title: A new species of Litarachna (Acari, Hydrachnidia, Pontarachnidae) from a Caribbean mesophotic coral ecosystem.
abstract: Hydrachnidia) from the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico are presented. Litarachna lopezae sp. n., from substrata collected from Bajo de Sico, a mesophotic coral reef ecosystem in Mona Passage off Puerto Rico, is described as new to science. The new species was collected from nearly 70 m depth, the greatest depth from which pontarachnid mites have been found until now. In addition, a Litarachna sp. was also found in association with the tube of the polychaete Sabellastarte magnifica (Shaw, 1800) at the shallow waters of north Puerto Rico.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Montenegro, Cetinjski put b.b., 81000 Podgorica, Montenegro.
authors.forename: Vladimir
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Pešić
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Indian School of Learning, I.S.M. Annexe, P.O. - I.S.M., Dhanbad-826004, Jharkhand, India.
authors.forename: Tapas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Chatterjee
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez, Call Box 9000, Mayagüez, PR 00681, USA.
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alfaro
authors.affiliation: Department of Marine Sciences, University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez, Call Box 9000, Mayagüez, PR 00681, USA.
authors.forename: Nikolaos V
authors.initials: NV
authors.lastname: Schizas
keywords: Puerto Rico; Water mites; biodiversity; marine environment; taxonomy