Atractides, Koch, 1837

Gerecke, Reinhard, 2021, The water mites of the family Hygrobatidae (Acari, Hydrachnidia) in Italy, Zootaxa 5009 (1), pp. 1-85 : 30

Atractides (s. str.) cf. loricatus Piersig, 1898a

(Figs 28 F-G; 31 N)

Material examined: Basilicata: I 1097, 5/12/0 (2/2/0 slide); I 1098, 1/3/0 (1/1/0 slide); I 1122, 8/48/0 (0/3/0 slide); I 1123, 0/1/0; Calabria: I 1086, 5/7/0 (1/1/0 slide); I 1087, 1/2/0 (1/1/0 slide); I 1099, 2/2/0 slide; I 1107; 0/2/0 (0/1/0 slide); I 1115 b, 2/0/0 slide; I 1119, 1/2/0 slide; I TG 18-03b, 4/4/0; Veneto: I 1590, 1/3/0 (1/2/0 slide). 11 sites, 109 specimens .

Previously published records from Italy ( Atractides loricatus ): Emilia-Romagna ( Gerecke & Di Sabatino 2013, Cantonati et al. 2020); Veneto ( Walter 1922); Sardegna ( Gerecke 2014b); Trentino-Alto Adige ( Crema et al. 1996) (data published before 2000 may refer to A. brendle or A macrolaminatus ).

Remarks: The specimens agree with typical material from central Europe ( Gerecke 2003) in idiosoma sclerotization, setation of appendages and most measurements, but differ in longer segments I-L-5/6 (males: 130- 152/96-108 vs. 119/85, females: 148-170/104-120 vs. 138/99) and a wider interspace S-1-2 (males: 8-10 vs 4, females 9-14 vs. 6). Furthermore, as in populations described from the Gennargentu mountains on Sardinia, the female genital plates are more elongate, with acetabula arranged in a weakly curved line while they are triangular in central European specimens. More information is necessary on variability in the still understudied central European populations.

Habitat: Crenobiont. Mostly in rheohelocrenic springs at 950-1800 m, one record from a low order stream.

Distribution: Central and Southern Europe. On Sardinia and continental Italy mostly at high elevations, no records from Sicily.