Gondwanabates ninguis, Smit & Pešić, 2025

Smit, Harry & Pešić, Vladimir, 2025, New records of hygrobatid water mites from SE Australia (Acari: Hydrachnidia Hygrobatidae) with the description of ten new species, Zootaxa 5566 (3), pp. 481-521 : 504-506

Gondwanabates ninguis sp. nov.

Figure 12

Material examined. Holotype female, Snowy River at Foremans Crossing , interstitial, Kosciuszko NP , New South Wales, 36°25.812 S 148°19.342 E, 1725 m asl, 9-ii-2024 leg. Smit, dissected and slide mounted ( AMS) . Paratypes: 1/0/0, same data as the holotype, dissected and slide mounted ( AMS), 2/0/0 (in fluid, RMNH) .

Diagnosis. Posterior dorsal plate with three pairs of glandularia arranged as illustrated in Figure 12A ; anterior dorsal plate undivided; Vgl-3 away from the posterior suture line of Cx-IV.

Description. Female. Dorsal and ventral shield present; dorsal shield 477 long and 294 wide, consisting of an anterior plate and a posterior plate, anterior plate 241 long and 286 wide, posterior plate with three pairs of glandularia, 258 long and 294 wide, anterior margin of posterior plate medially slightly projecting ( Figure 12A ). Ventral shield ( Figure 12B ) 541 long and 366 wide, gnathosomal bay 101 long, anterior coxal plates extending beyond anterior idiosoma margin. Genital field fused with the ventral shield and with three pairs of acetabula in a curved line, 134 long and 152 wide between outer margins of genital acetabula; gonopore 117 long and 90 wide.

Palp as illustrated in Figures 12E–F : dorsal length/height: P1, 27/30; P2, 80/59; P3, 39/39; P4, 73/27; P5, 34/16; ventral margin of P2 with relatively large denticles confined to distoventral portion of the segment, distoventral portion of P3 with a few smaller denticles. Anchoral process noticeably shorter than the gnathosoma proper. Chelicera 195 long, basal segment 134 long, claw 63 long.

Dorsal lengths of I-leg-4–6: 84, 79, 87; distoventral seta at I-leg-5 pointed, lying near the distal end ( Figure 12G ); dorsal lengths of IV-leg: 88, 75, 94, 119, 117; IV-leg-5 with two very short swimming setae.

Male (slide mounted paratype; in parentheses some measurements of two paratypes fixed in fluid). Similar to female, except the shape of the genital field ( Figure 12C ). Dorsal shield 422 (404–428) long and 247 (247–272) wide, anterior plate 216 (219–239) long and (244–272) wide, posterior plate 241 (203–216) long and (247–269) wide. Ventral shield 469 (464–480) long and 350 wide, genital field area fused with the ventral shield and with three pairs of acetabula, genital field 111 long and 92 wide between outer margins of acetabula, maximum diameter Ac 1–3: 28–31, 31–33, 30; gonopore 84 long and 23 wide. Ejaculatory complex 138 long.

Palp as illustrated in Figure 12D : dorsal length/height: P1, 23/28; P2, 75/53; P3, 39/37; P4, 63/25; P5, 31/16. Gnathosoma with included anchoral process 138 long; chelicera 156 long, basal segment 108 long, claw 51 long.

Dorsal lengths of I-leg: 36, 47, 52, 75, 78, 88; dorsal lengths of IV-leg-4–6: 111, 117, 103; IV-leg-5 with two very short swimming setae.

Etymology. Named after the type locality, the Snowy River ( ninguis = snow).

Remarks. With Cook (1986) the new species keys out as G. dalvotus Cook, 1986 , a species known from Queensland and Victoria ( Cook 1986) but differs in the configuration of the glandularia of the posterior dorsal plate (most posterior pair fused in new species but free in G. dalvotus , see Fig. 623 in Cook 1986). Moreover, in G. dalvotus the posterior suture line of Cx-IV extends almost to the pair of glandularia (Vgl-3) (see Figs. 618 and 620 in Cook 1986), while in the new species the latter pair of glandularia is shifted away from the posterior suture line of Cx-IV. Moreover Cx-IV of G. dalvotus are more elongated compared to the new species.

Distribution. New South Wales, known only from the type locality.

Figures

FIGURE 12. Gondwanabates ninguis sp. nov. (A–B, E–G, female holotype, C–D, male paratype), Snowy River: A—dorsal shield; B—ventral shield; B—genital field; D–F—palp; G—I-leg-5 and 6. Scale bars = 100 µm.