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

Gerecke, Reinhard, 2021, The water mites of the family Hygrobatidae (Acari, Hydrachnidia) in Italy, Zootaxa 5009 (1), pp. 1-85 : 23

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

(Figs 26 L-N, 31 P)

Material examined: Calabria: I 1086, 0/2/0 slide; Friuli-Venezia Giulia: I 1356, 2/0/1; Sardegna: I TG 17-05, 10/22/1; Sicilia: Etna, Iblei. I 1, 0/1/0, slide; I 98, 1/3/1 (1/1/1 slide); I 179, 1/0/0, slide; I 212 a, 0/3/0; I 212 c, 1/3/0; I 213, 0/2/0; I 222, 10/9/19 (0/1/0 slide); I 223, 0/6/0 (0/1/0 slide); I 250, 2/5/0 (1/2/0 slide); I 260, 0/2/0; I 307, 0/1/0 slide; I 317, 3/6/0 (1/1/0 slide); I 585, 3/1/2 (1/1/1 slide), I 587, 4/7/0; I 588, 2/4/0; I 609, 4/5/0; Veneto: Val Borago , uncertain date, Olivieri coll., 3/9/0 slide. 19 sites, 166 specimens .

Previously published records from Italy: Sardegna ( Gerecke 2014b).

Habitat: Crenophilous. Rheocrenes and low order streams, at low and middle altitudes, 20-740 m. In Sicily, 50 % of the records from springs, mostly rheocrenes, furthermore in karstic streams, possibly at sites with groundwater influence .

Distribution: Central and Southern Europe. In Sicily only in the Iblei mountains and a spring complex at SW base of Mount Etna - records under « Atractides cf. fonticolus ” from the Central South (Gerecke 1991) and streams in the Simeto catchment ( Ferrito 1994, det. Gerecke) do not refer to A. fonticolus , but to various different species – the material in question is revised in the present paper.