Limnesia (Limnesia) pseudozelandica, 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 : 908

Limnesia (Limnesia) pseudozelandica n. sp.

Zoobank: 5D994176-715A-4CEE-ACA4-614B050A85D8

( Figures 3 A­D)

Material examined. Holotype male, Hapiata Stream , interstitial, Okiwi Bay, South Island, New Zealand, 41°06.167 ′ S 173°40.763 ′ E, alt. ± 50 m asl, 28­ii­2020 ( NMNZ).

Diagnosis. Dorsum with eight pairs of glandularia, six of these on the dorsal shield. Cx­III with a relatively long, straight medial margin. Gnathosoma attached to a protrusible tube. Acetabula of separate genital plates.

Description. Male: Idiosoma dorsally 571 long and 389 wide, ventrally 591 long. Integument lineated, eyes and integument without pigment. Dorsal shield with six pairs of glandularia and the postocularia, dorsal furrow with two pairs of glandularia. Gnathosomal bay pointed posteriorly, Cx­I fused medially. Cxgl­4 on Cx­III, near suture line of Cx­III/IV. No ridge present anterior to insertion of fourth legs. Genital field 118 wide, gonopore 34 long, with three pairs of glandularia, these lying on curved, indistinct genital plates. Gnathosoma elongated, attached to a protrusible tube. Length of P1­5: 20, 64, 60, 90, 40. Palp segments dorsal without stout setae, P2 ventrally with a short, relatively stout seta. Length of I­leg­4­6: 76, 98, 131. Length of IV­leg­4­6: 84, 90, 92; IV­leg­6 with a terminal seta, 62 long. Excretory pore incorporated in ventral shield.

Etymology. Named for its superficial resemblance to L. zelandica Cook, 1983 .

Remarks. With the key of Cook (1983) the new species keys out as L. testacea Hopkins, 1969 . Differences with the latter species (in brackets) are the long medial margin of Cx­III (short), no ridge anterior to insertion of fourth legs (with ridge) and the gonopore is shorter. A second species with the dorsal shield with six pairs of glandularia is L. zelandica Cook, 1983 . This species has the gnathosoma attached to a protrusible tube too. Differences with the new species (in brackets) are the presence of three pairs of glandularia in the dorsal furrow (two pairs), the presence of a ridge anterior to the insertions of the legs (no ridge), rounded medial margins of Cx­III (straight), and the integument is pigmented (not pigmented).