| Descriptions of four new species of Stenasellus (Aselloidea: Stenasellidae) from the underflow of temporary streams (wadis) in northern part of Oman Sultanate. S. vermeuleni n.sp. (11.2 mm or more) and S. messanai n.sp. (7.7 mm or more) are probably karstic water species, accidentally or locally present in the alluvium. The smaller S. henryi n.sp. (3.5 mm), the most widely spread, seems to be typically an inhabitant of coarse sand and gravel alluvial deposits, and bears hypertrophied gnathopods. S. grafi n.sp. (2 mm), the smallest known Stenasellid, is highly adapted to mesopsammal life; its dwarfism reduces drastically the number of oocytes, but little their size. The species of the arabian Peninsula are strongly related to these of eastern Africa... |
