Axonopsis (Hexaxonopsis) romijni Viets 1923
Creators: name: Esen, Yunus
name: Pešić, Vladimir
name: Erman, Orhan
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2011
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Trombidiformes
Axonopsidae
Axonopsis
Axonopsis romijni

description: Axonopsis (Hexaxonopsis) romijni Viets, 1923
(Figs. 3 A–F)
New records. Bingöl Province, Genç, Kale stream, 38°31'41"N 40°32'40"E, 920 m asl., 19.vii.2010, (1/3/0); ibid., 04.viii.2010, (2/0/0).
Further material (as ” Axonopsis serrata ” Pešiċ et al. 2006): Turkey, Malatya Province, Arapgir, Kozluk stream, 39º04'N 38º30'E, 950 m asl., 05.vii.2004, Esen (8/20/0).
Morphology. Male: Dorsal shield L 436, W 352; ventral shield (Fig. 3 F) L 436, W 353; capitular bay L 107; W between most lateral pair of Ac; W 147; gonopore W 29; palp: total L 197, dL and %L (in parentheses): P-1 34 (17.3); P-2 43 (21.8); P-3 27 (13.7); P-4 72 (36.5); P-5 21 (10.7); L P-2/P-4 ratio 0.60; chelicera total L 96; capitulum ventral L 75. Legs: dL of I-L-3-6: 33-58-72-77; dL of IV-L: 54-71-65-88-100-94; swimming setae numbers: II-L-5 3; III-L-4 2; III-L-5 3-4; IV-L-4 2; IV-L-5 2-3;
Female: Similar to male except for the shape of the genital field (Fig. 3 B); dorsal shield (Fig. 3 A) L 449, W 358; ventral shield (Fig. 3 B) L 449, W 360; capitular bay L 110; W between most lateral pair of Ac 163; gonopore W 81; palp (Figs. 3 C–D): total L 195, dL and %L: P-1 31 (15.9); P-2 43 (22.1); P-3 30 (15.4); P-4 70 (35.9); P-5 21 (10.8); L P-2/P-4 ratio 0.61; chelicera total L 94; capitulum ventral L 83. Legs: dL of I-L-4-6 (Fig. 3 E): 58-68-69; dL of IV-L: 54-77-71-78-88-87; palp chaetotaxy and swimming setae numbers as in male.
Remarks. Due to the combination of the following features: the absence of spine–like projections on the dorsal shield, the lack of lateral projections on the sides of the ventral shield, only lateral ends of Cx- I and -II produced into hook-like projections (see K. Viets 1923) and the ventral side of P-4 bearing a relatively long and very heavy seta, the specimens from Turkey show a general conformity with Axonopsis romijni, a rhitrobiontic species recorded from scattered areas in Europe. An analysis of the specimens published by Pešiċ et al. (2006) as Axonopsis serrata shows that these specimens represent A. romijni.
Axonopsis armata Chaudonneret & Angelier, 1949, a species described from a single female specimen from France, closely resemble A. romijni. In the original description, Chaudonneret & Angelier (1949), considered the presence of a suture line between Cx-II and –III, and a slight differences in the location of acetabula as diagnostic for Axonopsis armata compared with A. romijni. However, the aforementioned characters are known to vary (often as a result of mounting) and are considered nowadays to be of minor taxonomic importance in the genus Axonopsis. Other information available from the original description (e.g. only lateral ends of Cx-I and – II with hooks) is in close agreement with A. romijni. Thus, A. armata should be considered a junior synonym of A. romijni.
Distribution. Europe. New for Turkey.
description: Published as part of Esen, Yunus, Pešić, Vladimir & Erman, Orhan, 2011, Water mites of the family Aturidae Thor, 1900 from Turkey (Acari: Hydrachnidia), with description of two new species, pp. 25-42 in Zootaxa 2746 on pages 29-30, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.204454