Two new species from the Hygrobates nigromaculatus-complex (Acariformes, Hydrachnidia, Hygrobatidae), based on morphological and molecular evidence
Vladimir Pešić, Milica Jovanović, Ana Manović, Andrej Zawal, Aleksandra Bańkowska, Łukasz Broda, Peter Martin, Mirosława Dabert
Abstract
We analyse the taxonomic structure of the Hygrobates nigromaculatus-complex from the Balkan Peninsula. We describe two new species: Hygrobates lacrima Pešić sp. nov. (Montenegro) and H. limnocrenicus Pešić sp. nov. (Montenegro, North Macedonia). Although both species are morphologically similar, the average K2P-distance between DNA-barcode sequences from H. limnocrenicus sp. nov. and its closest relative H. setosus was 12.43% (SD = 1.47), and between H. lacrima sp. nov. and its closest relative H. nigromaculatus 15.87% (SD = 1.74). The new species exhibit distinct differences in terms of habitat preference: H. lacrima sp. nov. inhabits pools and shallow eddies along faster flowing waters, whereas H. limnocrenicus sp. nov. prefers deeper, fast flowing water, typically found in the outflow of a limnocrenic springs or lake outlets. The finding of these two new species suggests that efforts to investigate mites of the H. nigromaculatus-complex in the Balkans should be intensified.