Monatractides lusitanicus ( Lundblad, 1941 )

Pesic, Vladimir, 2004, New records of water mites (Acari, Hydrachnidia) from Iran, with the description of a new species, Zootaxa 726, pp. 1-8 : 2

Monatractides lusitanicus ( Lundblad, 1941)

Material examined: Lorestan Province, stream 20 km from spring area Abe Sarabe Sefid, 24.09.1977, leg. Schwoerbel & Sepasgosarian (4/2/0).

In view of small dimensions, a rather short medial suture line of Cx­2+ 3 in males, a realtively long P­1 (14.1–14.3 % total length), distal margins of P­2 and P­3 without denticles, and the absence of an elogated ventral seta on P­4, the Iranian specimens show a general conformity with the variability range of the type series and of Sicilian populations of Monatractides lusitanicus ( Di Sabatino et al. 1992) . Diagnostic proportions (based on measurements of two male and one female from Abe Sarabe Sefid) are: dorsal plate L/ W 1.20 –1.24; shoulder/frontal plate L ratio 1.2–1.3; chelicera L/H 6.2–6.5, basal segment/ claw 4.1–4.5; ventral L/genital­cauda L ratio 2.9–3.1. Differences are found in a relatively shorter medial suture line of Cx­ 1 in males, Cx­1 L/Cx­2+3 median L 3.0–3.6 (3.7–4.7 in Sicilian populations, from Di Sabatino et al. 1992). In view of the good agreement in other measurements these differences are most probably age­depending and/or due to geographical variability.

Distribution: S Europe, Middle East (first record from Iran).