Gondwanabates obutusus, Smit & Pešić, 2025

Smit, Harry & Pešić, Vladimir, 2025, New records of hygrobatid water mites from SE Australia (Acari: Hydrachnidia Hygrobatidae) with the description of ten new species, Zootaxa 5566 (3), pp. 481-521 : 501

Gondwanabates obutusus sp. nov.

Figure 10

Material examined. Holotype male, Leatherbarrel Creek, crossing Alpine Way , Kosciuszko NP, New South Wales, 36°31.523 S 148°11.626 E, 975 m asl, 10-ii-2024, leg. Smit, dissected and slide mounted ( AMS).

Diagnosis (Female unknown). Dorsal shield consisting of paired anterior plates and unpaired, bluntly pointed posterior plate, posterior plate with four pairs of glandularia and anterior margin medially projecting.

Description. Male. Dorsal and ventral shield present; dorsal shield 430 long and 275 wide, consisting of paired anterior plates and a bluntly pointed posterior plate ( Figure 10A ), anterior plates 246 long and 128 wide, posterior plate with four pairs of glandularia, 238 long and 275 wide, anterior margin of posterior plate medially projecting. Ventral shield ( Figure 10B ) 478 long and 316 wide; anterior coxal plates extending beyond anterior idiosoma margin. Genital field fused with the ventral shield and with three pairs of acetabula, genital field 100 long and 88 wide between outer margins of acetabula, maximum diameter Ac 1–3: 33, 30–34, 22–23; gonopore 71 long.

Palp as illustrated in Figure 10C : dorsal length/height: P1, 23/23; P2, 77/55; P3, 39/39; P4, 80/27; P5, 33/13; ventral margin of P2 with numerous, relatively large denticles, distoventral portion of P3 with several denticles, P4 without a ventral extension, P5 with a small ventral extension. Gnathosoma with included anchoral process 110 long, anchoral process noticeably shorter than the gnathosoma proper ( Figure 10E ). Chelicera 137 long.

Dorsal lengths of I-leg: 36, 48, 55, 86, 92, 92; distoventral seta at I-leg-5 somewhat expanded distally ( Figure 10D ); Dorsal lengths of IV-leg-3–6: 95, 114, 125, 109.

Female: Unknown.

Etymology. Named for the bluntly pointed posterior dorsal plate.

Remarks. Due to the structure of the dorsal shield consisting of paired anterior plates and unpaired posterior plates the new species resembles Gondwanabates hopkinsi Imamura, 1984 , from which it differs in the posterior dorsal plate bearing four pairs of glandularia (two in G. hopkinsi ) and the anterior margin medially distinctly projecting (slightly projecting G. hopkinsi , see fig. 595 in Cook 1986).

Distribution. New South Wales; known only from the type locality

Figures

FIGURE 10. Gondwanabates obtusus sp. nov., male holotype, Leatherbarrel Creek: A—idiosoma, dorsal view; B—ventral shield; C—palp; D—I-leg-5 and 6; E—lateral view of gnathosoma, chelicera and P1. Scale bars = 100 µm.