Limnochares (Cyclothrix) australica Lundblad, 1941

Smit, Harry, 2004, Water mites from Pacific Islands (Acari: Hydrachnidia), Zootaxa 588, pp. 1-20 : 2

Limnochares (Cyclothrix) australica Lundblad, 1941

Limnochares australica Lundblad, 1941: 108 ; Lundblad 1947: 13; Szalay 1953: 73; K.O. Viets 1975: 93; Cook 1986: 9; Harvey 1990: 484; Smit 1996: 47; Harvey 1998: 135; Smit 2002: 164.

Material examined

Six specimens (adults and nymphs) (unfortunately, most specimens have fallen apart), small lake Nausori Highlands, Viti Levu, Fiji, 523 m a.s.l., 17º 48.596 S –177º 40.965 E, 23 October 2003.

Description

Female: body approximately 2700 long, body colour red. Ocular plate 421 long. Capitulum 413 long. Genital field with two rows of 10 setae. Number of acetabula approximately 80. Lengths of PI–PV: 12, 62, 50, 68, 22. Lengths of I­leg­4­6: 116, 150, 140. Lengths of IV­leg­4­6: 266, 288, 246. For all other characters see Harvey (1990).

Remarks

Adults of Limnochares australica are virtually indistinguishable from the Indian and African specimens of L. crinita Koenike. However, Martin & Smit (2002) showed that the larvae of both species were quite different. Outside Australia, the species has been reported from New Zealand ( Smit 1996) and New Caledonia (Smit 2002), so it is reported here for the first time from Fiji. All these specimens were tentatively assigned to L. australica , as larvae were unknown. The same applies to the specimens from Fiji, and therefore the assignment to L. australica must be considered as tentative. Leg segments from specimens from New Caledonia and Fiji are shorter than those given for Australian specimens by Harvey (1990), but there is a considerable variation in the morphology, both between and within populations.