Protzia zagrosiensis Bader & Sepasgozarian 1980
Creators: name: Pesic, Vladimir
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2005
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Trombidiformes
Protziidae
Protzia
Protzia zagrosiensis

description: Protzia zagrosiensis Bader & Sepasgozarian, 1980   
(Figs. 10–14)  
 Type series: Lectotype, male, here designated: dissected and slide mounted in Hoyer's fluid. NHMB 1977­09­24 _2[9,15,16] Gebiet Korramabad­Malayer­Hamadan; Abfluss des Quellgebiet Abe Sarabe Sefid, 2 km unterhalb Quellgebiet, leg. Schw & Sepas. Paralectotypes: 65 males, 128 (49 ovig.) females, same data as lectotype, 2 males and 5 females of them dissected and slide mounted in Hoyer's fluid.   
 New records: NHMB 1978­10­14 _1[78/83;78/193 k21] Elburs Mountain area, spring, Karadj­Tschalus road towards Dizin, 3.3 km toward Walangrud, leg. Bader & Sepasgosarian; (4/15/3); NHMB 1977­09­24 _4[8], Khorramabad area – Malayer Hamadan, river Gele Rud near village Schejkh Miri Sadat, leg. Schwoerbel & Sepasgosarian (0/1/0); 1975­06­12 _1[16] Chalus area, stream, Warebon­Tilakenar, 6 km from Chalus, above the school, 70 m asl., leg. Bader & Kheiry (0/1/0); NHMB Iran, without place sampling, 1977, 1978? (0/8/0); IR29 Chahar Mahal and Bakhtiari Province, road from Saman to Farsan, Mike spring, ca. 2100 m asl., 01.08.2003, leg. Pesic (3/15/0).   
 Diagnosis: Characters of the eximia species group; genital field with 15–19 Ac, caudal Ac on relatively short stalks (L 13–19 µm, ratio caudal stalk length/Ac length 0.5–0.8), gnathosoma relatively short (L/ W 1.4 –1.7); egg diameter 170–191 µm; genital skeleton 135–145 µm.   
 Description: Variability given as mean (minimum–maximum); Males (n=3): leg claws with 4 Lcl and 5–6 Mcl; genital field (Fig. 11) with 17 (17–18) Ac; CAc L 24 (22–27), CAc W 19 (18–21), ratio L/ W 1.28 (1.2–1.39); CAc stalk L 15.5(13–18), stalk L/L of CAc 0.64 (0.57–0.7); genital skeleton L 140 (138–145); gnathosoma L 160 (156–163), W 104 (103–106), L/W ratio 1.54 (1.52–1.57); chelicera L 200 (192–212), ratio basal segment/ claw 2.07 (1.96–2.17), ratio L/H 4.56 (4.1–5.14); palp (Figs. 13–14) total L 278 (276– 285), dorsal length: P­1 23 (20–26.5), P­2 69 (68–70), P­3 44 (43–46), P­4 111 (110–113), P­5 30.7 (30–31), L/H ratio: P­1 0.65 (0.6–0.7), P­2 1.94 (1.8–2.17), P­3 1.0 (1.0), P­4 3.67 (3.65–3.7), P­5 2.6 (2.35–2.9), relative length (given as % of total length): P­1 8.4 (7.3–9.3), P­2 24.8 (24.2–25.6), P­3 15.9 (15.6–16), P­4 40 (39.7–40.3), P­5 11 (10.9– 11.3); L ratio P­2/P­4 0.62 (0.61–0.63).   
 Females (n=5): leg claws with 4–5 Lcl and 6–7 Mcl (Fig. 12); genital field (Fig. 10) with 17 (15–19) Ac; CAc L 25 (20–32), CAc W 19.4 (16–22), ratio L/ W 1.27 (1.1–1.6); CAc stalk L 16 (13–19), stalk L/L of CAc 0.64 (0.52–0.8); gnathosoma L 183 (174–191), W 114 (103–123), L/W ratio 1.61 (1.5–1.74); chelicera L 221 (204–229), ratio basal segment/claw 1.98 (1.7–2.16), ratio L/H 5.2 (4.6–5.7); palp total L 296 (270–305), dorsal length: P­1 31 (29–33), P­2 69 (66–72), P­3 47 (43–48), P­4 116 (103–124), P­5 33 (30– 35), L/H ratio: P­1 0.74 (0.7–0.78), P­2 1.98 (1.74–2.19), P­3 1.04 (1.0–1.1), P­43.7 (3.54– 3.82), P­5 2.5 (2.3–2.8), relative length (given as % of total length): P­1 10.2 (9.8–10.8), P­2 23.4 (22.6–24.6), P­3 15.9 (15.4–16.6), P­4 39.3 (38–40.8), P­5 11.1 (10.6–11.6); L ratio P­2/P­4 0.6 (0.58–0.65); egg diameter (n =10) 181 (170–191).   
 Remarks: The redescription of specimens from the type series of P. zagrosiensis demonstrates that the population from Abe Sarabe Sefid agrees well with P. alborziensis. The only differences are found in the higher diameter of eggs (> 170 µm vs. <140 µm in P. alborziensis), and in the relatively shorter gnathosoma (L/ W 1.5 –1.7 vs. 2.0– 2.3 in P. alborziensis). According to Gerecke (1999) the shape of gnathosoma in ventral view (expressed as L/W ratio) is extremely variable and therefore is not suitable for species determination in the eximia species group. In the L/W ratio of the gnathosoma considerably overlaps with the values found in populations of P. caucasica from Vladicaucasus (SMF 4109, 4110; see Gerecke, 1996a). These populations differ from typical P. caucasica populations in the extremely flattened CAc (L/ W 1.0 –1.1), a more shorter gnathosoma (L/ H 1.5), and a slender chelicera (ratio L/H 4.8). In view of the generally homogeneous morphology of the gnathosoma in all investigated populations from a wider geographic range, and of overlapping of their distribution patterns, P. zagrosiensis and P. alborziensis are at best regarded as separate species. The populations from Vladicaucasus described by Gerecke (1996a: SMF 4109, 4110) should be assigned to P. zagrosiensis, in this concept a species with a relatively shorter gnathosoma.   
The specimens from Elburs Mountain (1[78/83;78/193 k21]) and Chahar Mahal and Bakhtiari Province (IR29) are in agreement with the specimens from the type series. The only difference is found in the more flattened CAc (L/ W 1.0 –1.1). In view of the good agreement in other measurements this difference are most probably age­depending and/or due to geographical variability.  
 Distribution: Caucasus Mt. (Vladicaucasus), Iran.
description: Published as part of Pesic, Vladimir, 2005, Water mites of the genus Protzia Piersig, 1896 (Acari, Hydrachnidia: Hydryphantidae) from Iran, pp. 53-64 in Zootaxa 1019 (1) on pages 59-61, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.1019.1.4, http://zenodo.org/record/5049470