The water mite genus Aspidiobates Lundblad, 1941 from Australia (Acari: Hydrachnidia: Hygrobatidae) with the description of two new species
Author
Smit, Harry
text
Zootaxa
2019
2019-01-23
4550
1
115
122
journal article
27498
10.11646/zootaxa.4550.1.5
66a584e7-821e-4a40-851c-397798d57504
1175-5326
2625171
F3E42E51-1E73-446A-A98D-EB5FF7250E9F
Aspidiobates unidorsalis
Smit, 1992
Material examined.
Holotype
male,
Darraboola Creek
,
Lamington NP
,
Queensland
,
Australia
,
19-vii-1989
, leg.
H. Smit
(S.21120, QM—palp mounted, idiosoma missing).
Remarks.
As the idiosoma is missing (in the past the
holotype
was sent from Amsterdam to Brisbane, but upon arrival in Brisbane the idiosoma was lacking), I was able to examine the palp only. Based on the original description, dgl-1 and dgl-2 are at equal distance, with the postocularia anterior to dgl-1. The palp is slender, without setal tubercles and a distinct anteroventral extension of P2. In juvenile
Aspidiobates
specimens the dorsal and ventral shields are not yet developed, and the dorsal shield appears as entire. As
Smit (1992)
mentioned the presence of dorsal and ventral shields are present, the
holotype
is not a juvenile specimen. The only other Australian
Aspidiobates
species with an entire dorsal shield is
A. bidewel
Harvey & Cook, 1988
, but this species has dgl-1 and the postocularia at the same level and the distance of dgl-1 and dgl-2 is much larger than the distance of dgl-2 and dgl-3 (only slightly larger in
A. unidorsalis
). Moreover, the male fourth leg of
A. bidewel
is modified (not modified in
A. unidorsalis
).