Atractides capensis, Pešić, Vladimir, Smit, Harry & Gerecke, Reinhard, 2011

Pešić, Vladimir, Smit, Harry & Gerecke, Reinhard, 2011, New records of water mites of the genus Atractides Koch, 1837 (Acari: Hydrachnidia, Hygrobatidae) from South Africa, with descriptions of five new species, Zootaxa 2986, pp. 1-54 : 37-38

Atractides capensis sp. nov.

( Figs. 33–35 )

Type series. Holotype, female, dissected and slide mounted, South Africa, Western Cape province, DC 104 84 unnamed stream on Rt 324, S side near summit of Tradouws Pass, S of Barrydale, 10m wide, rocks & sand, some algae, clear (9.5ºC), 14.vi.1984, Cook ( BMSA). Paratypes: one female, same data as holotype ( SMF).

General features. (Male unknown). Dorsal integument striated; muscle attachments ( Fig. 32): postoc and D-1 fused to paired elongate sclerites, Dgl-3, D-2, -3 and –4 all separate (Dgl-3, D-2, D-3 roundish, D-4 elongate, posteriorly narrowed); V-1 roundish. Coxal field with extended secondary sclerotization, posterior margin Cx-I broadly convex. Genital field: Ac in weakly curved line. Excretory pore sclerotized; Vgl-1 fused to Vgl-2. Palp: P- 4 sword seta large, between ventral hairs, nearer to distoventral hair. Capitulum with protruding rostrum ( Fig. 33C ). I-L little modified, S-1 and -2 slightly distanced from each other, bluntly pointed, S-2 thicker and basally slightly enlarged; I-L-6 stout and weakly curved, maximum H at the base of claw furrow; claws with ventral and dorsal clawlets.

Description. Female. Idiosoma L/W 647–675/505–541 (n = 2); coxal field: L 383; Cx-III W 428; Cx-I+II mL 172, lL 294. Genital field ( Fig. 34 ): L/W 172/177, pregen very robust, with extended border of secondary sclerotization, W 159; genital plate L 83–88; L Ac 1–3: 20–23, 22–25, 22–23.

Palp ( Fig. 33A ) total L 312, dL: P-1, 32; P-2, 69; P-3, 68; P-4, 101; P-5, 42; L ratio P-2/P-4, 0.68; capitulum vL ( Fig. 33C ) 149; chelicera total L 285.

I-L ( Fig. 33B ): I-L-5 dL 123, vL 89, dL/vL ratio 1.38, HB 35, dL/HB 3.5, S-1 L 41, L/ W 8.9, S-2 L 50, L/ W 6.6, distance S-1-2, 6.0, L ratio S-1/2, 0.79; I-L-6 L 102, HB 22, L/HB ratio 4.7; L ratio I-L-5/6, 1.21.

Etymology. Named after its occurrence in Cape province.

Remarks. Due to the similar arrangement of muscle attachments, a sclerotized excretory pore, fused Vgl-1 and -2, I-L little modified with I-L-6 stout and almost straight, claws with ventral and dorsal clawlets, capitulum with well protruding rostrum, palp with P-2 ventral margin straight and P-4 sword seta near distoventral hair, A. capensis resembles A. kuhlmanni K.O. Viets, 1963 , known from a single female from Mpumalanga province ( K.O. Viets 1963). The latter species differs from A. capensis in P-3 bearing a pair of ventral setae and S-1 and -2 being more homoiomorphic and adjacent, in lateral view touching each other (see K.O. Viets 1963).

Distribution. South Africa: Western Cape province, known only from the locus typicus.

Figures

FIGURE 34. Atractides capensis sp. nov., female holotype: idiosoma, ventral view. Scale bar = 100 μm.

FIGURE 33 A – C. Atractides capensis sp. nov., female holotype: A = palp, medial view; B = I-L- 5 and - 6; C = capitulum and anterior part of Cx-I. Scale bars = 100 μm.

FIGURE 35 A – B. Atractides scutifer (Lundblad, 1951), male, Houtbosloop: A – B = idiosoma, dorsal view. Scale bar = 100 μm.