Monatractides (Monatractides) martini, Pešić & Smit & Saboori, 2012

Pešić, Vladimir, Smit, Harry & Saboori, Alireza, 2012, 3330, Zootaxa 3330, pp. 1-67 : 23-26

Monatractides (Monatractides) martini sp. nov.

( Fig. 16A – F, 17A – F)

Type material. Holotype male, Hormozgan Province, Bandar Abbass, IR 21-2011, Rudan stream 5 km N of Rudan, lotic part, 27º 28.226 N, 57º 15.153 E, 200 m asl, 21.vii.2011 ( RMNH) . Paratypes: 22/14/0 (4/2/0 mounted), same data as holotype; ibid., lentic part, 0/2/0 ( RMNH); Rudan stream, upstream, IR22-2011, 27º 28.748 N, 57º 15.648 E, 210 m asl, interstitial dig, 3/2/0 ( RMNH) .

Further records. Iran: Hormozgan Province, IR18-2011, Taleguerdoo village N of Bandar Abbas, Poshtekeno spring, upper part of stream, 27º 48.783 N, 56º 24.459 E, 836 m asl, 18.vii.2011 13/4/2 (1/0/0 mounted); IR19- 2011, Banglayan village, stream, 27º 45.695 N, 56º 32.402 E, 577 m asl, 18.vii.2011 4/4/0 (1/0/0 mounted); Sistan va Baluchestan Province, IR11-2011, Hootgat Bala river near Dargas village NE of Chabahar, upstream, 25º 49.539 N, 61º 31.033 E, 65 m asl, 14.vii.2011 0/2/0 (0/1/0 mounted) .

Diagnosis. Shoulder plate elongated (shoulder/frontal plate L ratio 1.5 – 1.8); three pairs of knob-like protrusions on the lateral margin of the capitular bay: one pair at the apical tip of Cx-I, two further pairs distally and proximally from the subapical seta; suture line of Cx-IV partially distinct and curved; excretory pore well away from the line of primary sclerotization, Vgl-2 posterior to excretory pore; distal margins of P-2 without denticles, P-3 with one denticle or without denticles at the mediodistal margin, P-4 with a well visible denticle near the insertion of the ventral hairs.

Description. Male (holotype, in parentheses paratypes n = 3, in square brackets specimens from IR19-2011) — Idiosoma (ventral view: Fig. 16B) L 856 (788 – 813) [875], W 681 (556 – 613) [613], dorsal shield ( Fig. 16A) L 706 (606 – 634) [694], W 494 (400 – 472) [494], L/W ratio 1.43 (1.34 – 1.52) [1.40]; dorsal plate L 628 (541 – 566) [618]; shoulder plate L 222 – 223 (181 – 209) [234 – 241], W 80 – 84 (72 – 82) [84 – 88], L/W ratio 2.65 – 2.78 (2.48 – 2.68) [2.74 – 2.79]; frontal plate L 131 (114 – 128) [131 – 133], W 106 (90 – 103) [106 – 109], L/W ratio 1.24 (1.14 – 1.32) [1.20 – 1.26]; shoulder/frontal plate L ratio 1.7 (1.54 – 1.75) [1.76 – 1.84]; gnathosomal bay L 148 (134 – 177) [184], Cx-I total L 266 (233 – 294) [303], Cx-I mL 117 (97 – 116) [119], Cx-II+III mL 141 (126 – 136) [127]; ratio Cx-I L/Cx-II+III mL 1.89 (1.78 – 2.33) [2.39]; Cx-I mL/Cx-II+III mL 0.83 (0.74 – 0.92) [0.94]; genital field L/W 136 (122 – 127) [137]/123 (112 – 122) [128], L/W ratio 1.1 (1.03 – 1.09) [1.07]; ejaculatory complex ( Fig. 16F), L 188 (180 – 205) [185]; distance genital field — excretory pore 175 (147 – 178) [189], genital field — caudal idiosoma margin 297 (242 – 259) [289]; gnathosoma vL 198 (178 – 201) [211]; chelicera L 232 (220 – 229) [234], H 32 (30 – 32) [27], ratio L/H 7.18 (7.09 – 7.4) [8.7]; palp ( Figs. 16D – E) total L (204 – 228) [217], dL: P-1, 26 (23 – 29) [25]; P-2, 72 (66 – 75) [69]; P-3, 48 (42 – 45) [44]; P-4, 58.5 (52 – 56) [57]; P-5, 23 (21 – 23) [22]; P-2/P-4 ratio, 1.23 (1.22 – 1.29) [1.21]; L I-L-4-6: 123 (109 – 122) [119], 118 (100 – 109) [112], 105 (99 – 103) [100]; I-L-6 L/H ratio 2.9 (2.68 – 2.82) [2.62].

Female — Idiosoma (ventral view: Fig. 17B) L 863 – 882, W 610 – 650, dorsal shield ( Fig. 17A) L 675 – 700, W 450 – 473, L/W ratio 1.48 – 1.5; shoulder plate L 195 – 209, W 73 – 78, L/W ratio 2.63 – 2.68; frontal plate L 116 – 127, W 89 – 99, L/W ratio 1.23 – 1.32; shoulder/frontal plate L ratio 1.62 – 1.71; gnathosomal bay L 144 – 150, Cx-I total L 246 – 267, Cx-I mL 102 – 117, Cx-II+III mL 91 – 100; ratio Cx-I L/Cx-II+III mL 2.46 – 2.9; Cx-I mL/Cx-II+III mL 1.02 – 1.29; genital field L/W 154 – 163/153 – 163, L/W ratio 1.0 – 1.01; distance genital field — excretory pore 175 – 195, genital field — caudal idiosoma margin 312 – 319; gnathosoma ( Fig. 17E) vL 185 – 208, chelicera L 217 – 235, H 31 – 33, ratio L/H 6.78 – 7.4; palp ( Fig. 17F) total L 213 – 236, dL: P-1, 25 – 29; P-2, 69 – 74; P-3, 42 – 59; P-4, 54 – 59; P-5, 23 – 25; P-2/P-4 ratio, 1.25 – 1.28; L I-L-4-6: 112 – 115, 109 – 119, 100 – 108; I-L-6 L/H ratio 2.6 – 2.8.

Etymology. Named after Dr Peter Martin (Kiel) in appreciation of his acarological work and continuous effort to find referees for our papers.

Remarks. Monatractides martini sp. nov. belongs to a group of species characterized by a long median suture line of Cx-II+III in males and the presence of three pairs of knob-like protrusion on the lateral margin of the capitular bay. This group includes M. algeriensis (Lundblad, 1941) (Mediterranean — Lundblad 1942, Di Sabatino et al. 1992), M. balneatoris Di Sabatino & Gerecke, 2003 (Dead Sea area in Israel — Di Sabatino et al. 2003), M. oman Gerecke, 2004 ( Oman — Gerecke 2004b, Smit & Pešić 2010), M. vafaei Pešić, 2004 ( Iran — Pešić & Saboori 2004, Turkey — Pešić et al. 2006). Differences between these species regard the more or less elongated idiosoma and gnathosoma, the denticulation on the mediodistal margin of P-2 and P-3, the shape of Cx-IV, the extension of postgenital area, length/height ratio of chelicera and length of ejaculatory complex. From all the aforementioned species M. martini sp. nov. can be distinguished by a much wider frontal plate, L/W ratio 1.1 – 1.3. Further diagnostic characters of M. martini sp. nov. are a moderately elongated idiosoma, shoulder plates relatively long (shoulder/frontal plate L ratio 1.5 – 1.8), distal margins of P-3 bearing at most one pointed denticle, occasionally without a denticle, a slender chelicera (L/H ratio 7.1 – 8.7), a relatively small ejaculatory complex (length 180 – 205) and Cx-IV posteriorly moderately extending beyond the genital field.

Pešić & Saboori (2004) reported M. algeriensis from the first order stream running from a thermal spring in Kerman Province, and mentioned that the single collected female differed from typical M. algeriensis in remarkably wider frontal plates. This female generally agrees well with our specimens, but the male differs in major dimensions and shorter frontal plates. Further material is needed for understanding the taxonomic placement of this population.

Habitat. Most specimens were collected in lotic parts of sandy/bouldery streams, with strong exposure to sunlight ( Figs. 44C – D), only a few specimens in interstitial waters or in a lentic habitat.

Distribution. Iran (Hormozgan Province).