First Canadian record of the water mite Thermacarus nevadensis Marshall, 1928 (Arachnida: Acariformes: Hydrachnidiae: Thermacaridae) from hot springs in British Columbia.

Cory Sheffield,Jennifer Heron

doi:10.3897/bdj.4.e9550

Abstract

BackgroundThermacarus nevadensis Marshall, 1928 is an uncommonly collected mite associated with hot spring environments in the western United States. Information on its distribution and ecology are incomplete.New informationIn this paper, we report Thermacarus nevadensis from northern British Columbia. These records represent the first of Thermacaridae from Canada, the most northern records of this species in North America, and the most northern records for the family globally. We also provide short notes and images of the habitats in which specimens have been collected in Canada.

Highlights

Hot spring habitats, as defined by Pentecost et al (2003), often harbour unique assemblages of species, as the continuous and consistent high-temperature flow and chemical composition of the water provide a stable environment that promotes adaptation to extreme thermal conditions
We report Thermacarus nevadensis from northern British Columbia
Despite a high number of water mite species occurring in Canada (Smith 1991, Smith and Cook 1991), none have yet been confirmed from hot spring environments in the country, though Smith et al (2011) suggested that there could be at least a few species based on fauna found in similar habitats in the adjacent United States

Summary

Background

Thermacarus nevadensis Marshall, 1928 is an uncommonly collected mite associated with hot spring environments in the western United States. Information on its distribution and ecology are incomplete. We report Thermacarus nevadensis from northern British Columbia. These records represent the first of Thermacaridae from Canada, the most northern records of this species in North America, and the most northern records for the family globally.

Introduction

Materials and methods

Findings

Discussion