Atractides fissus (Walter, 1927)

Gerecke, Reinhard, 2003, Water mites of the genus Atractides Koch, 1837 (Acari: Parasitengona: Hygrobatidae) in the western Palaearctic region: a revision, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 138, pp. 141-378 : 204

ATRACTIDES FISSUS ( WALTER, 1927) ( FIG. 31A–H )

Megapus fissus Walter, 1927 (In Walter & Motaş, 1927)

Type series: Syntypus ♂, NHMB Megapus fissus ♂ Walter Geniers-Mort 7.10.1926 coll. Mota ş 360 XXVIII/68. State of conservation: poor, probably restored at least once; idiosoma desiccated and crushed, left II-IV-L missing, both I-L separate, desiccated, one has shifted under the cover glass; gnathosoma with chelicerae and one palp separate, lateral, crushed and with many fissures, the other palp missing. As the original description was based on a further, now missing specimen from another locality (avant-dernier ruisseau au dessous de l’Oursière, 19 Septembre 1925, 1 ♂) and the author himself discussed the possibility that the syntype now preserved in NHMB might represent another species, I have decided against designating a lectotype .

Material examined: ♂ SMNH 4713 , CH Julierpass , 19.8.1951 ; ♀ SMNH 4714 , Silsersee 20.8.51 .

Description:

General features dorsal integument: lineated (3–4/10); muscle attachments: unsclerotized coxal field: Vgl-3 not fused to Cx-4

I-L: I-L-5 S-1 and -2 pointed, interspaced, S-2 enlarged basally, I-L-6 slender, curved, with nearly parallel dorsal and ventral margins, slightly thickened basally genital field: Ac large, in triangular arrangement excretory pore: smooth; Vgl-1: not fused to Vgl-2

palp: sexual dimorphism in P-2, P-3 ventral margin straight, P-4 1: 1: 1 sword seta slender, not curved, near to, or distally from, distoventral hair

Males

SMNH 4713

genital field: anterior margin equally convex, posterior margin deeply indented; genital setae: 30

palp: P-2 ventral margin distally protruding, with smooth or irregularly rugose surface; P-3 stout, P-4 slightly protruding near proximoventral hair idiosoma L/W 620/460; glandularia 25

coxal field L 325; Cx-3 W 403; Cx-1 + 2 mL 108, IL 225, W 324

I-L-5 dL 216, vL 148, dL/vL 1.46, HA-HC 52, 56, 74, dL/HB 3.86

S-1 L 99, L/ W 12.4, S-2 L 76, L/ W 7.6, interspace 22, L S-1/2 1.30

I-L-6 L 157, HA-HC 29, 22, 21, dL/HB 7.14; L I-L-5/6 1.38

genital field L/W 157/193, Ac-1–3 L 65, 71, 74

gnathosoma vL 135; chelicera –

Figures

Figure 31. Atractides fissus. A–D, ♂ Switzerland, Julierpass SMNH 4713, E-H ♀ Switzerland, Silsersee SMNH 4714. A, ♂ palp, medial view; B, ♂ I-L-5 and -6; C, ♂ coxal field; D, ♂ genital field, E, ♀ I-L-5 and -6; F, ♀ palp, medial view; G, ♀ genital field; H, ♀ coxal field. Scale bars = 100 µm.