Atractides

Gerecke, Reinhard, 2003, Water mites of the genus Atractides Koch, 1837 (Acari: Parasitengona: Hygrobatidae) in the western Palaearctic region: a revision, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 138, pp. 141-378 : 285

ATRACTIDES PALPALIS ( LUNDBLAD, 1956)

Atractides tener palpalis Lundblad, 1956

Syn. to A. tener Thor, 1899 : K. O. Viets, 1957

Type series: Holotype ♂, SMNH 4552 . Typ.; Atractides tener vs. palpalis Ldbl. ♂ Spanien. Arenas de Cabrales. Bergbäck. 17.9.1935 Leg. O. Lundblad. State of conservation: dorsal integument lost, gnathosoma and genital skeleton in situ, both I-L, both palps separate, lateral.

Discussion: Lundblad introduced this name for a ‘ variatio ’, without exactly defining its taxonomic state. As compared with A. tener (in brackets) he considered as diagnostic features the more slender palp with L/H P-2 1.46 (1.35), P-3 2.28 (1.95), P-4 3.59 (2.83) and a slightly longer I-L-6 with L ratio I-L-5/6 1.34 (1.38). Further differences are found in major dimensions of appendages, e.g. I-L-5/6204/152 (172/125) and palp total L 349 (300) Mm, while measurements of the coxal field agree nearly perfectly. The genital field, with L/W 126/175 (112/128) Mm, is relatively short due to the absence of an anterior border of secondary sclerotization. This difference, as well as the genarally weak sclerotization, indicates that the type of A. palpalis is a juvenile. Viets (1957) pointed out that the proportion of I-L lies within the normal range of variability and proposed the synonymization of A. palpalis with A. tener . After a more thorough study of the variation in A. tener, Lundblad (1962) became convinced about this synonymy. It is confirmed by the agreement of important proportions of I-L and palps. However, study of the variation in additional specimens from the Iberian peninsula is desirable for better understanding the eventual genetic significance of the differences in palp shape.

ATRACTIDES ANELLATUS LUNDBLAD, 1956

( FIG. 65A–G )

Type series: Holotype ♀, SMNH 4114 . Typ ; Atractides anellatus Ldbl. ♀ Spanien. La Junquera. Bäck. 30.5.1935. Leg. O. Lundblad. State of conservation: good, gnathosoma in situ, both I-L and both palps separate, lateral.

Material examined: Morocco, Oued Todra 10 km upstr. of Tinerhir, 17.03.1993 Smit, 1 ♂, 1 ♀

Description:

General features dorsal integument: lineated (3/10 Mm); muscle attachments: smooth coxal field: posterior margin Cx-1 weakly convex, in the medial part nearly straight, apodemes of Cx- 2 in a 45∞ angle

I-L: S-1 and -2 distanced and heteromorphic, both with blunt tips; I-L-6 slen- der, curved excretory pore: sclerotized; Vgl-1: fused to Vgl-2

palp: weak sexual dimorphism, ventral margin of P-3 forming a fine longitudinal lamella in its distal half, P-4 sword seta between ventral hairs, nearer to the distoventral hair

Male

Morocco, coll. Smit genital field: anterior margin straight, posterior margin slightly indented; genital setae: 60

palp: ventral margin P-2 convex, without distinct distal protrusion; P-3 and

P-4 rather robust, ventral margin P-4 1: 1: 1, with a minor elevation near proximoventral hair idiosoma L/W 600/400; glandularia 25

coxal field L 305; Cx-3 W 356; Cx-1 + 2 mL 108, IL 205, W 275

I-L-5 dL 180, vL 115, dL/vL 1.57, HA-HC 45, 48, 70, dL/HB 3.75

S-1 L 102, L/ W 10.2, S-2 L 75, L/ W 7.5, interspace 25, L S-1/2 1.36

I-L-6 L 135, HA-HC 22, 18, 20, dL/HB 7.5; L I-L-5/6 1.33

genital field L/W 83/103, Ac-1–3 L 25, 23, 27

gnathosoma vL 138; chelicera L 224, L/H 6.05, bS/claw 2.11

Figures

Figure 65. Atractides anellatus. A–D, holotype ♀ SMNH 4114, E–G, ♂ from Morocco, coll. Smit. A, ♀ palp, medial view; B, ♀ I-L-5 and -6; C, ♀ coxal field; D, ♀ genital and postgenital field, E, ♂ palp, medial view; F, ♂ I-L-5 and -6; G, ♂ genital field. Scale bar = 100 µm.