Penemideopsis novaezelandica, Smit & Pešić, 2020

Smit, Harry & Pešić, Vladimir, 2020, New records of water mites from New Zealand, with the description of three new genera and ten new species (Acari: Hydrachnidia), Acarologia 60 (4), pp. 903-950 : 946

Penemideopsis novaezelandica n. sp.

Zoobank: 3D067EDF-D91C-40B9-88DF-57A990EE7687

( Figures 27 A­C)

Material examined. Holotype male, Eliot Creek, interstitial, Aorere Valley, South Island, New Zealand, 40°49.897 ′ S 172°28.309 ′ E, alt. 110 m asl, 1­iii­2020 (NMNZ). Paratype: Male, Dizzy Creek at crossing with Haast Pass Road, Mt Aspiring National Park, South Island, New Zealand, 43°57.738 ′ S 169°09.498 ′ E, alt. 35 m asl, 7­iii­2020 (RMNH).

Diagnosis. Idiosoma slender, dorsally with a short medial extension; P4 with a large ventral spatulate extension; gonopore bulging near first two pairs of acetabula.

Description. Male: Idiosoma slender, dorsally 454 (442) long and 300 (300) wide, ventrally

495 (493) long. Dorsal shield with three pairs of glandularia and the postocularia, 405 (397)

long and 267 (270) wide. Frontal margin of idiosoma with a short medial extension. First coxae extending beyond anterior idiosoma margin. Suture lines of coxae distinct except posterior margin of Cx­IV, anterior pairs of suture line not touching medially. Posterior margin of Cx­IV at an angle to idiosoma axis. Cxgl­4 located far posterolaterally. Genital field 66 long, with three pairs of acetabula. Gonopore bulging outwards near region of first two pairs of acetabula. Length of P1­5: 22, 57, 28, 36, 35. P4 stocky, with a large spatulate ventral extension with a tiny seta, this extension with a short suture line separating a larger seta. Length of I­leg­4­6: ­,

58, 84. Length of IV­leg­4­6: 70, 106, 86. Leg segments stocky, swimming setae absent.

Female: Unknown.

Etymology. Named for its occurrence in New Zealand.

Remarks. In the shape of P4 the new species is most close to the Penemideopsis phreatica from eastern Australia, with the seta nearly fused with the extension, only separated by a suture line. The two species from Western Australia have the seta of P4 distinct set off from the extension. The new species differs from the two species from Western Australia in a more bulging gonopore, a less far extending frontal margin and a straight posterior margin of Cx­IV (rounded in the two species from Western Australia). Penemideopsis phreatica Cook, 1986 has the idiosoma widened anteriorly (not widened in the new species) and Cxgl­4 are lying much closer to the genital field than in the new species.