Aturus spatulifer Piersig, 1904

Gerecke, Reinhard, 2014, Studies on European species of the water mite family Aturidae Thor (Acari: Hydrachnidia), Zootaxa 3841 (1), pp. 1-46 : 21

Aturus spatulifer Piersig, 1904

Fig. 15

Material examined. Bulgaria: BU flö 130 (1/14/0); France: Corse, F 87 (1/2/0); Italy: Calabria, I 1086 (1/0/0); Sardinia, I 378 (1/1/0), I 379 (0/2/0), I 389 (0/1/0), I 389 Int (1/0/0), I 1154 (1/0/0), I 1155 (0/4/0), I 1159 (0/4/0), I 1165 (0/1/0), I 1170 (1/0/0), I 1172 (1/2/0); Sicily, I 39 (1/0/0), I 193 (1/1/0), I 545 (1/0/0), I 553 Int (1/5/0). Uncertain records. France: Corse, F 78 (0/1/0); Sardinia, I 352 (0/1/0), I 363 (0/2/0), I 370 (0/1/0), I 1168 (0/1/0); Sicily, I 534 Int III (0/11/0).

First record from Corsica.

Remarks. For similar species, see above under A. ellipticus and A. processiger . Females found together with male A. spatulifer have the following characteristics: (1) Both Vgl in primary sclerotization, the posterior margin of the latter with an obtuse indentation on the level of the lateral Vgl; (2) 6–7 (rarely up to 9) large, round acetabula very irregular in size and arrangement, placed at large interspaces.

Figures

FIGURE 15. Aturus spatulifer, male. A. dorsum; B. IV-L- 4 / 5 posterior (above: IV-L- 4, below: IV-L- 5). Scale bars = 100 µm.