Atractides nikooae Pesic sp. nov.

(Figs. 34–40)

Type material: Holotype: male, dissected and mounted in Hoyer's fluid; Iran: IR60 Markazi Province, Ghareh Chai stream 30 km after Tafresh city (90 km N Arak), 24.08.2003, leg. Pesic. Paratypes: 7 females, same data as holotype, one of these females dissected and mounted on Hoyer's fluid.

Diagnosis: dorsal integument: striated; muscle attachments: unsclerotized. I­L: I­L­5 S­1­2 distanced, S­1 slender, blunt, S­2 basally thickened, more pointed; I­L­6 slender, curved, with maximum H proximally. Genital field: Ac small, in a curved line; excretory pore: smooth; Vgl­1: not fused to Vgl­2. Palp: no sexual dimorphism, ventral margin P­2 straight, with slightly curved distal edge, P­3 straight, ventral margin of P­4 divided by hair insertions in sections 1:1:2, sword seta near the distoventral hair.

Description

Male: Length of idiosoma 514, width 357. Dorsally the integument is striated; muscle attachments: unsclerotized. Coxal field (Fig. 34): mediocaudal margin of Cx­1+2 with a large, slightly concave area between the laterally directed apodemes of Cx­2 (Fig. 34); length between anterior end of first coxae and posterior end of fourth coxae 339; Cx­3 width 385, Cx­1+2 width 304; Cx­1+2 medial suture 100 in length; distance from lateralmost tips of Cx­2 to the medioposterior edge of Cx­1+2 212. Measurements of mouthparts: cheliceral claw 56 in length; palp total length 318, dorsal length/height and relative length (% total length, in parentheses) of single segments: P­ 1 31/29 (9.7), P­2 71/54 (22.3), P­3 75/46 (23.6), P­4 104/39 (32.7), P­ 5 37/12 (11.6); length ratio P­2/P­4 is 0.68; palp (Fig. 36): ventral margin P­2 straight, with slightly curved distal edge, P­3 straight, P­ 4 1:1:2, sword seta near the distoventral hair. Genital field (Fig. 35): apple­shaped with nearly straight, irregular anterior margin; 94 in length, 96 in width, Ac­1­3 length 21­23­ 27; excretory pore smooth; Vgl­1: separated from Vgl­2

I­L (Fig. 37): S­1/2heteromorphic and distanced, S­1 long, S­2 shortened, enlarged; I­ L­6 long and slender; I­L­5 dorsal length 196, I­L­5 ventral length 115, ratio dorsal length I­L­5 /ventral length 1.7, I­L­5 central height 50, ratio dorsal length I­L­5/central height 3.92, S­1 length 100, ratio length S­1/width 11.6, S­2 length 71, ratio length S­2/ width 6.2, distance between sword setae of I­L­5 30; ratio length S­1/2 1.41; I­L­6 length 152, I­ L­6 central height 18, ratio length I­L­6/central height 8.3; ratio length I­L­5/6 1.23.

Female: Length of idiosoma 892, width 650. Dorsally the integument is striated; muscle attachments: unsclerotized. Coxal field: mediocaudal margin of Cx­1+2 with a large, slightly concave area between the laterally directed apodemes of Cx­2; length between anterior end of first coxae and posterior end of fourth coxae 400, Cx­3 width 511, Cx­1+2 width 365 Cx­1+2 medial suture 135 in length; distance from lateralmost tips of Cx­2 to the medioposterior edge of Cx­1+2 260. Measurements of mouthparts: chelicera 250 in length, claw 75 in length; palp total length 408, dorsal length/height and relative length (% total length, in parentheses) of single segments: P­1 40/40 (9.8), P­2 91/69 (22.3), P­3 112/ 52 (27.5), P­4 125/34 (30.6), P­ 5 40/15 (9.8); length ratio P­2/P­4 is 0.73; palp (Fig. 39): ventral margin P­2 straight, with slightly curved distal edge, P­4 more slender than in male, 1:1:2, sword seta near the distoventral hair. Genital field (Fig. 40): Ac in a curved line, genital plates with weak indentations at borders Ac­1/2 and Ac­2/3; 160 in length, 177 in width, Ac­1­3 length 25­29­36; excretory pore smooth; Vgl­1: separated from Vgl­ 2.

I­L (Fig. 38): I­L­5 both S­1/2 not enlarged distally, S­2 strongly thickened in the basal third part, distance S­1­2 large (> 50 µm); I­L­6 curved, maximum H basally, strongly narrowed in the centre (HB); I­L­5 dorsal length 252, I­L­5 ventral length 135, ratio dorsal length I­L­5 /ventral length 1.89, I­L­5 central height 77, ratio dorsal length I­L­5/central height 3.3, S­1 length 125, ratio length S­1/width 10.2, S­2 length 83, ratio length S­2/ width 4.4, distance between sword setae of I­L­5 57; ratio length S­1/2 1.5; I­L­6 length 198, I­L­6 central height 19, ratio length I­L­6/central height 10.3; ratio length I­L­5/6 1.27.

Discussion: Among the species with relatively small Ac, excretory pore smooth, I­L­ 5/6 slender, A. nikooae sp. nov. is most similar to A. diastema (Szalay, 1935), A. algeriensis (Lundblad, 1942), and A. cultellatus (K.Viets, 1930) due to absence of muscle attachment sclerites, striated integument and the Vgl­1 not fused to Vgl­2. From the latter two species, A. nikooae sp. nov. is easily distinguished by the larger distance S­1­2, while the ventral margin of P­2 is straight, not distally protruding. Furthermore, from A. cultellatus, a species known only in the female sex, A. nikooae sp. nov. differs, in a longer median suture Cx­1+2 (in A. cultellatus L = 90 µm) and the sword seta on P­4 not particularly thickened.

A. nikooae sp. nov. differs from A. diastema (in parentheses data from Gerecke 2003), a weakly defined species from Hungary and Poland known only in the female sex, by the following features: the genital plates are not elongated, ventral margin of P­2 is straight (ventral marginof P­2 slightly protruding), ventral margin of P­4 divided by hair insertions in sections 1:1:2 (2:2: 1 in A. diastema), more slender palp segments (L/H P­3 2.77, P­4 4.20), and a more heteromorphic setae S­1/2 (L S­1/2 1.3).

Etymology: The species is named after Nikoo Saboori, a daughter of the second author (A.S).

Biology: Atractides nikooae sp. nov. is very likely a rhitrobiontic species.

Distribution: Iran, only known from the locus typicus in the Markazi Province.