Schwoerbelaturus, Smit, 2019

Smit, Harry, 2019, New and rare species of hyporheic water mites from New Zealand (Acari: Hydrachnidia: Aturidae, Momoniidae with the description of two new genera, one new subgenus and one new species, Acarologia 59 (3), pp. 364-373 : 367-369

Schwoerbelaturus n. gen.

Zoobank: EDB43336-E6DE-4FFD-A6E9-86D92EFFFB65

Diagnosis — Male: Lateral eyes absent. Dorsum with large unpaired anteromedial and posteromedial plates; anteromedial plate with the postocularia, posteromedial plate with two pairs of glandularia. Posterior margin of posteromedial plate not visible in dorsal view. Two pairs of lateral platelets, each with a gland. No “free” dorsoglandularia (= dgl-2) present. Cx-I projecting far anteriorly beyond frontal idiosoma margin. Suture lines of coxae obliterated, those of Cx-IV completely absent. A pair of glandularia near suture line Cx-III/Cx-IV, two pairs of glandularia between insertion of fourth legs and genital field. Genital field terminal in position, with several pairs of acetabula, some pairs shifted to the dorsum. Gonopore relatively wide. Palp slender, especially P4 and P5; P4 bulging ventrally, with a long ventral seta. Legs without swimming setae, segments slender and not modified.

Female: Unknown.

Type species — Zelandopsis aturoides Schwoerbel, 1984

Etymology — The new genus name is a combination of the name Schwoerbel and the genus name Aturus .

Remarks — Schwoerbel (1984) was not certain about the assignment of Zelandopsis aturoides . Now that more material is available, also of Zelandopsis Imamura , it is clear that Schwoerbel’s species does not belong to the latter genus. The following differences can be found between Schwoerbelaturus n. gen. and Zelandopsis (in brackets): Dorsal shield without a free pair of glandularia (with a free pair), anteromedial dorsal plate very narrow (of normal width), Cx-I far projecting over frontal margin (not far projecting), P2 and P3 without denticles (with denticles), posterolateral platelet with glandularia (without glandularia), two pairs of glandularia between fourth legs insertion and genital field (one pair), one pair of glandularia near suture line Cx-III/Cx-IV (two pairs). Apart from Evidaturus , no other genus has a similar configuration of dorsal glandularia and plates. Besides a very rugose integument (smooth in the new genus), Evidaturus differs in much smaller projections associated with the insertion of the fourth coxae.