Studies on water mites of the family Hygrobatidae (Acari, Hydrachnidia) from Iran, I. The water mite genus Atractides Koch, with the description of five new species
Author
Pesic, Vladimir
Author
Saboori, Alireza
Author
Asadi, Mahdieh
Author
Vafaei, Reza
text
Zootaxa
2004
495
1
40
journal article
10.5281/zenodo.157855
2fcc9637-0666-42af-a7ea-47adc189b600
11755326
157855
A2244F7C-7DB5-4461-AF1D-85CE04C5EA25
Atractides acutirostris
(
Motas & C.Angelier, 1927
)
(
Figs. 72–76
,
Table 1
)
New records:
(First records from the study area) Kerman Province, Chatrod (a small city near Kerman), 0 2.03.2003, leg. Asadi (0/1/0); IR8 Mazandaran Province, the hygropetric stream near Ramsar (on Javaher deh road, 36° 57'
N 49°49'
E), ca.
500 m
asl., 24 Cº,
19.07.2003
, leg. Pesic, Asadi, Saboori and Akrami (0/1/0); IR11 Mazandaran Province, Ramsar area, Safa stream near Gavramak village (37°14' 2
N 49°9'
9E),
241 m
asl., 22 Cº,
19.07.2003
, leg. Pesic, Asadi, Saboori and Akrami (1/0/0); IR35 Isfahan Province, Kuhrang river between Komitak (ca. 32º42N 50º28 E), ca.
2100 m
asl., and Ghale Shahrokh cities, 0 2.08.2003, leg. Pesic (0/1/0); IR44
Fars
Province, Tang Boragh river,
8 km
from Tang Boragh village (30°38'18
N 52°3'
10E,
25 km
from Eghlid city),
2188 m
asl., 0 6.08.2003, leg. Pesic (0/1/0).
Remarks:
The male from Mazandaran agrees with the measurements given for a male from
Hungary
(
Szalay 1935
). The slight differences observed in the absolute and relative length of palp segments probably fall within the variability of the species. According to
Gerecke (2003)
, most of the available information suggests that Szalay's specimen, collected far away from the
locus typicus
, is indeed conspecific, but there is some doubt left due to the particular long median suture line Cx1+
2 in
Szalay's specimen (150 long), a character found neither in any of the Sicilian males (
Gerecke 2003
), nor in the our specimen or in the specimen described by
Lundblad (1956)
from
France
.
FIGURES 72–76.
Atractides acutirostris
(Motas & C. Angelier, 1927)
, (76 = male; 72–75 = female): 72 = gnathosoma and palp; 73 = chelicere; 74 = I–L5/6; 75 = genital field; 76 = genital field. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.
Furthermore, according to
Gerecke (2003)
, females from continental
Italy
,
Greece
and
Israel
and from the Sicilian populations differ from the original description in generally higher measurement values and slightly stouter palp and IL segments (
Fig. 74
). Most measurements of the female from
Iran
agrees with the female from Sicily. Differences (in parenthesis the data of a female from Sicily, from
Gerecke 2003
) are found in minor dimensions of the Cx1+2 medial suture line (138 long) and of the genital field (L/W 178/ 205), as well as the relatively longer P1 (% L 13). For the time being they all are considered as conspecific with
A. acutirostris
, in this concept a very variable species (
Gerecke 2003
).
Distribution:
Central and Southern Europe, scattered areas; British Islands,
Greece
and
Israel
(
Gerecke 2003
).