Atractides (Atractides) malayensis Pesic & Smit, 2009, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Pesic, Vladimir
name: Smit, Harry
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2009
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Trombidiformes
Hygrobatidae
Atractides
Atractides malayensis

description: Atractides (Atractides) malayensis sp. nov.
(Figs. 6A–D, 7A–C)
Type material. Holotype: male dissected and slide mounted in Hoyer's fluid. Malaysia, unnamed creek crossing Girdle Road, Fraser’s Hill, 15.ii.2009, 3° 42.943 N 101° 44.039 E, alt. 1260 m, leg. Smit. Paratypes: 0/3/0 (0/1/0 mounted), same data as holotype.
Diagnosis. Integument dorsally striated; weak sexual dimorphism of P-2; narrower S-1 and -2 interspace (<20 μm in both sexes), S-1 with truncate tip, S-2 stouter and relatively shorter; I-Leg-6 more slender (L/HB 4.8 in male, 6.3 in female).
Morphology. General features. Integument dorsally striated. Muscle attachment plates unsclerotized. Genital field: Ac in triangular arrangement; excretory pore smooth; Vgl-1 separated from Vgl-2. Palp: weak sexual dimorphism; P-2 ventral margin straight, sword seta of P-4 between ventral hair insertions. I-Leg: setae S-1 and -2 with a short interspace, S-1 slender, with truncate tip, S-2 enlarged, bluntly pointed; I-Leg-6 curved, basally slightly thickened, from the centre to the claw furrow with parallel ventral and dorsal margins.
Male. Idiosoma L/W 378/284; glandularia maximum diameter 20. Coxal field (Fig. 5A): L 227, Cx-1+2 mL 100, Cx-3 W 253, Cx-1+2 lL 161. Palp (Fig. 5D): total L 204, dL and %L (in parentheses): P-1 23 (11.3), P-2 39 (19.1), P-3 49 (24.0), P-4 67 (32.8), P-5 26 (12.8); L P-2/P-4 0.58. Genital field (Fig. 5B): anterior margin equally convex, posterior margin strongly indented, L/W 79/91, L Ac-1-3: 26-29-30.
I-Leg (Fig. 5C): I-Leg-5 dL 116, vL 84, dL/vL 1.38, HB 33, dL/HB 3.5, S-1 L 60, L/ W 9.8, S-2 L 50, L/ W 6.0, distance of sword setae at I-Leg-5 9, L S-1/2 1.2; I-Leg-6 L 88, HB 18, L/HB 4.8; L I-Leg-5/6 1.32.
Female. Idiosoma L/W 681/519; glandularia maximum diameter 27. Coxal field (Fig. 6A): L 320, Cx-3 W 400, Cx-1+2 mL 108, Cx-1+2 lL 218. Palp (Fig. 6C): total L 301, dL and %L (in parentheses): P-1 30 (10.0), P-2 59 (19.6), P-3 83 (27.6), P-4 93 (30.9), P-5 36 (12.0); L P-2/P-4 0.63. Genital field (Fig. 6A): L 150, genital plate L 105, L Ac-1-3: 40-39-34; egg (n=2) maximum diameter 116.
I-Leg (Fig. 6B): I-Leg-5 dL 177, vL 127, dL/vL 1.39, HB 49, dL/HB 3.65, S-1 L 85, L/ W 8.7, S-2 L 73, L/ W 5.7, distance of sword setae at I-Leg- 5 15-17, L S-1/2 1.16; I-Leg-6 L 130, HB 21, L/HB 6.3; L I-Leg-5/6 1.36.
Remarks. Due to the presence of the striated integument, unsclerotized dorsal muscle attachment plates, a weak sexual dimorphism of P-2, a narrow S-1 and S-2 interspace and a thickened I-Leg-6, the new species resembles Atractides propatulus (K. Viets, 1935) from Sumatra. It differs from A. propatulus in stouter and relatively shorter S-1 and - 2 and more slender I-Leg-6. Furthermore, in the male of A. propatulus, ventral hairs of P-4 are inserted at a short distance from each other (see: K. Viets 1935).
Wiles (1991) reported Atractides conjunctus (K. Viets, 1935) based on a single female specimen from Selangor, Malaysia. He mentioned that his specimen fits the description of A. conjunctus from Java (K. Viets 1935), but was larger. Males of Atractides conjunctus can easily be distinguished from A. malayensis sp. nov. in the coxae fused to a coxal shield (see: K. Viets 1935). Due to the presence of stout I-Leg-6 and a narrow S- 1 and -2 interspace, his specimen resembles our new species. Additional specimens and finding of the male are necessary before we can assess the taxonomic status of this specimen (Wiles 1991).
Etymology. The species is named after the country where this species was collected.
Distribution. Malaysia; known only from the locus typicus.
description: Published as part of Pesic, Vladimir & Smit, Harry, 2009, New records of water mites of the genus Atractides Koch, 1837 (Acari: Hydrachnidia, Hygrobatidae) from Thailand, Malaysia and Sulawesi (Indonesia), with the description of four new species, pp. 1-30 in Zootaxa 2240 on pages 10-12, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.190536