Gondwanabates hopkinsi Imamura, 1984

Smit, Harry, 2015, The water mite family Hygrobatidae Koch in Australia. The genera Aspidiobatella Cook, Australorivacarus Viets, Gondwanabates Imamura and Rhynchaustrobates Cook (Acari: Hydrachnidia), Zootaxa 4033 (4), pp. 567-583 : 573

Gondwanabates hopkinsi Imamura, 1984

( Fig 5 A)

Material examined. Tasmania. 2/10/0, Julius Rivulet, Julius River Forest Reserve, 41º 0 9.296 S 145º 0 1.707 E, alt. 123 m asl, 21-iii-2008; 5/10/0, Sumac Rivulet at crossing with South Arthur River Forest Drive, 41º 0 9.934 S 145º 0 4.152 E, alt. 127 m asl, 22-iii-2008; 2/7/0, unnamed creek crossing road Kanunnan Bridge—Couta Rocks, 41º 0 8.142 S 144º 57.003 E, alt. 50 m asl, 22-iii-2008; 1/0/0, Blackwater Rivulet at crossing with road Kanunnan Bridge—Couta Rocks, 41º 10.006 S 144º 54.801 E, alt. 132 m asl, 22-iii-2008; 0/1/0, Collingwood River at crossing with road A10, Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers NP, 42º 0 9.770 S 145º 55.658 E, alt. 370 m asl, 24-iii-2008; 0/1/0, Cuvier River upstream of confluence with Hugel River, Lake St. Clair –Cradle Mountain NP, 42º 0 6.581 S 146º 0 9.820 E, alt 760 m asl, 25-iii-2008; 1/0/0, Tyenna River at campground, Mt Field NP, 42º 41.071 S 146º 43.026 E, alt. 350 m asl, 26-iii-2008; 1/3/0, South Esk River, upstream of Upper Esk, 41º 25.182 S 147º 43.147 E, alt. 362 m asl, 29-iii-2008. Queensland. 0/1/0, Coomera River upstream of Coomera Falls, Lamington NP, 28º 14’7.21” S 153º 11’28.81” E, 14-xi-2003.

Description. Male. Idiosoma brownish, ventrally 518 (494–518) long, dorsally 488 (437–470) long and 335 (308–337) wide. Dorsal and ventral shields present. Dorsum with three plates, anterior plates 258 long, posterior plate 280 long. Dorsal glandularia as in female. Capitulum plus anchoral process 152 long. Genital field with three pairs of acetabula; gonopore 92 long. Length of P1–5: 24, 77, 42, 80, 30; palp as in female. Length of I-leg-4–6: 92, 98, 78. Length of IV-leg-4–6: 120, 136, 96. Legs as in female.

Remarks. The male was thus far not described. Juvenile females have the genital field on a separate plate, as illustrated for the holotype by Imamura (1984). Cook (1986) suspected the holotype to be a juvenile, but this could not be proven by him. Gondwanabates hopkinsi is known from Tasmania, Victoria and New South Wales, and here reported for the first time from Queensland. The latter record extends its distribution area more than 900 km north.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Gondwanabates hopkinsi Imamura, 1984, male; A. venter. Scale bar = 50 µm.