Atractides (Atractides) ethiopiensis, Pesic, Vladimir & Smit, Harry, 2011

Pesic, Vladimir & Smit, Harry, 2011, A new species of Atractides Koch, 1837 (Acari, Hydrachnidia, Hygrobatidae) from Ethiopia, with a discussion on the biodiversity of the genus Atractides in the Afrotropical region, ZooKeys 86, pp. 1-10 : 2-4

Atractides (Atractides) ethiopiensis sp. n. Figs 13

Type series.

Holotype, male (ZMAN), dissected and slide mounted, Ethiopia, Roby River, 21.x.2006, 9°44.996N, 38°59.743E, 2507 m a.s.l. Paratypes: two males, one female (ZMAN, one female dissected and slide mounted), same data as holotype.

Diagnosis.

Dorsal integument striated, palp slender with P-2 straight in the both sexes, S-1 in female ending in a fine hair-like tip, excretory pore surrounded by distinct oval sclerite, Vgl-1 fused to Vgl-2.

Description.

General features. Dorsal integument: striated, muscle attachment plates unsclerotized. Coxal field: extended secondary sclerotization, caudal margin Cx-I broadly convex. Genital field: Ac in a weakly curved line. Excretory pore: sclerotized; Vgl-1 fused to Vgl-2. Palp: ventral margin of P-2 and ventral margin of P-3 slightly concave, ventral margin of P-4 straight, sword seta between ventral hairs, nearer to the distoventral hairs. Legs: I-L-5 S-1 and S-2 pointed, interspaced, S-2 basally enlarged, bluntly pointed; I-L-6 slender, curved, with maximum H proximally; leg claws with dorsal and ventral clawlets (Fig. 2C).

Morphology.

Male:

Idiosoma

L/W 669-684/541-556; coxal field L 420; Cx-III W 484; Cx-I+II mL 156; lL Cx-I+II 265. Genital field (Fig. 1): anterior margin convex, with a border of secondary sclerotization convexely protruding, anterior margins of gonopore and Ac-1 considerably distant from anterior margin of genital field; L/W 150/150; L Ac 1-3: 38-41, 39-45, 39-41.

Palp

(Fig. 2A): total L 369, dL: P-1, 35; P-2, 72; P-3, 92; P-4, 131; P-5, 39; L ratio P-2/P-4, 0.55; P-4 club-shaped, with maximum H near distoventral hair.

I-L: I-L-5 dL 243, vL 169, dL/vL ratio 1.44, HB 50, dL/HB 4.86, S-1 L 121, L/W 11.2, S-2 L 95, L/W 5.6, distance S-1-2 23, L ratio S-1/2 1.27; I-L-6 L 166, HB 16, L/HB ratio 10.3; L ratio I-L-5/6 1.46.

Female.

Idiosoma

L/W 1106/928; coxal field L 473; Cx-III W 644; Cx-I+II mL 147; lL Cx-I+II 284. Genital field (Fig. 3B): L/W 181/209; genital plate bean-shaped, with slightly concave medial margins, L 139; L Ac 1-3: 44, 47, 43.

Palp

(Fig. 2D): total L 417, dL: P-1, 48; P-2, 80; P-3, 115; P-4, 132; P-5, 42; L ratio P-2/P-4, 0.6; P-4 not club-shaped, with maximum H near proximoventral hair; chelicera total L 250, claw L 83.

I-L: I-L-5 dL 279, vL 186, dL/vL ratio 1.5, HB 65, dL/HB 4.3, S-1 ending in a fine hair-like tip (Fig. 3C) L 162, L/W 11.3, S-2 L 117, L/W 4.8, distance S-1-2 29, L ratio S-1/2 1.38; I-L-6 L 210, HB 19, L/HB ratio 11.1; L ratio I-L-5/6 1.33.

Etymology.

Named after its occurrence in Ethiopia.

Remarks.

Due to the striated integument, a slender palp with P-2 lacking ventrodistal projection and similar morphology of I-L-5 and -6, with S-1 in female ending in a fine hair-like tip Atractides ethiopiensis sp. n. resembles Atractides latisetus (K. Viets, 1916), a species known from Cameroon (K. Viets 1916), Liberia ( Cook 1966), East and South Africa ( Lundblad 1952, Viets 1964). This species can be easily distinguished from Atractides ethiopiensis sp. n., by a smooth excretory pore and unfused Vgl-1 and -2.

Distribution.

Ethiopia.