Atractides (Atractides)

Pešić, Vladimir, Chatterjee, Tapas & Bordoloi, Sabitry, 2010, A checklist of the water mites (Acari: Hydrachnidia) of India, with new records and description of one new species, Zootaxa 2617, pp. 1-54 : 26

Atractides (Atractides) sp.

( Fig. 2A–D )

New records: India, Assam State, Basistha stream, 24. xii. 2009, leg. Das & Bordoloi, 0/1/0 (mounted).

Morphology. Female: Dorsal integument striated; muscle attachment plates unsclerotized. Coxal field ( Fig. 2A ): caudal margin of Cx-I strongly curved, apodemes of Cx-II directed laterally; coxal field L 356; Cx- III W 434; Cx-I+II mL 138; lL Cx-I+II 250. Genital field ( Fig. 2C ): pregenital sclerite curved, Ac in a triangle, genital plate L 117, L Ac- 1–3 48, 52, 49. Excretory pore smooth; Vgl-1 not fused to Vgl-2.

Palp ( Fig. 2B ): total L 306, dL (%L in parentheses): P-1, 28 (9.2); P-2, 65 (21.2); P-3, 88 (28.8); P-4, 92 (30.1); P-5, 33 (10.8); L ratio P-2/P-4, 0.71; P-2 ventral margin straight; P-3 ventral margin slightly concave, bearing one pair of setae (one seta in rigth palp); P-4 club-shaped, sword seta strong, inserted between ventral hairs.

I-L ( Fig. 2D ): I-L-5 setal interspace narrow, S-1 longish, blunt, S-2 basally enlarged, pointed; I-L-6 robust, weakly curved; I-L-5 dL 185, vL 134, dL/vL ratio 1.38, HB 43, dL/HB 4.3, S-1 L 86, L/W 12.5, S-2 L 75, L/W 6.1, distance S- 1-2 15, L ratio S-1/2 1.14; I-L-6 L 132, HB 25, L/HB ratio 5.4; L ratio I-L-5/6 1.4.

Remarks: Due to the ventral margin of P-3 bearing one or two ventral setae, the specimen from the Basistha stream can be distinguished from other members of this subgenus. Probably, this specimen represent a species new to science. However, a description and definitive diagnosis can be given only if the new taxon is known in both sexes.

Habitat: Streams.

Distribution: India.

Figures

FIGURE 2 A – D. Atractides sp., female, Basistha stream: A = coxal field; B = palp; C = genital field; D = I-L- 5 and - 6. Scale Bars = 100 μm.