Atractides

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 : 221-222

ATRACTIDES DRAMENSIS ( KOTZIAS, 1931)

Megapus dramensis Kotzias, 1931

Syn. to A. pennatus (K. Viets, 1920) : K. Viets, 1956

Type series: Missing. Locus typicus: Kaltstenotherme Quellen des Gutes Kempeczowitz , sogenanntes 5- Quellen-Loch , 100 m westlich vom Gut [no date], Drama valley ( PL) .

Discussion: Kotzias compared his species mainly to A. vaginalis , from which it differs in the lineated integument (4/10 Mm) the palp bearing a ventrodistal protrusion in both sexes, the shape of genital field and acetabula, and the relatively long I-L-6. All these characters, and also additional features such as extended sheaths at the distal margins of I-L-3/4, setation of P-4, and the shape of the male genital field, are found also in A. pennatus . Kotzias was aware of this similarity and mentions as distinctive characters of A. dramensis the truncate (not slightly convex) anterior margin of the genital field, and a more extended field of dorsal hairs on P-4. Both characters are now known to be variable in A. pennatus and cannot be used to distinguish species. The fact that most measurements in the original description lie constantly 5–10% above the values here provided for A. pennatus could be due to a technical error, or interpreted as an example of individual variability without taxonomic importance. The similarity in shape and setation between male and female palps mentioned by Kotzias is surprising. In A. pennatus , one may observe that the female P-2 is similar to the male one, but it consistently appears to have a weaker ventral protrusion. In view of the similarity between the two taxa in all other regards, it is likely that Kotzias simply expressed his observations imprecisely. As proposed by K. Viets (1956), A. dramensis should be considered a synonym of A. pennatus .

ATRACTIDES SUBTERRANEUS (K. VIETS, 1932)

( FIG. 38A–D )

Megapus subterraneus K. Viets, 1932

Syn. A. obovalis ( Szalay, 1946) : syn. nov.

Type series: Holotype ♂, SMF 4535 Atractides subterraneus (Viets) ♂; Jugoslavien Skoplje 4535. State of conservation: mounting medium turbid, dorsal integument damaged, left Cx-1 + 2 broken, gnathosoma and both I-L separate, chelicerae in situ, one palp separate.

Material examined: [ all the following material not part of the type series; all indications on the labels pertinent to eventual types not correct, including the designation of paratypes published in the catalogue of K. Viets (1956: 344)]. SMF 4587 ♂ Atractides subterraneus (Viets) ♂ Cotype; Jugoslavien Skoplje August 1932 5487; SMF 4708 ♀ SMF 4783 Dn, both labelled like 4587; SMF 5481 Dez. 1936 Karaman, Cotype, 2♂, 2 ♀ badly damaged, many precipitations in mounting fluid; Skoplje 1936 Karaman coll., tube material from coll. K. Viets, 4 ♂, 2 ♀, partly dissected and slide-mounted (Gerecke) .

Description:

General features dorsal integument: smooth; muscle attachments: unsclerotized; eyes reduced coxal field: external edges of coxae little protruding; generally weak sclerotization

I-L: I-L-5 basally narrow, distally moderately thickened, S-1 and -2 similar in shape, with pointed tips, close to each other; I-L-6 nearly straight, dorsal and ventral margins slightly diverging distally, claw strong genital field: Ac very small excretory pore: smooth; Vgl-1: not fused to Vgl-2 palp: no sexual dimorphism; dorsal setae enlarged and hyaline, P-2 ventrodistally convexly swollen, but without distinct protrusion, ventral margin P-4 1: 1: 1, slightly thickened near insertion of proximoventral hair, sword seta strong, near distoventral hair

Male

SMF 4587

genital field: nearly circular, only mediocaudally incised, anterior edges of gonopore and Ac-1 considerably distant from anterior margin of genital field; hairs in the area flanking the gonopore arranged in double rows, Ac oval; genital setae: 50

idiosoma L/W 430/315; glandularia 17

coxal field L 185; Cx-3 W 243; Cx-1 + 2 mL 69, IL 152, W 174

I-L-5 dL 96, vL 79, dL/vL 1.22, HA-HC 22, 25, 29, dL/HB 3.84

S-1 L 39, L/ W 9.8, S-2 L 35, L/ W 8.8, interspace 3, L S-1/2 1.11

I-L-6 L 100, HA-HC 20, 19, 21, dL/HB 5.26; L I-L-5/6 0.96

genital field L/W 78/83, Ac-1–3 L 15, 15, 20

gnathosoma vL 78; chelicera L 168, L/H 6.22, bS/claw 2.23

Figures

Figure 38. A–D, Atractides subterraneus. A–C, holotype ♂ D, ♀ Skoplje 1936, Karaman; A, ♂ I-L-5 and -6; B, ♂ palp, medial view; C, ♂ idiosoma, ventral view; D, ♀ genital field. E–G, Atractides dentipalpis ♀ SMF 7182 Algeria, coll. Vaillant. E, coxal and genital field; F, palp, medial view; G, I-L-5 and -6. Scale bars = 100 µm.