and diversity of water mites (Acari: Hydachnidia) in Kerman province (Southeast of Iran). Natura Montenegrina, 10 (1), 17–28.

    Asadi, M., Pešić, V. & Etemadi, I. (2010) A revised survey of water mites (Acari: Hydrachnidia) from Iran: new synonyms and descriptions of three new species. Zootaxa, 2628, 43–55.

    Boulton, A.J., Valett, H.M. & Fisher, S.G. (1992) Spatial distribution and taxonomic composition of the hyporheos of several Sonoran Desert streams. Archiv für Hydrobiologie, 125, 37–61.

    Cook, D.R. (1967) Water mites from India. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute, 9, 1–411.

    Cook, D.R. (1974) Water mite genera and subgenera. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute, 21, 1–860.

    Cook, D.R. (1996) A freshwater species of Pontarachna (Acari, Pontarachnidae) from South Africa, with a discussion of genital acetabula in the family. Anales Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Seria Zoología, 67, 259–264.

    Davids, K., Di Sabatino, A., Gerecke, R., Gledhill, T. & Smit, H. (2005) On the taxonomy of water mites (Acari: Hydrachnidia) described from the Palaearctic, part 1: Hydrachnidae, Limnocharidae and Eylaidae. Zootaxa, 1061, 36–64.

    Di Sabatino, A., Gerecke, R., & Cicolani, B. (1992) The water mites of the family Torrenticolidae Piersig, 1902 (Acari, Actinedida) in springs and running waters of Sicily (South Italy). Archiv für Hydrobiologie Supplement, 90 (2), 253–282.

    Di Sabatino, A., Gerecke, R., Smit, H., Pešić, V. & Panesar, A. (2003) Water mites of the family Torrenticolidae (Acari, Actinedida, Hydrachnidia) from the Eastern Mediterranean region. Archiv für Hydrobiologie Supplement, 139 (3), 1–39.

    Di Sabatino, A., Smit, H., Gerecke, R., Goldschmidt, T., Matsumoto, N. & Cicolani, B. (2008) Global diversity of water mites (Acari, Hydrachnidia; Arachnida) in freshwater. In: Balian, E.V., Lévêque, C., Segers, H. & Martens, K. (Eds), Fresh water animal diversity assessment. Hydrobiologia, 595, 303–315.

    Gerecke, R. (2003) Water mites of the genus Atractides Koch, 1837 (Acari: Parasitengona: Hygrobatidae) in the western Palaearctic region: A revision. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 138 (2–3), 141–378.

    Gerecke, R. (2004a) Taxonomy and Phylogeny in African water mites of the genus Diplodontus Dugés, 1834 (Acari, Hydrachnidia, Hydryphantidae). Annales de Limnologie - International Journal of Limnology, 40 (1), 71–85.

    Gerecke, R. (2004b) Water mites from spring- and groundwater habitats in the Sultanate of Oman. Journal of Natural History, 38, 2833–2849.

    Gerecke, R., Weigmann, G., Wohltmann, A. & Wurst, E. (2007) Order Acari – General introduction and key to major groups. In: Gerecke, R. (Ed), Süßwasserfauna von Mitteleuropa, 7, 2–1: 14–57, Elsevier GmbH, Spektrum Akademischer Verlag, München.

    Gledhill, T. & Wiles, P.R. (1997) Water-mites (Acari: Hydrachnidia) from Sri Lanka with descriptions of a new genus and two new species. Archiv für Hydrobiologie Supplement, 107, 513–539.

    Howart, F. G. (1980) The zoogeography of specialized cave animals: a bioclimatic model. Evolution, 34, 394–406.

    Karanović, T. (2008) Marine Interstitial Poecilostomatoida and Cyclopoida (Copepoda) of Australia. Crustaceana Monograph, 9, 1–336.

    Lundblad, C. (1942) Afrikanische Hydracarinen. Entomologisk Tidskrift, 63 (3–4), 155–209.

    Lundblad, O. (1969) Indische Wassermilben, hauptsächlich aus Hinterindien. Arkiv för Zoology, 22, 1–126.

    Magniez, G.J. & Stock J.H. (1999) Consequences of the discovery of Stenasellus (Crustacea, Isopoda, Asellota) in the underground waters of Oman (Arabian Peninsula). Contributions to Zoology, 68 (3), 173–179.

    Pešić, V. & Saboori, A. (2004) Water mite species of the genus Monatractides K.Viets (Acari, Hydrachnidia, Torrenticolidae) from Iran, with the description of two new species. Zootaxa, 673, 1–10.

    Pešić, V., Saboori, A., Asadi, M. & Vafaei, R. (2004) Studies on water mites of the family Hygrobatidae (Acari, Hydrachnidia) from Iran, I. The water mite genus Atractides Koch, with the description of five new species. Zootaxa, 495, 1–40.

    Pešić, V., Saboori, A., Asadi, M. & Vafaei, R. (2005) Water mites (Acari: Hydrachnidia) from interstitial waters of Iran, with the description of one new species. Zootaxa, 1030, 49–60.

    Pešić, V., Erman, O. & Esen Y. (2006) New records of water mites of the genus Monatractides K.Viets (Acari: Hydrachnidia: Torrenticolidae) from Turkey. Turkish Journal of Zoology, 30 (3), 301–304.

    Pešić, V. & Saboori, A. (2007) A checklist of the water mites (Acari: Hydrachnidia) of Iran. Zootaxa, 1473, 45–68.

    Pešić, V., Arman, P., Vafaei, R. & Saboori, A. (2008) The water mite (Acari: Hydrachnidia) fauna of running waters of Kermanshah Province (Western Iran). Systematic and Applied Acarology, 13, 137–144.

    Pešić, V. & Ranga Reddy, Y. (2009) New records of water mites (Acari: Hydrachnidia) from interstitial freshwaters of India, with descriptions of three new species. Zootaxa, 2158, 20–32.

    Pešić, V. & Asadi, M. (2010) Axonopsis kermanica nom. n., a new replacement name for the water mite A. iranica Pešić & Asadi, 2010 (Acari: Hydrachnidia, Aturidae). Zootaxa, 2660, 68.

    Pešić, V., Chatterjee, T. & Bordoloi, S. (2010) A checklist of the water mites (Acari: Hydrachnidia) of India, with new records and description of one new species. Zootaxa, 2617, 1–54.

    Pešić, V., Smit, H., Asadi, M. & Etemadi, I. (2011) New records of water mites (Acari: Hydrachnidia) from southern Iran, with description of one new genus and three new species. Zootaxa, 2783, 21–34.

    Sanmartín, I. & Ronquist, F. (2004) Southern hemisphere biogeography inferred by event-based models: plant versus animal patterns. Systematic Biology, 53, 216–243.

    Smit, H. (1994) New species of water mites from West Africa (Acari, Hydrachnellae), including a checklist of species recorded from Cameroon. Storkia, 3, 5–11.

    Smit, H. (1996) Ten new species of water mites from Sulawesi and Waigeo, Indonesia (Acari, Hydrachnellae). Bulletin zoölogisch Museum Universiteit van Amsterdam, 15, 5–19.

    Smit, H. (2007) New records of hyporheic water mites from Australia, with the description of two new genera and ten new species (Acari: Hydrachnidia). Records of the Australian Museum, 59, 97–116.

    Smit, H. & Pešić, V. (2010) New species of water mites from Oman, with some zoogeographical notes (Acari: Hydrachnidia). Acarologia, 50 (2), 151–195.

    Viets, K. (1951) Hydrachnellae (Acari) aus den französischen Alpen und aus Afrika. Zoologischer Anzeiger, 147 (11/12), 285–303.

    Wiles, P. R. (1991) Rheophilic watermites (Acari: Hydrachnidia) from mainland Malaysia. Acarologia, 32, 41–56.

    Wiles, P. R. (1992) Watermites (Hydrachnidia: Aturidae) of the genus Albia Thon from Asia and Australasia with descriptions of eleven new species. Entomologica Scandinavica, 22, 465–487.

    Wiles, P. R. (1997a) The homology of glands and glandularia in the water mites (Acari: Hydrachnidia). Journal of Natural History, 31, 1237–1251.

    Wiles, P. R. (1997b) Asian and Oriental Torrenticolidae Piersig, 1902 (Acari: Hydrachnidia: Lebertioidea): a revision of the family and descriptions of new species of Torrenticola Piersig and Pseudotorrenticola Walter, from Southeast Asia. Journal of Natural History, 31, 191–236.

    Wiles, P. R. (1997c) The water mites (Acari: Hydrachnidia) of New Guinea. The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology, 45, 375–418.