Ioannibates, Smit, Harry, 2009

Smit, Harry, 2009, New Australian hygrobatids (Acari: Hydrachnidia: Hygrobatidae), with the description of two new genera and three new species, Zootaxa 2114, pp. 61-68 : 64

Ioannibates gen. nov.

Diagnosis. Dorsum with a large plate and a pair of smaller plates; first leg slightly modified; first anterior pair of acetabula separated from posterior two pairs.

Type species: Ioannibates papillosus n. sp.

Description. Idiosoma papillate, lateral eyes lying beneath idiosoma. Dorsum with one large plate with postocularia and two pairs of glandularia. In dorsal furrow five more pairs of glandularia, one pair on a small platelet with two wart-like extensions. Gnathosoma not fused with coxal plates. Coxal plates in three groups, first coxal plates fused medially. Posterior of fourth coxal plates extensive sclerotizations. Genital field of male on a large somewhat triangular plate, gonopore ellipsoid. Genital field with three pairs of acetabula, the anterior pair separated from the two posterior pairs. PII and PIII ventrally with large papillae. I-leg-5 slightly modified, anteroventrally with a slightly curved seta.

Remarks. The new genus is different from the known hygrobatid genera in the combination of a large dorsal plate with a pair of smaller plates, a slightly modified I-leg-5, the genital field lying on a plate and the first pair of acetabula being separated from the posterior pairs. This warrants a separate generic status. Procorticacarus species have a dorsum also with large and small plates, but males have a different gonopore, and all species have PII with a ventral extension. Moreover, no species have the first leg modified as in the new species. The palp of the species is similar to the palp of Hygrobates , but in this genus the gnathosoma is fused with the coxal plates.

Etymology. The genus name is derived from the type locality ( St. John = the prophet Ioannes).