Monatractides persicus Pesic

Pesic, Vladimir & Saboori, Alireza, 2004, Water mite species of the genus Monatractides K. Viets (Acari: Hydrachnidia, Torrenticolidae) from Iran, with the description of two new species, Zootaxa 673, pp. 1-10 : 7-10

Monatractides persicus Pesic sp. nov.

( Fig. 17–24 )

Type material: Holotype: male, dissected and slide mounted in Hoyer's fluid. Iran: IR9 Mazandaran Province, Ramsar, the hygropetric stream near Bamsj spring (on Javaher deh road), 21ºC, 19.07.2003, leg. Pesic, Asadi, Saboori & Akrami. Paratypes: 22 males, 18 females, same data as holotype, three males and one females of them dissected and slide mounted in Hoyer's fluid.

Other material: IR11 Mazandaran Province, Ramsar, Safa stream near Gavramak village (ca. 37°14'N 49°9'E), 410 m asl., 22ºC, 19.07.2003, leg. Pesic, Asadi, Saboori & Akrami (1/0/0); IR49 Tehran Province, Elburs Mt., a little stream tributary of Shahrestanak River (on Karaj­Chalus road, ca. 35°55'N 51°8'E), ca. 2100 m asl., 18.08.2003, leg. Pesic & Saboori (0/1/0); IR48 Tehran Province, Elburs Mt., Shahrestanak River (on Karaj­Chalus road, ca. 35°55'N 51°8'E), ca. 2100 m asl., 18.08.2003, leg. Pesic & Saboori (2/0/0); IR47 Tehran Province, Sijan stream in Sijan village (35°55'17 N 51°8' 54E, under Dareh Bridge), 2080 m asl., 14.08.2003, leg. Pesic & Saboori (15/8/0).

Diagnosis: Dorsal shield with a relatively wide frontal plate (L/ W 1.46), shoulder plate with a posteriorly­directed ridge; medial suture line of Cx­2+3 relatively short in males; three pairsof knob­shaped protrusions at the margin of the gnathosomal bay; distal margins of P­2 and P­3 bear denticles; chelicerae relatively thick (ratio length/height 5.6– 5.9).

Description: Holotype male (in brackets: paratype male): Idiosoma ( Fig. 18 ) L 992 (967), W 900 (796); dorsal shield ( Fig. 17 ) L 883 (800), W 758 (650), L/W ratio 1.16 (1.23); dorsal plate L 800 (747); shoulder plate L/W 263 (246)/121 (96), L/W ratio 2.17 (2.56); frontal plate L/W 141 (148)/113 (92), L/W ratio 1.51 (1.61); shoulder/frontal plate L ratio 1.87 (1.66); gnathosomal bay L 204 (181), its lateral margin with knob–shaped protrusions: one pair at the apical tip of Cx­1, two further pairs distally and proximally from the subapical seta; Cx­1 L 358 (350), median L 154 (169); Cx­2+3 median L 79 (77); ratio Cx­1 L/Cx­2+3 median L 2.32 (2.07); Cx­1 median L/Cx­2+3 median L 1.95 (2.19); genital field L/W 206 (213)/171 (167), L/W ratio 1.2 (1.27), ejaculatory complex L 329 (297); distance genital field–excretory pore 238 (213); genital field­caudal body margin 363 (342); gnathosoma ( Fig. 21 ) ventral L 217 (195), dorsal L 256 (227); chelicera ( Fig. 22 ) L 260 (236), cheliceral basal segment L 229 (208), claw L 48 (46), height 44 (42), L/H ratio 5.9 (5.66), basal segment/claw L ratio 4.8 (4.52); palp ( Figs. 19–20 ) total L 265 (248), dorsal length of palp segments: P­1 31 (29), P­2 82 (71), P­3 53 (50), P­4 68 (69), P­5 31 (29); relative length (given as % of total length) of palp segments: P­1 11.7 (11.7), P­2 30.9 (28.6), P­3 20.0 (20.2), P­4 25.7 (27.8), P­5 11.7 (11.7); P­2/P­4 ratio 1.2 (1.03); distal margins of P­2 and P­3 with denticles, P­4 with a denticle near insertion of ventral hairs and a strong mediodistal peg­like seta.

Paratype female: Idiosoma ( Fig. 24 ) L 1008, W 825; dorsal shield ( Fig. 23 ) L 850, W 666, L/W ratio 1.28; dorsal plate L 793; shoulder plate L/W 250/112, L/W ratio 2.23; frontal plate L/W 154/104, L/W ratio 1.48; shoulder/frontal plate L ratio 1.62; gnathosomal bay L 196; Cx­1 L 342, median L 150; Cx­2+3 median L 52; ratio Cx­1 L/Cx­2+3 median L 2.28; Cx­1 median L/Cx­2+3 median L 2.9; genital field L/W 225 /208, L/W ratio 1.08; distance genital field–excretory pore 250; genital field–caudal body margin 396; gnathosoma ventral L 206; chelicera L 248, H 42, L/H ratio 5.9, cheliceral basal segment L 206, claw L 44, basal segment/claw L ratio 4.7; palp total L 270, without noteworthy sex differences; dorsal length and relative length (given in parentheses as % of total length) of palp segments: P­1 29 (10.7), P­2 79 (29.3), P­3 63 (23.3), P­4 70 (25.9), P­5 29 (10.7); P­2/P­4 ratio 1.13.

Discussion: Monatractides persicus sp. nov. fits well the measurement variablity range given for Monatractides stadleri (Walter) . However, M. persicus can be easily distinguished from M. stadleri (data in brackets from Gerecke & Di Sabatino 1996), on the basis of a relatively thicker chelicera, ratio L/H 5.6–5.9 (L/H 6.2–6.4), and a knob­shaped protrusion at the margin of the gnathosomal bay. From the three additional Palaearctic species of the genus Monatractides ( M. algeriensis , M. balneatoris Di Sabatino & Gerecke, 2002, and M. vafaei ) bearing a knob­shaped protrusion at the margin of the gnathosomal bay, M. persicus can be distinguished in the combination of a relatively short medial suture line of Cx­2+ 3 in males (<100 m), relatively thick chelicerae, a short gnathosomal rostrum, and distal margins of P­2 and P­3 with denticles.

Etymology: The species is named for its occurrence in Iran ( Persia).

Biology: Rhitrobiont; in slowly flowing reaches and pools of shaded running waters, often in accumulations of leaf litter and between roots; 21–22 ºC.

Distribution: Iran, only known from the type localities in Mazandaran and Tehran Provincies.

Figures

FIGURES 17 – 22. Monatractides persicus sp. nov., male: 17 = dorsal shield; 18 = idiosoma, ventral view; 19 = palp, medial view; 20 = palp, lateral view; 21 = gnathosoma; 22 = chelicera. Bars = 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 23 – 24. Monatractides persicus sp. nov., female: A = dorsal shield; B = idiosoma, ventral view. Bar = 0.1 mm.