The water mites of the family Hygrobatidae (Acari, Hydrachnidia) in Italy Author Gerecke, Reinhard text Zootaxa 2021 2021-07-30 5009 1 1 85 http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5009.1.1 journal article 10.11646/zootaxa.5009.1.1 1175-5326 5157635 3E5643F0-BBC2-45FA-83E5-07FEF6ECB690 Atractides ( s. str. ) asticae Petrova, 1968 (Fig. 5) Material examined: Sicilia : Madonie (PA), I 510 Int 2, Fiume Pollina upstr. Fiume Buonanotte , 50 m , UTM. VC 2704, 14.10.1986 , Karaman-Chappuis dig in gravel, 1 ♀ , slide . Description: Female from Sicily : Idiosoma L/W 590/330. Integument (irregularly) striated; no lateral eye pigment visible; dorsum with four pairs of sclerites, probably representing (from anterior to posterior): (1) (Dgl- 2+postfrontale+postoculare+D-1), L 72; (2) (Dgl-3+D-2), not measured; (3) (Dgl-4+D-3), L 62; (4) (D-4 + Dgl-5, fusion in the studied specimen not clearly visible), L 42; posteroventral muscle insertions unsclerotized; diameter of glandularia not fused to muscle attachments, about 25. Vgl-1+2 fused, excretory pore on a round plate, diameter 22. Coxal plates in three groups, elongate, with a very fine porosity. Coxal field L/Cx-III W 260/250, Cx-I+II mL 112, lL 195, W 183 (mL/W ratio 0.61). Posterior margin of Cx-I+II truncate, W 26, posterior apodemes of Cx-I short and strongly curved. Posterior margin of Cx-IV nearly straight, perpendicular to body axis. Genital field elongate, L 163, with genital plates short (L/W 68/35, ratio 1.93), subtriangular, located far posterior and flanking the postgenital sclerite (triangular as well, with posteriorly-directed rounded tip, fine porose); Ac in triangular arrangement, small, maximum diameter Ac-1, 15; Ac-2, 14; Ac-3, 18; pregenital sclerite slender, slightly curved, with rounded lateral tips. I-L-4-6: Fig. 5 B. I-L-5 stout, dL/vL 115/93, ratio 1.24, dorsal and ventral margins not remarkably diverging, ventral seta inserting far proximally (distance to distoventral edge 62 % vL); HA 38, HB 38, HC 35, ratio dL/HB 3.1. L (L/W) S-1, 48 (9.5), S-2, 43 (6.8), inserted close to each other (distance 3), ratio S-1 L/distance S-1-2, 19. S-1 longer and slenderer than S-2, both with obtuse tips. I-L-6 stout and weakly curved, in the centre slightly narrowed, L 98, HA 23, HB 21, HC 25, ratio L/HB 4.6; ratio I-L-5 dL/ I-L-6 L 1.2. Mouthparts: Fig. 5 A. Gnathosoma L 100; chelicera L 205, slender, with elongate basal segment (L/H 7.5, basal segment/claw ratio 2.7). Palp total L 245; proportions of segments (L/H, ratio, % total L): P-1, 23/26, 0.9, 9; P-2, 63/48, 1.3, 26; P-3, 65/44, 1.5, 27; P-4, 68/20, 3.4, 28; P-5, 28/8, 3.7, 11; L ratio P-2/P-3, 0.96, P-2/P-4, 0.93; P-3/P-4, 0.96. P-1 with distally strongly diverging ventral and dorsal margins, P-2 ventral margin straight, at distal edge ending in a fine, acute angled tip; P-3 ventral margin straight, P-4 dorsal margin in the studied specimens crushed (H value not representative), maximum H on the level of proximoventral seta, sword seta inserting here (64 % vL from distal end); setae insertions dividing ventral margin into subequal sectors (relative length in %: 35/30/35). Remarks: Atractides asticae has never been found again since its first description from the River Véléka basin in Bulgaria . The specimen from Sicily agrees widely with the original description, except for relatively smaller dorsal sclerites. It differs from the closely related A. longiporus Petrova, 1968 (synapomorphy: location of the ventral seta IV-L- 5 in proximal half of segment) in the slenderer P-3 and Ac in a triangular arrangement. Habitat: Hyporheobiont. Distribution: Bulgaria , Sicily . First record from Italy .