Atractides petkovskii, SCHWOERBEL, 1963

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 : 308-310

ATRACTIDES PETKOVSKII SCHWOERBEL, 1963

Syn. to A. fonticolus (K. Viets, 1920) : syn. nov.

Type series: Holotype ♀, CSM n. sp., without locality or name label, in a drawer labelled Macedonien. State of conservation: only left II-L and right II/ III-L in situ and entire, all other legs damaged or missing, coxal field with several fracture lines, both I-L and one further leg, and both palps under a separate cover, crushed and desiccated. Locus typicus: Der genaue Fundort ist unbekannt: Mazedonien.

Discussion: The following features can be extracted from the original description and observations on the holotype of A. petkovskii : (all measurements in Mm) idiosoma L/W 970/860, integument lineated, dorsal glandularia diameter 23, but Vgl-4 35, coxal field L 485, Cx-1 + 2 mL 105, lL 295, W 370; L ratio I-L-5/6 224/124 (ratio 1.81) S-1/2 L 80/60, L/ W 10.0 /3.8, interspace 12; genital field L/W 185/235, genital plate L/W 136/56, Ac diameter 45, 47, 50; P-1–5 L/H 40/40, 88/72, 92/52, 112/40, 36/14, P-2 with a slightly protruding ventrodistal edge, ventral margin P-4 3: 2: 2, sword seta near distoventral seta. Schwoerbel compared A. petkovskii , probably due to the proportions of I-L-5 and -6, with A. angustiporus from Spain, and with A. rivalis from Austria, a species with completely different I-L morphology. The little known A. angustiporus differs in the unlineated integument, a relatively long I-L-6 (L I-L-5/6 232/144 Mm, ratio 1.61) a distinctly longer S-2 (103 Mm) and wider setal interspace (22 Mm).

A. petkovskii agrees with A. fonticolus in the shape and dimensions of I-L-5 and -6, strongly elongated I-L-5 bearing characteristically heteromorphic S-1 and -2, as well as integument and palp morphology. The only observed difference – slightly larger acetabula (in A. fonticolus diameter <40 Mm) – concerns a character with a generally wide range of variability (see Discussion under A. parviporus ). As far as this species is concerned, no reason can be found to argue against its synonymization with A. fonticolus .

ATRACTIDES GALLICUS (ANGELIER ET AL., 1963)

( FIG. 76A–F )

Atractides fonticolus gallicus Angelier et al., 1963

Type series: No access, probably in coll. Angelier, Toulouse. As in the original description no holotype designation is provided; all published locality records are loci typici (12-month investigation, providing neither datum, nor specimen number specification): France, Massif Central , ruisseau Céret ; Stat. 2: En amont de la Route nationale 88; Stat. 5: Entre les barrages des Farguettes et de la Roucarié; Stat. 6: En amont du barrage de la Roucarié, près du pont d’Almayac; Stat. 8: Près du pont de la route de Trévien .

Description:

General features dorsal integument:?; muscle attachments: smooth coxal field: medioposterior margin Cx-1 + 2 equally rounded, apodemes Cx-2 little projecting, forming an acute angle

I-L: I-L-5 setae S-1 and -2 rather large, pointed, little interspaced excretory pore: sclerotized; Vgl-1: fused with Vgl-2

palp: sexual dimorphism

Males

Original description, partly calculated from figures genital field: anterior margin equally convex, posterior margin with shallow indentation, nearly straight; genital setae: 28

palp: ventral margin P-2 with a well-developed, smooth distal projection; P-3 straight, P-4 1: 1: 1, slightly protruding near proximoventral hair, sword seta halfway between ventral hairs idiosoma L/W 495/410; glandularia –

coxal field L 295; Cx-3 W 310; Cx-1 + 2 mL 123, IL 200, W 245

I-L-5 dL 130, vL –, dL/vL –, HA-HC –, dL/HB –

S-1/2 –

I-L-6 L 104, HA-HC –, dL/HB –; L I-L-5/6 1.25

genital field L/W 87/84, Ac-1–3 L 24, 21, 33

gnathosoma vL 104; chelicera L 120, L/H –, bS/claw 1.55

Figures

Figure 76. (from Angelier et al., 1963) A–F, Atractides gallicus, A–D, ♂ E; F, ♀. A, ♂ ventral view; B, ♂ genital field; C, ♂ I-L-5 and -6; D, ♂ palp, medial view; E, ♀ genital field; F, ♀ palp, medial view. G–L, Atractides vandeli, ♂. G, ventral view; H, dorsal view, I I-L-5 and -6, K, genital field, L, palp, medial view. Scale bars = 100 µm.