Atractides pulcher K. Viets, 1956

Pešić, Vladimir, Smit, Harry & Gerecke, Reinhard, 2011, New records of water mites of the genus Atractides Koch, 1837 (Acari: Hydrachnidia, Hygrobatidae) from South Africa, with descriptions of five new species, Zootaxa 2986, pp. 1-54 : 13-16

Atractides pulcher K. Viets, 1956

( Figs. 11–13 )

Material examined. South Africa, Western Cape province: SA 1 1/0/0; SA 6 5/11 /0 (1/1/0 mounted); SA 7 2/2/0.

General features. Dorsal integument striated; muscle attachments with sexual dimorphism; genital field: Ac in a weakly curved line. Palp: ventral margins of P-2, -3 and -4 straight or weakly concave, P-4 sword seta nearer to distoventral hair. I-L-5 elongated, setae S-1 and -2 close to each other; I-L-6 rather short and curved; leg claws with dorsal and ventral clawlets.

Morphology. Male (SA 6): Extended dorsal shield including postoc and Dgl-3-6, L/W 378/325; extended ventral shield including coxae, genital field, excretory pore, all ventralia and Vgl, L/W 428/366; coxal field: completely fused. Genital field ( Fig. 11B ): W between outer margins of the most lateral pair of Ac 113, L Ac 1-3: 18– 19, 19–20, 17–18.

Palp ( Fig. 11C ): total L 258, dL: P-1, 23; P-2, 53; P-3, 57; P-4, 93; P-5, 32; L ratio P-2/P-4, 0.57; capitulum vL 89; chelicera total L 165.

I-L ( Fig. 11D ): I-L-5 dL 134, vL 114, dL/vL ratio 1.18, HB 37, dL/HB 3.6, S-1 L 40, L/ W 8.0, S-2 L 48, L/ W 5.6, distance S-1-2, 5, L ratio S-1/2, 0.83; I-L-6 L 70, HB 17, L/HB ratio 4.1; L ratio I-L-5/6, 1.9.

Female (SA 6). Muscle attachments as in Fig. 13A , postfr, postoc and D-1 on large, roundish separate platelets, D-4 fused to an unpaired elongate platelet, all other dorsalia free, not fused to neighboring glandular platelets; coxal field: with extended borders of secondary sclerotization, medioposterior margin of Cx-I+II sharply pointed; medial margin of Cx-III+IV rounded, L 359; Cx-III W 384; Cx-I+II mL 134, lL 231. Genital field ( Fig. 12 ): pregen very robust, with extended secondary sclerotization, genital plates with weakly concave medial margins, L/W 155/ 163, pregen W 127, genital plate L 95, L Ac 1-3: 29, 28, 26; excretory pore: sclerotized, Vgl-1 fused to Vgl-2.

Palp ( Fig. 13B ): total L 335, dL: P-1, 29; P-2, 71; P-3, 83; P-4, 112; P-5, 40; L ratio P-2/P-4, 0.63; capitulum vL 117; chelicera total L 227.

I-L: I-L-5 dL 174, vL 151, dL/vL ratio 1.15, HB 45, dL/HB 3.9, S-1 L 48, L/ W 7.7, S-2 L 55, L/ W 5.5, distance S-1-2, 8, L ratio S-1/2, 0.87; I-L-6 L 71, HB 19, L/HB ratio 3.7; L ratio I-L-5/6, 2.45.

Remarks. Due to the sclerotized muscle attachments, sclerotized excretory pore, fused Vgl-1 and -2, similar shape of the palp, elongated I-L-5 with short S-1 and -2 interspace, and a stout and curved I-L-6, the specimens examined from South Africa show general conformity with Atractides pulcher described by K. Viets (1953) from the Great Berg River, South Africa. Thus far, only a single female specimen of this species was known, and this is the first description of the male.

Distribution. South Africa: Western Cape province: K. Viets (1956), present study.

Figures

FIGURE 12. Atractides pulcher K. Viets, 1956, female, Wit River: idiosoma, ventral view. Scale bar = 100 μm.

FIGURE 11 A – D. Atractides pulcher K. Viets, 1953, male, Wit River: A = idiosoma, dorsal view; B = idiosoma, ventral view; C = palp, medial view; D = I-L- 5 and - 6. Scale bars = 100 μm.

FIGURE 13 A – B. Atractides pulcher K. Viets, 1956, female, Wit River: A = idiosoma, dorsal view; B = palp, lateral view. Scale bars = 100 μm.