WATER MITES NEW FOR THE IBERIAN PENINSULA (ACARI, HYDRACHNELLAE)

Five genera and ten species of water mites are reported as new for the Iberian Peninsula. Some belong to the interstitial environment and other may inhabit both the interstitial and the superficial layer of benthos. This fauna is poorly known, although total species number in the Iberian Peninsula could reach more than 500. Drawings and not authority criteria are used to confirm the goodness of species identification.


Introduction
Grey literature has its shortcomings.It can be an efficient way to accumulate information but at the same time it has its difficulties to reach the adequate audience due to poor distribution.This is the case of phD dissertations when only a few specimens are copied (usually less than 10).Unless they give way to a proper publication, the only witness left are one or two specimens in the University Library.In the case of taxonomic dissertations, they are not considered adequate way for providing descriptions of new species by the ICZN (IVth edition, 1999) unless properly published.New distribution of taxa, specially if they are of rare organisms have a status similar to new taxa.It is not enough to say that a taxon already described has been found in a new locality, specially if the taxon is rare and the new locality is very far from the previous localities.The new finding has to be justified with a minimum accompanying description to get the credit of the others specialists in the group.This is the spirit of this paper.I presented a dissertation in 1981 on the water mites of the centre of Spain.The new taxa found has been included in the checklist of the Iberian Peninsula water mites    C (Valdecasas, 1988), but it seems that it doesn't get the approval of the community of specialists, specially when one reads as new records to the Iberian Peninsula taxa for which locality were given (e.g.Feltria minuta Koenike, 1892 by Gil Quile & Roca-Rosell, 1991).

Wandesia (Wandesia) thori
There are four species of described in Europe, mainly from the interstitial environment although occasionally they are found by methods implied to sample more superficial mites, like kicking, that is generally used for benthonic mites.The genera and the species are new for the Iberian Peninsula.
Twelve nymphs were found and the external morphology agree with Schechtel (1912) and Laska (1957) descriptions based on nymphs too (Fig. 1).All the specimens were found between 1440 m and 1660 m altitude and water temperature ranging between 1ºC and 5.5ºC.pH: 6.7-8.1.D. Oxygen: 102.33%-120%.All were sampled by removing the sediment with the feet (kicking).Feltria rouxi Walter, 1907(Valdecasas, 1981, page 303;Valdecasas, 1988, page 39) There are many species of this genus in Europe and they are typically found in musci.The finding of this species in the I.P. is not surprising as it has been found previously as near as the French Pyrenees.
Six males and twelve females have been found in four localities all of them submerged musci.Morphology clearly fits the description of the species (Fig. 2).
One male and seven females have been found in one locality.Morphology somewhat variable (Fig. 3).

Frontipodopsis reticulatifrons
Eight males and eleven females in five localities.Morphology is easily recognizable for this species (Fig. 4).

Lethaxona pygmaea
One male and one female in two localities with the morphology of the species (Fig. 6).
The male comes from a Karaman-Chappuis sample and the female from a kicking sample.Abiotic measurements from the associated stream to the K-Ch sample are: Altitude (both): 1200 m -1640 m; water temperature: 13.8ºC; pH: 7.4; DO 2 : 114.98%.Motas andTanasachi, 1946 (Valdecasas, 1981, page 395;Valdecasas, 1988, page 49) More than twenty species that belong to this genus in Europe.

Kongsbergia pectinigera
Only one male specimen with the clear morphology of the species (Fig. 7).

Stygomomonia latipes
Three males and four females in one locality sampled by Karaman-Chappuis method.Morphology typical of the species (Fig. 8).

Mideopsis willmanni
Only one male found in musci, in one locality with the morphology of the species (Fig. 9).SPANISH LOCALITY: VL329198 (source in the road toward Puerto de la Morcuera, 1300m).Szalay, 1943(Valdecasas, 1981, page 424;Valdecasas, 1988, page 50) Pyrenees and Central Europe distribution of a species mainly found in the interstitial environment.

Chappuisides hungaricus
One male and one female from the same locality with the morphology of the species (Fig. 10

Conclusions
As a result of the 1981 work five genera and eleven species are here reported.Another species, Hungarohydracarus subterraneus Szalay, 1943 has been the object of a special work (Valdecasas, 1984).Some other taxa mentioned in Valdecasas (1981) Fig. 1.-Wandesia thori, nymph: palp (A), distal segments of first leg (B) and ventral surface (C).

Fig. 2 .
Fig. 2.-Feltria rouxi: dorsal (A) and ventral (B) surface of the female.Palp of the female (C) and of the male (D).Last segment of third leg right (E) and left (F) of the male.
Fig. 3.-Feltria minuta.Ventral and dorsal surface of the female (A, B) and of the male (G, H).Palp of the female (C) and of the male (D).Last segment of third leg right (E) and left (F) of the male.