Atractides (s. str.) pennatus (K. Viets, 1920 )

Gerecke, Reinhard, 2021, The water mites of the family Hygrobatidae (Acari, Hydrachnidia) in Italy, Zootaxa 5009 (1), pp. 1-85 : 35

Atractides (s. str.) pennatus (K. Viets, 1920)

(Figs 26 I-K; 31 R)

Material examined: Calabria: I 1082, 6/1/2 (1/1/0 slide); I 1101 a, 0/1/2 slide; Friuli-Venezia Giulia: I 1603, 1/0/0; I 1604, 0/1/0; Lazio: I 884, 0/2/0 (0/1/0 slide); Sicilia: Etna, Nebrodi, Iblei, Sicani, Central South. I 99, 0/3/0 (0/1/0 slide); I 207, 1/6/0 (1/1/0 slide); I 211 a, 2/5/1 (1/1/1 slide); I 222, 3/1/2 slide; I 468, 0/1/0 slide; I 469, 1/0/0 slide; I 500, 0/1/0 slide; I 578, 0/1/0 slide; I 582, 1/0/0 slide; I 607, 1/0/0 slide; I 611, 1/1/0 slide; I 615, 7/8/0 slide. 16 sites, 60 specimens .

Previously published records from Italy: Abruzzo (Cicolani 1983, Cicolani & Sisino 1983, Cicolani & Di Sabatino 1988); Marche (“ A. nodipalpis longitibialis » K. Viets 1955 – see Gerecke 2003); Veneto ( Cicolani 1984).

Remarks: Males of Atractides anae Pešić, 2020 , described from two springs in the Balkans, differ from A. pennatus in the presence of a knob-shaped projection at the anterior margin of the genital plate (Pešić et al. 2020). Males of nearly all populations treated here have a genital plate with an equally rounded anterior margin as typical for A. pennatus . Exceptions are found in two springs in the Sicilian Sicani mountains: Males from sites I 469 and I 611 have genital plates with a slightly developed anteriomedial projection. However, other specimens from the same area have their genital plate anteriorly equally rounded.

Habitat: Crenobiont, in the area treated, four records from stream benthos in karstic areas, preferably at low altitude, 60-900 m.

Distribution: Europe, not recorded from Fennoscandia and the Caucasus.