Tasmanobates separatus, Pesic, Vladimir & Smit, Harry, 2009

Pesic, Vladimir & Smit, Harry, 2009, New records of water mites (Acari: Hydrachnidia) from Tasmania, with descriptions of three new species, Zootaxa 2070, pp. 53-62 : 54-55

Tasmanobates separatus sp. nov.

( Figs. 1–7 )

Type series. Holotype: female ( TMAG G5893), dissected and slide mounted in Hoyer's fluid. Tasmania, Franklin Gordon Wild Rivers National Park, Franklin River, stony bottom without vegetation, temperature 8 °C, 42°12.928΄S 146°01.212΄E, 409 m asl., 18 September 2007, leg. T. Karanović.

Diagnosis. Dorsum with paired dorsal plates bearing the pre- and postocularia and Dgl-3, coxal plates separated in their respective sides.

Description. Female: Idiosoma L/W 356/253; dorsum with paired dorsal plates ( Fig. 1 ) bearing the pre- and postocularia and Dgl-3, L/W 93/53; coxae well separated medially and not fused on their respective sides; gnathosomal bay relatively deep and U-shaped; first coxae blunt; Cxgl-2 placed near suture lines between third and fourth coxae; posterolateral suture lines of the fourth coxal plates evident but obliterated medially; a row of muscle scars extending towards the glandularia of the fourth coxae; gonopore a long slit with a relatively small pregenital sclerite; the very small genital plates placed at the extreme posterior end of the genital field ( Fig. 2 ); three pairs of acetabula ( Fig. 3 ), individual genital plate L/W 26/18; chelicera total L 112, basal segment L 73, claw L 46, L basal segment/claw ratio 1.59; capitulum ventral L 79; palp total L 219, dorsal L and %L (in parentheses): P-1 27 (12.3), P-2 63 (28.8), P-3 35 (16.0), P-4 71 (32.4), P-5 23 (10.5); L P-2/P-4 ratio 0.89; palp as illustrated in Figs. 5–6 ; I-Leg-5 with club-shaped ventrodistal seta ( Fig. 4 ); lengths of I-Leg-4–6: 71, 71, 73; IV-Leg-4–6 ( Fig. 7 ): 94, 82; swimming setae absent.

Male: unknown.

Remarks. This is the second Tasmanobates species, the first one ( T. scutatus Cook, 1986 ) was described by Cook (1986) from interstitial deposits of the George River, Tasmania. The new species can be distinguished from T. scutatus in the presence of the paired dorsal plates on the dorsum (dorsum with a large dorsal shield bearing pre– and postocularia and three pairs of glandularia in T. scutatus ), less elongated idiosoma (considerably elongated in T. scutatus ), and a coxal plates separated in their respective sides (fused in T. scutatus ).

Etymology. Named for its separated dorsal plates in female.

Distribution. Tasmania; known only from the type locality.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 7. Tasmanobates separatus sp. nov., female: 1 = idiosoma, dorsal view; 2 = idiosoma, ventral view; 3 = genital plate; 4 = I-Leg- 4 – 6; 5 – 6 = palp; 7 = IV-Leg- 5 – 6. Scale bars = 100 µm.