Aspidiobates unidorsalis Smit, 1992

Smit, Harry, 2019, The water mite genus Aspidiobates Lundblad, 1941 from Australia (Acari: Hydrachnidia: Hygrobatidae) with the description of two new species, Zootaxa 4550 (1), pp. 115-122 : 121

Aspidiobates unidorsalis Smit, 1992

Material examined. Holotype male, Darraboola Creek , Lamington NP, Queensland, Australia, 19-vii-1989, leg. H. Smit (S.21120, QM—palp mounted, idiosoma missing).

Remarks. As the idiosoma is missing (in the past the holotype was sent from Amsterdam to Brisbane, but upon arrival in Brisbane the idiosoma was lacking), I was able to examine the palp only. Based on the original description, dgl-1 and dgl-2 are at equal distance, with the postocularia anterior to dgl-1. The palp is slender, without setal tubercles and a distinct anteroventral extension of P2. In juvenile Aspidiobates specimens the dorsal and ventral shields are not yet developed, and the dorsal shield appears as entire. As Smit (1992) mentioned the presence of dorsal and ventral shields are present, the holotype is not a juvenile specimen. The only other Australian Aspidiobates species with an entire dorsal shield is A. bidewel Harvey & Cook, 1988 , but this species has dgl-1 and the postocularia at the same level and the distance of dgl-1 and dgl-2 is much larger than the distance of dgl-2 and dgl-3 (only slightly larger in A. unidorsalis ). Moreover, the male fourth leg of A. bidewel is modified (not modified in A. unidorsalis ).