Checklist of the Water Mites (Acari, Hydrachnidia) of Iran: Second Supplement and Description of One New Species

Research Article ISSN 2336-9744 The journal is available on line at www.ecol-mne.com

http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:0598457D-2B06-4F92-BD16-BD5A98E6092E

Checklist of the water mites (Acari, Hydrachnidia) of Iran: Second supplement and description of one new species

VLADIMIR PEŠI Ć1, HARRY SMIT 2 & ALIREZA SABOORI 3

1 Department of Biology, University of Montenegro, Cetinjski put b.b., 81000 Podgorica, Montenegro. E-mail: [email protected] 2 Naturalis Biodiversity Center, P.O. Box 9517, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands. E-mail: [email protected] 3 Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran. E-mail: [email protected]

Received 21 April 2014 │ Accepted 5 May 2014 │ Published online 7 May 2014.

Abstract As a supplement to the list of the mite fauna of Iran compiled by Peši ć and Saboori (2007), an additional faunistic list of water mites (Acari, Hydrachnidia) from Iran is presented based on recently published data. The total number of species and subspecies of water mites (Acari, Hydrachnidia) recorded from Iran up to date is 186 species, in 43 genera and 25 families. Based on new material, one new species, Atractides elburzensis n. sp. is described from a stream in N Iran.

Key words : Acari, water mites, checklist, supplement, taxonomy, new species.

Introduction

The cheklist of water mites of Iran published by Peši ć and Saboori (2007) included 145 species, in 38 genera and 25 families of water mites. The recent publication of 41 taxa from Iran resulted in a new list which is aimed by the present supplement. Sepasgosarian (1999) and Peši ć and Saboori (2007), respectively, summarized the research on the water mites fauna until that time and mentioned that this fauna is not well known. However, both authors pointed that a rich fauna of water mites could be expected. To date, two check lists of water mites of Iran have been published (Sepasgosarian 1999, Peši ć and Saboori 2007). Publication of this supplement aims to update the checklist of water mite fauna of Iran, in order to facilitate access to all published data and helps future research activities by understanding major gaps in our knowledge of the water mite fauna of Iran.

Material and Methods

Using publications and original data from 2007 onwards, a checklist was compiled of the water mite fauna of Iran. Postgraduate theses and scientific meetings are no formal publications and are consequently not included in this paper. For each species, the Iranian provinces (Fig. 1) are listed where the species has been collected. The names of the species are in accordance with the most recent literature (e.g., Davids 2007, Di Sabatino et al . 2010). For new records, water mite were collected by hand netting, sorted on the spot from the living material, conserved in Koenike’s fluid and dissected as described elsewhere (e.g., Gerecke et al . 2007).

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Holotype of new species is deposited in the Museum of Natural History of Montenegro in Podgorica (MNHP). All measurements are given in µm. For a detailed description and discussion of the characteristics of the genus Atractides and a detailed methodological introduction, see Gerecke (2003). The following abbreviations are used: Ac-1 = first acetabulum, asl. = above sea level, Cx-I = first coxae, Dgl-1-7 = dorsoglandularia 1-7, I-L-6 = Leg 1, sixth segment (tarsus), P-1 = palp, first segment, postoc = postoculare, S-1 = proximal large ventral seta at I-L-5, S-2 = distal large ventral seta at I-L-5, Vgl = ventroglandulare.

Figure 1 . Map of Provinces of Iran.

Systematics

Superfamily Hydrovolzioidea

Family Hydrovolziidae Thor, 1905

Hydrovolzia cancellata Walter, 1906 Syn. Hydrovolzia persica Bader & Sepasgozarian, 1976 – Erman et al . 2010: 4.

Superfamily Hydrachnoidea

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Family Hydrachnidae Leach, 1815

Hydrachna cf. vaillanti K. Viets, 1951 Records from Iran : Sistan va Baluchestan Province – Peši ć et al . (2012). Habitat : Standing waters. Distribution : Algeria, Iran.

Hydrachna sistanica Peši ć, Smit & Saboori, 2012 Records from Iran : Sistan va Baluchestan Province – Peši ć et al . (2012). Habitat : Standing water. Distribution : Southern Iran; only known from the type locality (Gerdoig village, N of Chabahar).

Hydrachna globosa lacerata Lundblad, 1969 Records from Iran : Sistan va Baluchestan Province – Peši ć et al . (2012). Habitat : Standing waters. Distribution : Burma, Iran.

Superfamily Eylaoidea

Family Eylaidae Leach, 1815

Eylais degenerata Koenike, 1897 Records from Iran : Guilan Province – Peši ć et al . (2007). Habitat : Standing waters. Distribution: Southern Europe, South Africa, Turkey, Iran, India and China.

Eylais planipons Walter, 1924 Records from Iran : Kerman Province – Asadi (2010). Habitat : Small ponds and pools of lowland streams. Distribution : Mediterranean, Iran.

Superfamily Hydryphantoidea

Family Hydryphantidae Piersig, 1896

Diplodontus silvestrii (Daday, 1898) Records from Iran : Sistan va Baluchestan Province – Peši ć et al . (2012). Habitat : Standing waters. Distribution : India, SE Asia, Iran.

Iranothyas circularis (Schwoerbel & Sepasgozarian, 1976) Records from Iran : Isfahan Province – Peši ć et al . (2009). Habitat : Rhitrobiont. Distribution : Iran.

Protzia persica Bader & Sepasgozarian, 1980 Records from Iran : Kerman Province – Asadi (2010). Habitat : High-order streams. Distribution : Iran.

Family Hydrodromidae K. Viets, 1936

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Hydrodroma despiciens (Müller, 1776) Records from Iran : Kermanshah Province – Peši ć et al . (2008). Habitat : Standing waters. Distribution . Holarctic.

Hydrodroma persica Peši ć & Saboori, 2012 Records from Iran : Fars Province – Peši ć & Saboori (2012). Habitat : Running waters; rheophilous. Distribution : Iran; only known from the type locality (stream 10 km from Sepidan).

Hydrodroma rheophila Cook, 1967 Records from Iran : Kermanshah Province – Peši ć et al . (2008); Kerman Province – Asadi (2010); Hormozgan Province – Peši ć et al . (2012). Habitat : Rhitrobiont. Distribution : India, Iran, Oman.

Hydrodroma torrenticola (Walter, 1908) Records from Iran : Guilan Province – Peši ć et al . (2007); Kerman Province – Asadi (2010). Habitat : Pools of low order streams. Distribution : Europe, Turkey, Iran.

Superfamily Lebertioidea

Family Lebertiidae Thor, 1900

Lebertia (Pilolebertia ) sp. Records from Iran : Kerman Province – Asadi (2010).

Lebertia (Pilolebertia ) porosa Thor, 1900 Records from Iran : Guilan Province – Peši ć et al . (2007); Kermanshah Province – Peši ć et al . (2008). Habitat : Standing waters and pools of streams. Distribution : Holarctic.

Lebertia (Pilolebertia ) inaequalis (Koch, 1837) Records from Iran : Guilan Province – Peši ć et al . (2007); Kermanshah Province – Peši ć et al. (2008). Habitat : Standing waters and pools of streams. Distribution : Palaearctic.

Lebertia (Lebertia ) glabra Thor, 1897 Records from Iran : Kerman Province – “Lebertia (Pseudolebertia ) glabra “ Asadi (2010). Habitat : Crenobiont, lowland springs. Distribution : Western Palaearctic.

Lebertia (Lebertia ) abseta Guo, Jin & Asadi, 2006 Records from Iran : Kerman Province – Asadi (2010). Habitat : Running waters. Distribution : Southern Iran.

Family Anisitsiellidae Koenike, 1910

Nilotonia (Dartiella ) hormozgana Peši ć, Smit & Saboori, 2012 Records from Iran : Hormozgan Province – Peši ć et al . (2012). Habitat : Sandy/bouldery streams, often with strong exposure to sunlight.

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Distribution : Southern Iran.

Nilotonia (Dartiella ) pinnata Guo, Jin & Asadi, 2006 Records from Iran : Kerman Province – Asadi (2010). Habitat : Running waters. Distribution : Southern Iran.

Nilotonia (Manotonia ) persica Peši ć & Saboori, 2006 Records from Iran : Sistan va Baluchestan Province – Peši ć & Vafaei (2009); Kerman Province – Asadi (2010). Habitat : Running waters. Remarks : Peši ć & Vafaei (2009) errornously reported that their sampling localites comes from Fars Province. Distribution : Southern Iran.

Family Sperchontidae Thor, 1900

Sperchon (Sperchon ) glandulosus Koenike, 1886 Syn. Sperchon fundamentalis Bader & Sepasgozarian, 1980 – Esen et al . 2010: 45. Records from Iran : Kerman Province – “Sperchon fundamentalis “ Asadi (2010). Habitat : Low- and middle-order streams. Distribution : Central and Northern Europe, Balkan, Turkey, Iran.

Sperchon (Hispidosperchon ) algeriensis Lundblad, 1942 Syn. Sperchon beneckei Bader & Sepasgosarian, 1982 – Asadi et al . 2010: 45. Records from Iran : Kerman Province – Asadi (2010). Habitat : Middle- and high-order streams. Distribution : Algeria, Spain, Canary Islands, S Italy, Sicily, Iran, Turkey.

Sperchon (Hispidosperchon ) hispidus Koenike, 1895 Syn. Sperchon amuzgari Bader & Sepasgozarian, 1979 – Asadi et al . 2010: 44. Records from Iran : Guilan Province – Peši ć et al . (2007); Kermanshah Province – Peši ć et al . (2008); Kerman Province – “Sperchon amuzgari “ Asadi (2010). Habitat : Middle- and high-order streams. Distribution : Palaearctic.

Sperchon (Hispidosperchon ) papillosus Thor, 1901 Syn. Sperchon bispinosus Bader & Sepasgosarian, 1982 – Asadi et al . 2010: 44. Records from Iran : Guilan Province – “Sperchon bispinosus “ Peši ć et al . (2007); Kermanshah Province – Peši ć et al . (2008); Kerman Province – Asadi (2010). Habitat : Low- and middle-order streams. Distribution . Europe, Turkey, Iran.

Sperchon (Hispidosperchon ) rostratus Lundblad, 1969 Records from Iran : Golestan Province – Peši ć & Vafaei (2009). Habitat : Running waters. Distribution : Burma, Turkey, Iran.

Sperchon (Hispidosperchon ) setiger Thor, 1898 Records from Iran : Kerman Province – Asadi (2010). Habitat : Middle-order streams, often in pool habitats. Distribution : Palaearctic

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Sperchon (Hispidosperchon ) cf. senguni Özkan, 1982 Records from Iran : Mazandaran Province – Peši ć & Smit (2011). Habitat : Running waters. Distribution : Turkey, Iran.

Sperchonopsis verrucosa (Protz, 1896) Records from Iran : Kermanshah Province – Peši ć et al . (2008). Habitat : Rhitrobiont. Distribution : Holarctic.

Family Torrenticolidae Piersig, 1902

Torrenticola (Megapalpis ) asadiae Peši ć, Smit & Saboori, 2012 Records from Iran : Hormozgan Province – Peši ć et al . (2012). Habitat : Sandy/bouldery streams, often with strong exposure to sunlight. Distribution : Southern Iran; known only from the type locality (stream in Banglayan village, N of Bandar Abbass).

Torrenticola (Megapalpis ) jasminae Bader, 1988 Records from Iran : Kermanshah Province – Peši ć et al . (2008); Kerman Province – Asadi (2010). Habitat : Low- and middle-order streams. Distribution : Iran, Israel, Turkey.

Torrenticola (Torrenticola) amplexa (Koenike, 1908) Records from Iran : Kermanshah Province – Peši ć et al . (2008). Habitat . Middle- and high-order streams. Distribution : Palaearctic.

Torrenticola (Torrenticola ) barsica (Szalay, 1933) Syn. Torrenticola (Torrenticola) baueri Bader & Sepasgozarian, 1987 – Asadi et al . 2010: 45. Records from Iran : Guilan Province – Peši ć et al . (2007). Habitat : Low- and middle-order streams. Distribution : Mediterranean, Middle East.

Torrenticola (Torrenticola) brevirostris (Szalay, 1933) Records from Iran : Kermanshah Province – Peši ć et al . (2008). Habitat : Low-order streams. Distribution : Central and SE Europe, Turkey, Iran.

Torrenticola (Torrenticola ) hormozganensis Peši ć, Smit & Saboori, 2012 Records from Iran : Hormozgan Province – Peši ć et al . (2012). Habitat : Sandy/bouldery streams, often with strong exposure to sunlight. Distribution : Iran.

Torrenticola (Torrenticola ) nana Di Sabatino & Gerecke, 2003 Records from Iran : Kermanshah Province – Peši ć et al . (2008); Kerman Province – Asadi (2010). Habitat : Low- and middle-order streams. Distribution : Iran, Israel, Turkey.

Torrenticola (Torrenticola) saboori Peši ć & Asadi, 2002 Records from Iran : Kerman Province – Asadi (2010). Habitat : Middle- and high-order streams. Distribution : Iran.

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Torrenticola (Torrenticola ) ungeri (Szalay, 1927) Records from Iran : Guilan Province – Peši ć et al . (2007); Kermanshah Province – Peši ć et al . (2008). Habitat : Surface and interstitial waters. Distribution : Western Palaearctic.

Monatractides (Monatractides ) aberratus (Lundblad, 1941) Records from Iran : Kermanshah Province – Peši ć et al . (2008). Habitat : Middle-order streams. Distribution : Mediterranean, Iran.

Monatractides algeriensis (Lundblad, 1941) Records from Iran : Kerman Province – Asadi (2010). Habitat : High-order streams running from thermal spring. Distribution : Algeria, Southern Italy, Sicily, Turkey.

Monatractides lusitanicus (Lundblad, 1941) Syn. Monatractides sepasi Bader, 1988 – Asadi et al . 2010: 45.

Monatractides (Monatractides ) kermanshahus Peši ć et al . 2008 Records from Iran : Kermanshah Province – Peši ć et al . (2008); Hormozgan Province – Peši ć et al . (2012). Habitat : Middle- and high-order streams. Distribution : Iran.

Monatractides (Monatractides ) martini Peši ć, Smit & Saboori, 2012 Records from Iran : Hormozgan Province – Peši ć et al . (2012); Sistan va Baluchestan Province – Peši ć et al . (2012). Habitat : Middle- and high-order streams. Distribution : Iran.

Monatractides stadleri (Walter, 1924) Syn. Monatractides persicus Peši ć & Saboori, 2004 – Asadi et al . 2010: 46.

Monatractides (Monatractides ) vafaei Peši ć, 2004 Records from Iran : Kermanshah Province – Peši ć et al . (2008). Habitat : Middle-order streams. Distribution : Iran, Turkey.

Neoatractides (Allotorrenticola ) calidus Peši ć, Smit & Saboori, 2012 Records from Iran : Hormozgan Province – Peši ć et al . (2012). Habitat : Rhitrobiont; middle- and high-order stream. Distribution : Southern Iran; known only from the type locality (stream in Banglayan village, N of Bandar Abbass).

Superfamily Hygrobatoidea

Family Limnesiidae Thor, 1900

Limnesia (Limnesia ) fulgida Koch, 1836 Records from Iran : Kermanshah Province – Peši ć et al . (2008). Habitat : Standing waters. Distribution : Holarctic.

Limnesia (Limnesia ) kochi Smit & Peši ć, 2010 Records from Iran : Kerman Province – Asadi et al . (2010); Hormozgan Province – Peši ć et al . (2012).

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Habitat : Lentic part of sandy/bouldery streams, with strong exposure to sunlight. Distribution : Oman, Iran.

Limnesia (Limnesia ) walteri Migot, 1926 Records from Iran : Guilan Province – Peši ć et al . (2007); Kermanshah Province – Peši ć et al . (2008). Habitat : Small ponds and lentic areas of rivers. Distribution : Mediterranean, Russia, Turkey, Iran, the Sahara and Africa south of the Sahara.

Limnesia (Tetralimnesia ) pinguipalpis Cook, 1967 Records from Iran : Kerman Province – Peši ć et al . (2011); Hormozgan Province – Peši ć et al . (2012); Sistan va Baluchestan Province – Peši ć et al . (2012). Habitat : Small ponds and lentic areas of rivers. Distribution : India, Oman, Iran.

Limnesia (Halolimnesia ) diversipes Peši ć, Smit & Saboori, 2012 Records from Iran : Hormozgan Province – Peši ć et al . (2012). Habitat : Remnant pool of a saline summer-dry stream. Distribution : Southern Iran; known only from the type locality (pool in Khorgoo village, N of Bandar Abbass).

Family Hygrobatidae Koch, 1842

Atractides (Atractides) biscutatus Cook, 1967 Records from Iran : Sistan va Baluchestan Province – Peši ć et al . (2012). Habitat : Rhitrobiont; middle order stream. Distribution : India, Sri Lanka, Iran.

Atractides (Atractides ) caspicus Peši ć, Dinipour, Vafaei & Saboori, 2007 Records from Iran : Guilan Province – Peši ć et al . (2007). Habitat : Rhitrobiont; middle and high order streams. Distribution : Northern Iran; known only from the type locality (Shafarood stream near Rezvanshahr city).

Atractides (Atractides ) gereckei Peši ć, 2004 Records from Iran : Kerman Province – Asadi (2010). Habitat : Middle- and high-order streams. The statement of Asadi (2010) that A. gereckei is a hyporheobiontic species should be rejected. Distribution : Southern Iran.

Atractides (Atractides ) gorgani Peši ć, Jabaleh & Saboori, 2009 Records from Iran : Golestan Province – Peši ć et al . (2009). Habitat : Rhitrobiont; middle- and high-order streams. Distribution : Northern Iran; known only from the type locality (Hashan River near Jeline Bala).

Atractides (Atractides) hormozganus Peši ć, Smit & Saboori, 2012 Records from Iran : Hormozgan Province – Peši ć et al . (2012); Sistan va Baluchestan Province – Peši ć et al . (2012). Habitat : Lentic part of a sandy/bouldery stream, with strong exposure to sunlight; lenitophilous. Distribution : Southern Iran.

Atractides (Atractides ) hyrcaniensis Peši ć, Jabaleh & Saboori, 2009 Records from Iran : Golestan Province – Peši ć et al . (2009). Habitat : Rhitrobiont; middle- and high-order streams. Distribution : Northeastern Iran.

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Atractides (Atractides ) inflatus (Walter, 1925) Records from Iran : Guilan Province – Peši ć et al . (2007). Habitat : Running waters. Distribution : Mediterranean, Turkey, Iran.

Atractides (Atractides ) iranicus Peši ć & Asadi, 2002 Records from Iran : Kerman Province – Asadi (2010). Habitat : Middle- and high-order streams. Distribution : Southern Iran.

Atractides (Atractides ) kermanensis Peši ć, 2005 Records from Iran : Kerman Province – Asadi (2010). Habitat : Hyporheobiont. Distribution : Southern Iran.

Atractides (Atractides ) lunipes Lundblad, 1956 Records from Iran : Guilan Province – Peši ć et al . (2007); Kermanshah Province – Peši ć et al . (2008). Habitat : Running waters. Distribution : Mediterranean, Turkey, Iran.

Atractides (Atractides ) mirkopesici Peši ć, 2004 Records from Iran : Sistan va Baluchestan Province – Peši ć & Vafaei (2009); Kerman Province – Asadi (2010). Habitat : Middle- and high-order streams. Remarks : Peši ć & Vafaei (2009) errornously reported that their sampling localites comes from Fars Province. Distribution : Southern Iran.

Atractides (Atractides ) mossahebii Peši ć, 2004 Records from Iran : Kerman Province – Asadi (2010). Habitat : Middle- and high-order streams. Distribution : Iran.

Atractides (Atractides ) nahavandii Schwoerbel & Sepasgozarian, 1976 New record : Mazandaran Province, Nowshahr, Kheirud Kenar forest, stream Kheirud, 36º31.629 N, 51º38.755 E, alt. 881 m asl., 11.vii.2011 Peši ć, Smit & Saboori, one female. Records from Iran : Golestan Province – Peši ć & Vafaei (2009). Habitat : Running waters. Distribution : Iran, Turkey.

Atractides (Atractides ) nodipalpis (Thor, 1899) Records from Iran : Kerman Province – Asadi (2010). Habitat : Rhitrobiont. Distribution : Palaearctic.

Atractides (Atractides ) elburzensis n. sp. (Fig. 2A-D)

Type series . Holotype male, dissected and slide mounted, Iran, Mazandaran Province, Nowshahr, Kheirud Kenar forest, stream Kheirud, 36º31.629' N, 51º38.755' E, alt. 881 m asl., 11.vii.2011, Peši ć, Smit, Saboori. Diagnosis . Male. Integument dorsally striated, but with a papillate central area; Vgl-3 not fused to Cx- IV; genital field with anterior margin of primary sclerotization almost straight, but secondary sclerotization forming a large semicircular border, posterior margin slightly indented, Ac small (length 20-25 µm) in an obtuse triangle; I-L-6 relatively long and weakly curved, narrowed in the centre of the segment.

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Figure 2 . Atractides elburzensis n. sp ., holotype male, Kheirud stream; A = idiosoma, dorsal view; B = idiosoma, ventral view; C = palp, medial view; D = I-L-5 and -6. Scale bars = 100 µm.

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Description Male. General features — Integument dorsally striated, but with a papillate central area, muscle insertions unsclerotized dorsally, but all glandularia on extended platelets, Dgl-4 and postoc fused on one side. Genital field: anterior margin of primary sclerotization almost straight, but secondary sclerotization forming a large semicircular border, posterior margin slightly indented, Ac small in an obtuse triangle . Excretory pore smooth; Vgl-1: fused to Vgl-2. Palp: P-2 and P-3 ventral margins straight, without protrusions, P-4 with a little denticle near ventral setae, P-4 sword seta halfway between ventral setae. Legs: I-L-5 with dorsal and ventral margins subparallel basally and centrally, but diverging near the distal edge, S-1 and -2 slender and close to each other; I-L-6 relatively long and weakly curved, narrowed in the centre of the segment. Measurements – Idiosoma length/width 447/333, glandularia diameter 34; coxal field: length 239; Cx-III width 284; Cx-I+II medial length 94, lateral length 183; genital field length/width 90/104, length Ac 1-3: 21–22, 25, 22–25. Palp: palp total length 248, dorsal length/height, dorsal length/height ratio: P-1, 25/20, 1.23; P-2, 54/40, 1.35; P-3, 60/31, 1.95; P-4, 83/19, 4.4; P-5, 26/11, 2.4; length ratio P-2/P-4 0.64. Legs: I-L-5 dorsal length 102, ventral length 79, dorsal length/ventral length ratio 1.3, maximum height 25, dorsal length/maximum height 4.0, S-1 length 45, length/width ratio 8.3, S-2 length 43, length/width ratio 8.0, distance S-1-2 3, L ratio S-1/2 1.03; I-L-6 length 92, central height 19, length/central height ratio 4.8; length ratio I-L-5/6 1.1. Female. Unknown.

Etymology. Named after the mountain (Elburz) where the new species was found. Discussion . The new species closely resembles to Atractides walteri (K. Viets, 1925) due to the papillate dorsal integument and extended secondary sclerotization (including the glandularia). The latter, a crenobiontic species known from Alps and Carpathians, differs from the male A. elburzensis n. sp. in having larger dimensions of acetabula, diameter > 50 µm, Vgl-3 fused to the caudal margin of Cx-4 and relatively short and curved I-L-6, length ratio I-L-5/6 1.46. Among other species with a smooth excretory pore, fused Vgl-1+2 and enlarged glandularia, Atractides trapeziformis Schwoerbel, 1961, a hyporheobiontic species from S Germany, is similar in having smaller acetabula and relatively long I-L-6, but clearly differs in the particular shape of genital field, trapeziform with nearly straight, caudally converging lateral margins on the level of Ac-2 and -3 (Gerecke 2003). Habitat. Sandy/bouldary stream, shaded by forest (Fig. 3). Distribution. Northern Iran; known only from the locus typicus.

Atractides (Atractides ) robustus (Sokolow, 1940) Records from Iran : Kerman Province – Asadi (2010). Habitat : Rhitrobiont. The statement of Asadi (2010) that A. robustus is a hyporheobiontic species should be rejected. Distribution : Western Palaearctic.

Atractides (Atractides ) fluviatilis (Szalay, 1929) Rejected records from Iran : Kermanshah Province – Peši ć et al . (2008). Remarks : Re-examination of specimens from Kermanshah published by Peši ć et al . (2008) under name of A. fluviatilis shows that they represent a juvenile specimen of A. mossahebii.

Atractides (Tympanomegapus ) acutirostris (Mota ş & C. Angelier, 1927) Records from Iran : Guilan Province – Peši ć et al . (2007); Kermanshah Province – Peši ć et al . (2008); Kerman Province – Asadi (2010). Habitat : Running waters. Distribution : Central and southern Europe, British Isles, Middle East.

Atractides (Tympanomegapus ) omanensis Smit & Peši ć, 2010 Records from Iran : Kerman Province – Peši ć et al . (2011). Habitat : Rhitrobiont; middle- and high-order streams. Distribution : Oman, Iran.

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Figure 3 . Sampling site of Atractides elburzensis n. sp. (Mazandaran Province, Kheirud Kenar forest, stream Kheirud). Photo. V. Peši ć

Atractides (Polymegapus) persicus Peši ć & Asadi, 2010 Records from Iran : Kerman Province – Asadi et al . (2010). Habitat : Springs. Distribution : Known only from the type locality (Gholgholoo spring near Jiroft city) in Southern Iran.

Hygrobates (Hygrobates ) angustipalpis K.O. Viets, 1982 Records from Iran : Guilan Province – Peši ć et al . (2007). Habitat : Running waters. Distribution : Israel, Iran.

Hygrobates (Hygrobates ) bucharicus Sokolow, 1928 Records from Iran : Guilan Province – Peši ć et al . (2007). Habitat : Slowly running waters. Distribution : Uzbekistan, Iran, Turkey.

Hygrobates (Hygrobates ) calliger Piersig, 1896 Records from Iran : Kermanshah Province – Peši ć et al . (2008); Kerman Province – Asadi (2010). Habitat : Rhitrobiont; lower, middle- and high-order streams. Distribution : Palaearctic.

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Hygrobates (Hygrobates ) fluviatilis (Ström, 1768) Records from Iran : Guilan Province – Peši ć et al . (2007); Kermanshah Province – Peši ć et al . (2008); Kerman Province – Asadi et al . (2009), Asadi (2010). Habitat : Rhitrobiont; lower, middle- and high-order streams, as well as rheocrenes. Distribution : Palaearctic.

Hygrobates (Hygrobates ) hamatus K. Viets, 1935 Records from Iran : Hormozgan Province – Peši ć et al . (2012). Habitat : Sandy/bouldery stream, with strong exposure to sunlight. Distribution : Oriental.

Hygrobates (Hygrobates ) setosus Besseling, 1942 Records from Iran : Guilan Province – “Hygrobates sp. nov. aff. nigromaculatus sensu Martin & Davids“ Pešić et al . (2007). Habitat : Lower and middle order streams, in pools. Distribution : Palaearctic.

Iranobates hesabii Peši ć, Smit & Asadi, 2011 Records from Iran : Kerman Province – Peši ć et al . (2011); Hormozgan Province – Peši ć et al . (2012). Habitat : Lentic part of a sandy/bouldery stream, with strong exposure to sunlight; lenitophilous. Distribution : Southern Iran.

Family Unionicolidae Oudemans, 1909

Neumania (Neumania ) maharashtris Cook, 1967 Records from Iran : Kerman Province – Peši ć et al . (2011); Hormozgan Province – Peši ć et al . (2012); Sistan va Baluchestan Province – Peši ć et al . (2012). Habitat : Lentic part of a sandy/bouldery stream, with strong exposure to sunlight; lenitophilous. Distribution : India, Iran.

Neumania (Neumania ) indentata Smit & Peši ć, 2010 Records from Iran : Kerman Province – Peši ć et al . (2011). Habitat : Lentic part of a sandy/bouldery stream, with strong exposure to sunlight; lenitophilous. Distribution : Oman, Iran.

Unionicola (Unionicola) crassipes (Müller, 1776) Records from Iran : Kermanshah Province – Peši ć et al . (2008). Habitat : Standing waters and slowly flowing waters. Distribution : Palaearctic.

Unionicola (Majumderatax ) hankoi Szalay, 1927 Records from Iran : Lorestan Province – Peši ć & Vafaei (2009). Habitat : Standing waters and pools of streams. Distribution : Eastern and Southern Europe, Iran, Turkey.

Family Pionidae Thor, 1900

Piona pusilla (Neuman, 1875) Records from Iran : Kermanshah Province – Peši ć et al . (2008). Habitat : Standing waters. Distribution : Holarctic.

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Forelia (Forelia ) variegator (Koch, 1837) Records from Iran : Kermanshah Province – Peši ć et al . (2008); Kerman Province – Asadi (2010). Habitat : Lakes and slow running streams. Distribution : Palaearctic.

Family Aturidae Thor, 1900

Albia (Dentalbia ) hyporheica Peši ć, Smit & Saboori, 2012 Records from Iran : Hormozgan Province – Peši ć et al . (2012). Habitat : Interstitial waters. Distribution : Known only from the type locality (Rudan stream, N of Bandar Abbass) in Southern Iran.

Aturus barbatulus K. Viets, 1936 Records from Iran : Kerman Province – Asadi (2010). Habitat : Spring brooks and low-order streams. Distribution : Mediterranean, Iran.

Aturus intermedius Protz, 1900 Records from Iran : Guilan Province – Peši ć et al . (2007). Habitat : Low-order streams. Distribution : Western Palaearctic.

Axonopsis (Brachypodopsis ) interstitialis Peši ć, Smit & Saboori, 2012 Records from Iran : Hormozgan Province – Peši ć et al . (2012). Habitat : Interstitial waters. Distribution : Known only from the type locality (Rudan stream, N of Bandar Abbass) in Southern Iran.

Axonopsis (Axonopsis ) hyporheica Peši ć, Smit & Saboori, 2012 Records from Iran : Hormozgan Province – Peši ć et al . (2012). Habitat : Interstitial waters. Distribution : Known only from the type locality (Rudan stream, N of Bandar Abbass) in Southern Iran.

Axonopsis (Vicinaxonopsis ) iranica Peši ć, Jabaleh & Saboori, 2009 Records from Iran : Golestan Province – Peši ć et al . (2009). Habitat : Rhitrobiont Distribution : Known only from the type locality (Sarmo River near Fazel Abad) in Northeastern Iran.

Axonopsis (Hexaxonopsis ) gloeeri Peši ć, Smit & Saboori, 2012 Records from Iran : Hormozgan Province – Peši ć et al . (2012). Habitat : Sandy/bouldery stream. Distribution : Known only from the two localities a shallow stream and a small pool in dry river bed (N of Bandar Abbass) in Southern Iran.

Axonopsis (Hexaxonopsis ) kermanica Peši ć & Asadi, 2010 Records from Iran : Kerman Province – “Axonopsis iranica ” Asadi et al . (2010), Peši ć and Asadi (2010); Hormozgan Province – Peši ć et al . (2012), Sistan va Baluchestan Province – Peši ć et al . (2012). Habitat : Lentic part of a sandy/bouldery stream, lenitophilous. Distribution : Southern Iran.

Axonopsis (Hexaxonopsis ) manoojani Peši ć & Asadi, 2010 Records from Iran : Kerman Province – Asadi et al . (2010); Hormozgan Province – Peši ć et al . (2012). Habitat : Lentic part of a sandy/bouldery stream, lenitophilous. Distribution : Southern Iran.

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Haloaxonopsis salina Peši ć, Smit & Saboori, 2012 Records from Iran : Hormozgan Province – Peši ć et al . (2012); Sistan va Baluchestan Province – Peši ć et al . (2012). Habitat : Saline streams. Distribution : Southern Iran.

Javalbia (Javalbiopsis) persica Peši ć, Smit & Saboori, 2012 Records from Iran : Hormozgan Province – Peši ć et al . (2012); Sistan va Baluchestan Province – Peši ć et al . (2012). Habitat : Most specimens were collected in the lotic part, a few specimens in the lentic part of sandy/bouldery streams; rhitrophilous. Distribution : Southern Iran.

Family Frontipodopsidae (Viets, 1931)

Frontipodopsis cf. reticulatifrons Szalay, 1945 Records from Iran : Hormozgan Province – Peši ć et al . (2012). Habitat : Interstitial waters. Distribution : Europe, Turkey, Iran.

Family Momoniidae K. Viets, 1929

Stygomomonia (Stygomomonia ) latipes Szalay, 1934 Records from Iran : Kerman Province – Asadi (2010). Habitat : Hyporheobiont. Asadi (2010) mentioned ponds as habitat for S. latipes , but this must be erroneous, as this species lives in streams. Distribution : Central, southern and south-eastern Europe.

Superfamily Arrenuroidea

Family Mideopsidae Koenike, 1910

Mideopsis (Mideopsis ) roztoczensis Biesiadka & Kowalik, 1979 Records from Iran : Guilan Province – Peši ć et al . (2007). Habitat : Running waters. Distribution : Western Palaearctic.

Xystonotus gereckei (Asadi & Peši ć, 2010) Records from Iran : Kerman Province – “Mideopsis (Xystonotus ) gereckei “ Asadi and Peši ć (2010). Habitat : Springs. Distribution : Southern Iran, only known from the type locality (Rezvan spring near Jiroft city).

Family Arrenuridae Thor, 1900

Arrenurus (Arrenurus ) bharatensis Cook, 1967 Records from Iran : Sistan va Baluchestan Province – Peši ć et al . (2012). Habitat : Standing waters. Distribution : India, Sulawesi, Indonesia, Iran.

Arrenurus (Arrenurus ) crenatus Koenike, 1896 Records from Iran : Kerman Province – Asadi (2010).

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Habitat : Standing waters. Distribution : Palaearctic.

Arrenurus (Arrenurus ) iranicus Smit & Peši ć, 2011 Records from Iran : Sistan va Baluchestan Province – Peši ć et al . (2011). Habitat : Springs. Distribution : Southern Iran; known only from the type locality (spring S of Saghuyeh village near Bavanat city).

Arrenurus (Arrenurus ) kermanensis Peši ć, Smit & Asadi, 2011 Records from Iran : Kerman Province – Peši ć et al . (2011). Habitat : Standing waters. Distribution : Iran, Turkey.

Arrenurus (Micruracarus ) walkanoffi K. Viets, 1926 Records from Iran : Guilan Province – Peši ć et al . (2007). Habitat : Standing waters and pools of streams. Distribution : Western Palaearctic.

Arrenurus (Micruracarus ) cyprioticus Smit & Peši ć, 2006 Records from Iran : Kerman Province – Asadi (2010). Habitat : Standing waters and pools of streams. Distribution : Cyprus, Iran.

Figure 4. Number of water mites from China (Jin et al . 2010), India (Peši ć et al . 2010b), Iran (present study), Turkey (Erman et al . 2010), Balkan Peninsula (Peši ć et al . 2010a), Montenegro (Peši ć et al . 2010a), Bulgaria (Peši ć et al . 2010a), Greece (Peši ć et al . 2010a), France (Smit & Gerecke 2010), The Netherlands (Smit et al . 2012), Germany (Gerecke & Lehmann 2005), Poland (Biesiadka 1997) and the Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania - Smit et al . 2010).

Discussion

At the present state of knowledge, the number of species and subspecies of water mites recorded from Iran tallies 186 species, in 43 genera and 25 families. As stated already by Peši ć and Saboori (2007), this number is far from a reliable estimation of the number of water mite species in Iran. This number is lower than

Ecol. Mont., 1 (1), 2014, 30-48 45

CHECKLIST OF WATER MITES OF IRAN number of water mites in some neighbouring areas, such as Turkey or the Balkan Peninsula, or even lower than number of water mites in some European countries which are much smaller compared with Iran (see Fig. 4). Peši ć and Saboori (2007) stated that “further studies to improve our knowledge on Iranian water mites should focus on collecting in little known areas, a revision of the still unstudied material from additional families (such as Lebertiidae) and filling the large gaps in our knowledge regarding the diversity of water mites in stagnant waters and in hyporheic habitats”. From 2007 an attempt was made for sampling in the area where water mites have never been sampled (e.g., Persian sea drainage basin), but standing waters and hyporheic habitats have received little attention thus far. Further, some families such as Lebertiidae are still insufficiently studied. The distribution of research on water mite fauna in Iran is uneven (Table 1). Only from one province more than 50 species is known. Seven provinces have species numbers between 20 and 50, from the remaining provinces less than 20 species are known. Additional field work is highly needed for an appropriate evaluation of the extant water mite biodiversity in Iran. The publication of this checklist should help to stimulate further studies on this important but still not well studied group of invertebrates.

Table 1 . Number of water mite species per Iranian province.

Province N of species Province N of species Ardebil 0 Kohgilayeh and Buyer 0 Ahmad Bushehr 0 Khorasan* 19 Chahar Mahal and 9 Khuzestan 0 Bakhtiari Guilan 28 Kordestan 2 East Azarbaijan 4 Lorestan 18 Isfahan 15 Mazandaran 54 Fars 20 Markazi 21 Golestan 5 Semnan 1 Hamedan 10 Sistan va Baluchestan 16 Hormozgan 23 Tehran 23 Ilam 0 Yazd 10 Kermanshah 30 West Azarbayian 4 Kerman 42 Qom 0 • From 2004 divided into 3 provinces (North Khorasan, South Khorasan and Razavi Khorasan)

Acknowledgements The project was supported by "Center of Excellence of Biological Control of Pests", Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran which is greatly appreciated.

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