Atractides cf. latipes (Szalay, 1935)

Gerecke, Reinhard, 2014, The water mites of the genus Atractides Koch, 1837 (Acari, Hydrachnidia: Hygrobatidae) in Corsica and Sardinia, Zoosystema 36 (4), pp. 735-759 : 752

Atractides cf. latipes (Szalay, 1935)

Megapus remyi E. Angelier, 1951: 501 .

Atractides latipes – E. Angelier 1954a: 521.

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — No material available.

PUBLISHED RECORDS. — Corsica, Ang 6, 2 ♀♀ ; Ang 7, 1 ♀ ; Ang 22, 1 ♀ ; Ang 26, 1 ♀ ( Angelier 1954a) ; Porto, middle course (200-1000 m) (no specimen numbers specified) ( Santucci 1971).

DISTRIBUTION. — Central and Southern Europe. Scattered records from the Karpathians, the Apennines, the Pyrenees and Central European mountain ranges.

HABITAT. — Rhithrobiont, adapted to summer dry streams with year-round subterranean flow. Middle order streams at low and middle altitude, in the area covered from 100 to 1000 m, all records from the interstitial.

REMARKS

From the description given by Angelier (1954a) results that the proportions of I-L-5/6 agree with the diagnosis of A. cf. latipes (I-L-5 dL/HB ratio 2.4, I-L-6 distally narrowed), but following the published measurements the L ratio I-L-5/6 (1.38) is higher and the palp is more slender (concerning the latter aspect, Angelier’s measurements contradict his figures). Furthermore, following Angelier’s figure 88, the specimens have S-1/2 sharply pointed, not apically rounded as in A. cf. latipes females, but the author gave obviously little attention to this character (see discussion of A. corsicus ). More information on diagnostic characters (fusion of Vgl-1/2, integument structure, sexual dimorphism) is necessary in order to ascertain the published records of A. cf. latipes from Corsica. We cannot exclude the presence, in Corsica, of an Atractides species with enlarged I-L-5, but different from A. giustinii . Another possibility that cannot be cleared any more is that A. giustinii represents the same taxon published by Angelier under the name A. remyi , and subsequently synonymized with A. cf. l atipes.