Australiobates (Australiobates) setipalpis Cook, 1983

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 : 915

Australiobates (Australiobates) setipalpis Cook, 1983

Australiobates lacustris Smit, 1996 – new syn.

New records. South Island. 6/8/0, Lake Brunner at Moana, 42°34.559 ′ S 171°28.225 ′ E, alt. 89 m asl, 26­iii­2020 ; 1/0/5, unnamed stream Rakaitane Track, Moana, 42°34.374 ′ S 171°28.077 ′ E, alt. 78 m asl, 26­iii­2020.

Remarks. The illustrations of Cook (1983) show the male with an oval­shaped gonopore and the genital field anteriorly with flexible setae. However, examination of a picture of the holotype (see https://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/object/125042#open-iiifViewer) shows a gonopore which becomes narrower anteriorly, and the anterior margin has long, more or less stiff setae. The description of Australiobates lacustris was based on the latter characteristics.

Recent studies on hygrobatids, based on morphological and molecular evidence, have shown that lake and stream forms might belong to different species ( Martin et al. 2010, Pešić et al.

2019). However, based on the morphology, we conclude that A. lacustris is a synonym of A.

setipalpis . All previous records were from streams.

Distribution. Many records from North and South Island.