Atractides (Atractides) garhwali Pešić, Kumar & Kumar, 2007

PešićK, Vladimir, SmitK, Harry & GurungK, Mer Man, 2023, Five new species of water mite genus Atractides Koch, 1837 from Bhutan with new records (Acari: Hydrachnidia: Hygrobatidae), Acarologia 63 (1), pp. 148-168 : 149-151

Atractides (Atractides) garhwali Pešić, Kumar & Kumar, 2007

Figures 1-2

Material examined — Bhutan, MG 3 Bipgang Chhu, 27.15729°N, 90.66721°E, 596 m asl,

25 Oct. 2021, 3♂, 4♀ (1♂, 1♀, dissected and slide mounted; RMNH); MG 4 Takabi Chhu, 27.14782°N, 90.68833°E, 543 m asl, 26 Oct. 2021, 1♀.

Morphology — General features – Integument striated, muscle insertions unsclerotized. Mediocaudal margin Cx-I convex, apodemes of Cx-II forming an acute angle with the median line. Excretory pore smooth; Vgl-1 not fused to Vgl-2. Palp with a weak sexual dimorphism, P-2 ventral margin nearly straight, without a ventrodistal protrusion, but forming a distinct ventrodistal angle, ventral margin P-3 straight or slightly concave, P-4 slightly protruding near insertion of proximoventral seta, sword seta between ventral setae, nearer to distoventral seta ( Figures 1A, D). I-L-5 with S-1 longish and bluntly pointed, S-2 thicker, proximally enlarged and pointed; I-L-6 curved, basally thickened, from the centre to the claw furrow with parallel dorsal and ventral margins ( Figures 1B, E).

Male – Genital plate anterior margin convex, with a narrow border of secondary sclerotization, posterior margin deeply indented, acetabula in triangular arrangement ( Figure 1C); P-4 thickened, ventral sectors 1: 1: 1 ( Figure 1A).

Female – Genital field with acetabula in an obtuse triangle ( Figure 2), P-4 slender than in male.

Measurements — Male – Idiosoma L 388. Coxal shield L 250; Cx-III W 283; Cx-I+II mL

88, Cx-I+II lL 183. Genital field L/W 86/98, ratio 0.87, L Ac-1-3: 34-35, 34-36, 30.

Palp – Total L 232; dL/H, dL/H ratio: P-1, 22/22, 1.0; P-2, 50/35, 1.42; P-3, 55/34, 1.65;

P-4, 77/31, 2.45; P-5, 28/12, 2.3; L ratio P-2/P-4, 0.65.

Legs – I-L-5 dL 138, vL 91, dL/vL ratio 1.52, maximum H 42, dL/maximum H 3.26, S-1 L

77, L/W ratio 10.2, S-2 L 60, L/W ratio 5.47, distance S-1-2, 15, dL ratio S-1/2 1.27; I-L-6 dL

101, central H 16, dL/central H ratio 6.15; L I-L-5/6 ratio 1.36.

Female – Idiosoma L 703, W 555; maximum diameter Dgl-4, 27. Coxal shield L 353; Cx-III W 445; Cx-I+II mL 134, Cx-I+II lL 231. Genital field L/W 159/177, genital plates L 128-130, pregenital sclerite 70, gonopore L 127, L Ac-1-3: 48-53, 53-55, 49-50.

Palp – Total L 346; dL/H, dL/H ratio: P-1, 31/27, 1.18; P-2, 67/46, 1.46; P-3, 97/40, 2.44;

P-4, 109/30, 3.68; P-5, 42/14, 3.0; L ratio P-2/P-4, 0.61.

Legs – I-L-5 dL 222, vL 144, dL/vL ratio 1.54, maximum H 58, dL/maximum H 3.84, S-1

L 114, L/W ratio 10.4, S-2 L 91, L/W ratio 5.3, distance S-1-2, 31, dL ratio S-1/2 1.26; I-L-6

dL 156, central H 19, dL/central H ratio 8.3; L I-L-5/6 ratio 1.42.

Remarks — The specimens from Bhutan generally match the description of Atractides garhwali Pešić, Kumar & Kumar, 2007 , a species widely distributed in the Western Himalayas ( Pešić et al. 2007, 2019). However, we cannot exclude the possibility that A. garhwali represents a species complex. To address the question of possible cryptic speciation in the latter species complex additional material should be tested with the application of molecular techniques in case data are available from the type locality of A. garhwali .

Distribution — India (Uttarakhand), Bhutan.