Atractides biscutatus Cook, 1967

Pesic, Vladimir & Reddy, Yenumula Ranga, 2009, New records of water mites (Acari: Hydrachnidia) from interstitial freshwaters of India, with descriptions of three new species, Zootaxa 2158, pp. 20-32 : 25-26

Atractides biscutatus Cook, 1967

( Fig. 2A–B )

Material examined. Western India, Gujarat State, Veraval town, 20°54΄ N, 70°22΄ E, River Hiran, hyporheic zone, 26 January 2008, two females (one of them juvenile).

Remarks. Cook (1967) described Atractides biscutatus from surface and interstitial waters in Maharashtra and Kerala States. Another record of this species has been published from Sri Lanka ( Gledhill & Wiles 1997). The specimen from Western India agrees with the type series. As no illustration has been given of the female dorsum and postgenital area we give additional figures and description here based on the nonjuvenile specimen. Female: idiosoma L/W 875/706. Dorsally, the integument is striated; muscle attachments: postoc on enlarged sclerite ( Fig. 2A ); Coxal field: L 391; Cx-1+2 mL 126; lL Cx-1+2 266. Gnathosoma: capitulum L 181; palp: total L 331, L and %L (in parentheses): P-1 35 (10.6), P-2 74 (22.4), P-3 74 (22.4), P- 4 112 (33.8), P-5 36 (10.9); L ratio P-2/P-4 0.66; palp robust, P-4 sword seta near distoventral hair, P-5 stout, with elongated claws. Genital field ( Fig. 2B ): pregen strong, genital plates semicircle-shaped, each with 4 Ac, individual genital plate L/W 92-99/44-47. Excretory pore: sclerotized; Vgl-1 fused with Vgl-2.

I-Leg: I-Leg-5 slightly thickened, S-1 and S-2 homoimorphic, slender and blunt, narrow setal interspace; I-Leg-6 stout, curved, equal in H from the base to the claw furrow; I-Leg-5 dL 168, vL 127, dL/vL 1.32, HB 41, dL/HB 4.1, S-1 L 67, L/W 11.2, S-2 L 71, L/W 9.3, distance of sword setae of I-Leg-5 7, L S-1/2 0.94; I- Leg-6 L 117, HB 27, L/HB 4.4; L I-Leg-5/6 1.44.

Distribution. India (Maharashtra, Kerala and Gujarat States), Sri Lanka.

Figures

FIGURE 2 A – B. Atractides biscutatus Cook, 1967, female: A = idiosoma, dorsal view; B = posterior part of idiosoma, ventral view. Scale bars = 100 µm.