Atractides (Atractides) robustus (Sokolow, 1940)

Atractides (Atractides) robustus (Sokolow, 1940)

Material examined.

Isparta • TR 17-2024 Çukurköy , stream, 37.651257°N, 30.81791°E, 25 Apr. 2024, leg. 1 ♂ (sequenced) GoogleMaps • TR 18-2024 , Yazılıkanyon Tabiat Parkı , stream from cave (moss), 37.46882°N, 30.919449°E, 25 Apr. 2024, leg. Pešić, Zawal, Gülle & Gülle, 1 deutonymph (sequenced) GoogleMaps .

Remarks.

The sequenced specimens from southwestern Türkiye were clustered within two BINs, i. e. BOLD: AGH 5609 which include one specimen from this study and BOLD: AEK 3669, which in addition to a single deutonymph from our study includes one specimen of A. robustus from eastern Türkiye (Bingöl province). The p - distance between these two BINs was estimated at 2.89 %.

For a long time, A. robustus , a species originally described from the Caucasus (the affluents of the Kuban River) has been considered as a common species in Europe ( Gerecke 2003). However, recent genetic data revealed that this species consists of several distinct lineages ( Pešić et al. 2023 b). The results of the applied ASAP procedure revealed that both BINs from southwestern Türkiye belong to a single MOTU (hypothetical species), which grouped also sequences of A. robustus like mites from eastern Türkiye and northern Iran. On the other hand, the second MOTU, which includes European populations of robustus - like mites belonging to BOLD: ADZ 9348 and BOLD: AFF 2463, possible represent a cryptic species new to science.

Distribution.

Europe, Türkiye, Caucasus, Iran.