Atractides (Polymegapus) minutus Walter, 1928

Pešić, Vladimir, Chatterjee, Tapas & Bordoloi, Sabitry, 2010, A checklist of the water mites (Acari: Hydrachnidia) of India, with new records and description of one new species, Zootaxa 2617 (1), pp. 1-54 : 28

Atractides (Polymegapus) minutus Walter, 1928 ( Fig. 3A–C )

Records from the study area: Punjab—“ Megapus minutus “ Walter (1928); Prasad (1974).

Material compared: NHMB: Megapus minutus Walter , Ƥ labelled as " Typus ", Vorder-Indien , col. Chappuis XII/80.

Remarks: The re-examination of the holotype of Atractides minutus lodged in NHMB reveales that the Vgl-3 are separate (not fused with additional glandularia on each side [probably Vgl-4?] as it is illustrated in Walter 1928, Fig. 18). Atractides minutus closely resembles A. davecooki (see Pešić & Panesar 2008 for diagnostic differences between these two species). Additional differences (added after the re-examination of the holotype of A. minutus ) which separate these two species include a stouter P-4 ( Fig. 3B ), a shorter and stouter I-L-5 ( Fig. 3C ) and the sclerotized excretory pore in Atractides minutus ( Fig. 3A ).

Habitat: Mountain streams.

Distribution: India.

Figures

FIGURE 3 A – C. Atractides minutus Walter, 1928, NHMB, “ Typus “, female: A = genital field; B = palp; C = I-L- 5 and - 6. Scale Bar = 100 μm.