Neumania (Lemienia) gila K.O. Viets, 1975

Smit, Harry, 2021, The water mite genusNeumania Lebert, 1879 in Australia (Acari: Hydrachnidia, Acarologia 61 (2), pp. 479-485 : 482-484

Neumania (Lemienia) gila K.O. Viets, 1975

Neumania queenslandica K.O. Viets, 1977 – new syn.

Type material — Holotype male, Dry lagoon via Charters Towers, Queensland, Australia, 20 June 1978, leg. B.V. Timms (slide 53259, SMF); Paratypes: two males, same data as holotype (slides 53260, 53261, SMF).

New records — Queensland. 4/15/2, Lake Emma, Lakefield NP, 15°17 ′ 47.43 ″ S 144°38 ′ 48.05 ″ E, 3 Sept. 2000 ; 3/18/0, swamp 9 km E of Musgrave, 5 Sept. 2000 ; 2/3/0, Low Lake, Lakefield NP, 14°40 ′ 57.19 ″ S 144°12 ′ 7.96 ″ E, 5 Sept. 2000 ; 3/13/0, Pandanus Creek, Cathu State Forest, 20° 47.904 ′ S 148°32.658 ′ E, 24 Oct. 2005 ; 1/1/0, Broken River, Eungella NP, 21°10.069 ′ S 148°30.676 ′ E, 25 Oct. 2005 ; 1/0/0, small lake Hawkwood Road, 13 km S of Mundaburra, 25°39.910 ′ S 151°13.941 ′ E, alt. 130 m asl, 31 Oct. 2005 ; 3/0/0, small lake S of Biggenden, along road Biggenden-Maryborough, 25°33.583 ′ S 152°07.345 ′ E, 1 Nov. 2005; 2/1/0, Emu Creek at Clancy’s Camping Area, Benarkin State Forest, 26°58.334 ′ S 152°09.916 ′ E, alt. 162 m asl, 3 Nov. 2005 ; 1/0/0, cattle pond along Mulligan Highway, 15°45.519 ′ S 144°59.942 ′ E, alt. 156 m asl, 18 Oct. 2014 ; 1/0/0, Coen River, Coen, 13°56.175 ′ S 143°11.988 ′ E, alt. 192 m asl, 19 Oct. 2014 ; 1/3/4, Marshy Creek crossing Bypass Road, N of Jardine River, 10°58.864 ′ S 142°22.129 ′ E, alt. 22 m asl, 20 Oct. 2016 ; 3/7/0, Mango Lagoon, Oyala Thumotang NP, 13°37.838 ′ S 142°34.627 ′ E, alt. 73 m asl, 24 Oct. 2014. Northern Territory. 8/36/10, Billabong Nourlangie Creek, Kakadu NP, 20 July 1994 ; 2/2/2, Lake Jabiru, Jabiru, 12°40.264 ′ S 132°50.436 ′ E, 20 July 1994 ; 6/11/6, pond in Jim Jim Creek, at Jim Jim Crossing, Kakadu NP, 22 July 1994 ; 4/5/0, Jim Jim Billabong at crossing with Kakadu Highway, Kakadu NP, 22 July 1994 ; 2/10/0, pond Jim Jim Creek, near Jim Jim Campground, Kakadu NP, 23 July 1994 ; 10/21/0, Southern Rockhole, Katherine Gorge NP, 27 July 1994 ; 1/0/0, Manton Dam, 12°51.726 ′ S 131°07.148 ′ E, 1-viii-1994 ; 1/3/0, Lake Jabiru, 12°40.264 ′ S 132°50.436 ′ E, alt. 43 m asl, 27 Sept. 2005. Western Australia. 1/2/0, Python Pool, Millstream-Chichester NP, 21°20 ′ 0.88 ″ S 117°14 ′ 18.89 ″ E, 17 Aug. 1994 ; 3/5/1, pond Kalamina Gorge, near falls, Hamersley Range, 22°24 ′ 48.08 ″ S 118°24 ′ 34.50 ″ E, 13 Aug. 1994 ; 1/18/0, pool Lennard River, east side Windjana Gorge, the Kimberley, 17°21 ′ S 125°20 ′ E, 10 Sept. 1998 ; 1/2/1, pools 3 km from Lennard Gorge, the Kimberley, 10 Sept. 1998 ; 2/8/0, pool Silent Grove (behind ranger station), the Kimberley, 11 Sept. 1998 ; 6/4/0, Pool Silent Grove Spring, the Kimberley, 11 Sept. 1998 ; 13/17/1, plunge pool Adcock Gorge, the Kimberley, 12 Sept. 1998 ; 2/23/0, Jack’s Waterhole, Gibb River Road, the Kimberley, 14 Sept. 1998 ; 6/11/0, Middle Springs, W of Kununurra, 15°38 ′ 1.38 ″ S 128°40 ′ 10.67 ″ E, 18 Sept. 1998 ; 7/0/0, pool Valentine Springs, W of Kununurra, 18 Sept. 1998 ; 1/3/0, Arthur Creek at crossing with Great Northern Highway, 23 Sept. 1998 ; 1/0/0, plunge pool Cathedral Gorge, Purnululu NP, 17°28 ′ 49.60 ″ S 128°22 ′ 22.47 ″ E, 24 Sept. 1998 ; 11/19/0, pool W of Tunnel Creek, Tunnel Creek NP, 30 Sept. 1998 ; 1/21/0, Maitland River, pools, at crossing with NW Coastal Highway, 20°51.005 ′ S 116°36.608 ′ E, alt. 8 m asl, 31 Jan. 2019.

Remarks — According to Cook (1986) Neumania is a difficult genus to work with in the Australian region. This applies especially to species of the subgenus Lemienia Koenike, 1910 . K.O. Viets (1975) described N. gila from Australia, and he compared the new species only with N. maharashtris Cook, 1967 from India. However, in my opinion the closest species is N. falcipes described from Indonesia. K. Viets (1935) described two subspecies, differing in the shape of Cx-IV and IV-leg-6, the latter segment varying from strongly bowed in the nominate taxon to straight in N. falcipes directa K. Viets, 1935 and N. falcipes concava K. Viets, 1935 . Neumania gila has an almost straight IV-leg-6, the posteroventral margin of IV-leg-5 is (slightly) concave and the genital field is fused with the venter. I examined N. falcipes from the Viets collection, including a subspecies. The only reliable differences between the two species are the structure of the integument, with fine denticles N. in gila and a smooth integument in N. falcipes and its subspecies, and the genital field lying either N free. (falcipes ) or fused with the venter ( N. gila ). A problem is that secondary sclerotization is age dependant, in young males it is difficult to see, although usually some patches with denticles are present.

K.O. Viets (1977) described N. queenslandica , based on the female only. He compared this species only with N. pilosa Koenike, 1906 from SE Asia. The most important character was the chitinized margins between the coxae and posterior to Cx-IV. According to Viets (1977) young females also have this secondary sclerotization. Within the genus Neumania these chitinizations are usually age dependent, and indistinct or absent in young females. Only in older females they are well visible. In my collection there are males of N. gila accompanied by females which match the description N of. queenslandica , including chitinized margins of the coxae. Therefore, I propose to synonymize N. queenslandica with N. gila .

Distribution — Queensland, New South Wales, and reported here for the first time from the Northern Territory and from Western Australia.