Atractides (Atractides) elburzensis Pešić, Smit & Saboori, 2014

Pešić, Vladimir, Smit, Harry & Saboori, Alireza, 2021, New records of the water mite genus Atractides Koch, 1837 from Iran (Acari: Hydrachnidia: Hygrobatidae), Ecologica Montenegrina 44, pp. 1-10 : 2

Atractides (Atractides) elburzensis Pešić, Smit & Saboori, 2014

Fig. 1

Material examined — Iran, IR81 Mazandaran Province, Tilikenar (ca. 25 km from Chalus), Warabon , stream in forest, 17.06.2005, leg. Pešić & Saboori, 1 ♂, 14 ♀ (1 ♂, 1 ♀, dissected and slide mounted - RMNH) .

Description. Female — Integument striated, muscle insertions unsclerotized. Glandularia enlarged (Dgl-3 38 µm); secondary sclerotization generally less extended than in males (see Pešić et al. 2014), but clearly visible in the irregular margins of the glandularia, coxae and genital sclerites. Mediocaudal margin Cx-I convex, apodemes of Cx-II in an obtuse angle. Acetabula in an obtuse triangle, pregen large ( Fig. 1A ). Excretory pore smooth; Vgl-1 not fused to Vgl-2 (but in older specimens apparently fused). Palps: more slender than in males (see Pešić et al. 2014), ventral margin P-2 straight, with slightly curved distal margin, ventral margin P-3 straight or slightly concave, P-4 with a small denticle near ventral setae, P-4 sword seta halfway between ventral setae ( Fig. 1B ). Legs: I-L-5 with dorsal and ventral margins subparallel basally and centrally, but slightly diverging near the distal edge, S-1 and -2 slender and close to each other; I-L-6 relatively long and weakly curved, narrowed in the centre of the segment ( Fig. 1C ).

Measurements. Female — Idiosoma L 675, W 531; maximum diameter Dgl-3, 38. Coxal shield L 316; Cx-III W 386; Cx-I+II mL 106, Cx-I+II lL 216. Genital field L/W 141/147, genital plates L 92-99, pregenital sclerite W 100, gonopore L 106, L Ac-1-3: 29, 30, 33. Eggs (n = 2) maximum diameter 141-144.

Gnathosoma — palp total L 332; dL/H, dL/H ratio: P-1, 26/25, 1.03; P-2, 66/41, 1.6; P-3, 89/37, 2.4 1.9; P-4, 118/27, 4.2; P-5, 33/11, 3.0; length ratio P-2/P-4, 0.59. Gnathosoma vL 115.

Legs — I-L-5 dL 157, vL 130, dL/vL ratio 1.21, maximum H 31, dL/maximum H 5.1, S-1 L 48, L/W ratio 7.7, S-2 L 48, L/W ratio 6.8, distance S-1-2, 4.0, dL ratio S-1/2 1.0; I-L-6 dL 119, central H 23, dL/central H ratio 5.17; L I-L-5/6 ratio 1.32.

Remarks — The species was described by Pešić et al. (2014) on the basis of a single male collected in a mountain stream in Kheirud Kenar forest in Mazandaran Province. Therefore, this is the first description of the female.

Distribution — Iran ( Pešić et al. 2014; this study).

Figures

Figure 1. Atractides elburzensis Pešić, Smit & Saboori, 2014, ♀, Tilikenar, Iran. A – idiosoma, ventral view; B – palp, lateral view; C – I-L-5 and -6. Scale bars = 100 µm.