Gondwanabates gembus Cook, 1986

Smit, Harry, 2015, The water mite family Hygrobatidae Koch in Australia. The genera Aspidiobatella Cook, Australorivacarus Viets, Gondwanabates Imamura and Rhynchaustrobates Cook (Acari: Hydrachnidia), Zootaxa 4033 (4), pp. 567-583 : 573

Gondwanabates gembus Cook, 1986

Material examined. New South Wales. 0/1/0, Towamba River at Big Jack Rest Area, South East Forests NP, 36º 53.885 S 149º 27.807 E, alt. 271 m asl, 11-xii-2003; 0/1/0, Carters Creek at crossing with Western Distributor Road, 35º 30.914 S 150º 0 3.546 E, alt. 187 m asl, 16-xii-2003. Queensland. 0/1/0, Alligator Creek below lower falls, Bowling Green Bay NP, 19º 26.283 S 146º 56.874 E, alt. 44 m asl, 10-xi-2014; 0/1/0, Sandy Creek, W of Maleny, Queensland, Australia, 26º 42.241 S 152º 41.120 E, alt. 115 m asl, 1-xii-2014.

Remarks. Thus far known only from the type locality in Queensland, and here reported for the first time for New South Wales and Victoria. The female from Carters Creek is ventrally 445 and dorsally 389 long, while the dorsal shield is 373 long. It is therefore much smaller than the specimens of Cook (1986) and my own specimens from Queensland. Morphology of this female, however, agrees well with Cook’s description.