Atractides

Gerecke, Reinhard, 2003, Water mites of the genus Atractides Koch, 1837 (Acari: Parasitengona: Hygrobatidae) in the western Palaearctic region: a revision, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 138, pp. 141-378 : 213-215

ATRACTIDES GRANULATUS (K. VIETS, 1930)

Megapus inflatus granulatus K. Viets, 1930

Syn. to A. inflatus ( Walter, 1925) : Lundblad, 1956

Type series: Lectotype, here designated: SMF 3873 Atractides inflatus granulatus ♂ ♀ (Viets) Type; Spanien Madrid Rio Manzanares 4.5.1919 3873; containing 2 ♂, 2 ♀, one of the ♂ obviously representing a different species (mediocaudal margin Cx-1 + 2 concave, anterior margin of genital field medially incavated, P-3 without ventral protrusion, P-4 thicker, I-L not visible laterally, evtl. = A. nodipalpis ); the other male designated as lectotype. State of conservation: good.

Discussion: When Viets described this taxon, he clearly did not have to hand Walter’s description of the male of A. inflatus and restricted the comparison between the two taxa to the female. He stated the following arguments for introducing a new subspecies (characters of A. inflatus s.s. in parentheses): ventral margin of P-2 and -3 granulated (smooth); P-4 relatively long (shorter); mediocaudal margin Cx-1 + 2 nearly truncate (tongue-shaped); suture Cx-3/4 equally curved (forming an obtuse angle near Cxgl); I-L-6 more (less) curved.

As Lundblad (1956) pointed out, the granulation is found also in the type of A. inflatus ; the mediocaudal margin of Cx-1 + 2 is tongue-shaped in young specimens, but becomes more flattened with increasing age, and also the curvation of I-L-6 is variable in A. inflatus . My measurements provide no evidence for any noteworthy difference in relative L of P-4 ( A. inflatus : 31%, A. granulatus : 32%). In Figure 28A , the palp of the lectotype male of A. granulatus is depicted. Its description by Viets agrees well with A. inflatus ( Walter, 1928b) . A. granulatus is a synonym of A. inflatus .

ATRACTIDES VALENCIANUS (K. VIETS, 1930)

( FIG. 34A–G )

Megapus valencianus K. Viets, 1930

Type series: Lectotype ♂, here designated SMF 2733 Atractides valencianus Viets ♂; Spanien Zaragoza Balsa salada 8.7.1918 2733 containing two ♂, one of them dissected (lectotype) the other undissected (paralectotype). State of conservation: good, both palps separate laterally, of the chelicerae only one basal segment remaining, Gsk missing . Paralectotype: SMF 3845 ♀, labelled like lectotype. State of conservation: good, idiosoma irregularly dissected, with genital field longitudinally ruptured, both palps, both I-L lateral, only one chelicera preserved, with broken claw tip .

Description:

General features dorsal integument: lineated (5/10); muscle attachments: unsclerotized

I-L: I-L-5 S-1 and -2 wide interspace and rather slender, S-2 distally truncated, S-2 pointed, slightly thicker; I-L-6 basally and distally slightly thickened, curved genital field: Ac small and roundish, in an obtuse triangle excretory pore: smooth; Vgl-1: not fused to Vgl-2

palp: sexual dimorphism

Males

Lectotype genital field: anterior margin primary and secondary sclerotization irregularly convex, posterior margin primary sclerotization slightly indented, secondary sclerotization irregular; genital setae: 50

palp: P-2 convex extension protruding at the distoventral edge, with a fine longitudinal line separating a lateral lamellar part that continues into the laterodistal margin of the segment, from the more strongly sclerotized protrusion proper; ventral margin P-3 slightly concave, P-4 1: 1: 1 or 2: 1: 2, sword seta strong, between ventral hairs idiosoma L/W 590/480; glandularia 25

coxal field L 306; Cx-3 W 378; Cx-1 + 2 mL 85, IL 163, W 224

I-L-5 dL 180, vL 128, dL/vL 1.41, HA-HC 40, 47, 58, dL/HB 3.83

S-1 L 87, L/ W 12.4, S-2 L 78, L/ W 7.8, interspace 16, L S-1/2 1.12

I-L-6 L 132, HA-HC 25, 20, 20, dL/HB 6.60; L I-L-5/6 1.37

genital field L/W 76/92, Ac-1–3 L 17, 19, 20

gnathosoma vL 134; chelicera –

Figures

Figure 28. Atractides inflatus. A, ♂ SMF 3873 (holotype of A. inflatus granulatus = syn. to A. inflatus, SMF 3873); B, ♂ Sicily I 323; C, D, ♂ Algeria, coll. Gauthier, NHMB, E–H holotype ♀ NHMB. A, ♂ coxal field; B, ♂ genital field; C, ♂ I-L-5 and -6; D, ♂ palp, medial view; E, ♀ palp, medial view; F, ♀ genital field; G, ♀ I-L-5 and -6; H, ♀ coxal field. Scale bars = 100 µm.

Figure 34. Atractides valencianus, type series. A–C, paralectotype ♀, D–G, lectotype ♂. A, ♀ I-L-5 and -6; B, ♀ palp, medial view; C, ♀ genital field without right genital plate; D, ♂ genital field, E, ♂ palp, medial view; F, ♂ palp, lateral view; G, ♂ I-L-5 and -6. Scale bars = 100 µm.