Gondwanabates crassisetus, 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 : 501-504

Gondwanabates crassisetus sp. nov.

Figure 11

Material examined. Holotype female, Bola Creek at Bola Creek Picnic Area , Royal NP, New South Wales, 34°08.498 S 151°01.850 E, 27 m asl, 24-i-2024 leg. Smit dissected and slide mounted ( AMS).

Other material. New South Wales. 0/2/0, Boundary Creek , Gibraltar Range NP, 29°32.031 S 152°15.012 E, 970 m asl, 17-i-2024, 0/1/0 dissected and slide mounted ( RMNH) .

Diagnosis (Male unknown). Anterior glandularia of the posterior dorsal plate located in the anterolateral corner; P4 without a ventral extension; I-leg-5 with a stout, distally expanded, seta.

Description. Female. Dorsal and ventral shield present; dorsal shield 481 long and 316 wide, consisting of an anterior plate and a posterior plate, anterior plate 247 long and 314 wide, with an ornamentation which indicate fusion of what likely were paired platelets in the ancestral condition, posterior plate 238 long and 316 wide, with two pairs of glandularia, the anterior glandularia shifted to the anterolateral corner ( Figure 11A ), anterior margin of posterior plate medially slightly convex. Ventral shield ( Figure 11B ) 553 long and 391 wide, gnathosomal bay 97 long, Cx-III width 266, anterior coxal plates extending beyond anterior idiosoma margin. Genital field fused with the ventral shield and with three pairs of acetabula; 109 wide between the outer margins of the acetabula, gonopore 98 long and 67 wide.

Palp as illustrated in Figure 11C : dorsal length/height: P1, 27/27; P2, 86/64; P3, 49/44; P4, 97/30; P5, 35/14; 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 long, anchoral process slightly shorter than the gnathosoma proper, gnathosoma ventrally 89 long, with anchoral process 169 long. Chelicera 159 long.

Dorsal lengths of I-leg-3–6: 69, 109, 110, 100; distoventral seta at I-leg-5 comparatively stout and somewhat expanded distally. 31 long ( Figure 11D ); dorsal lengths of IV-leg: 92, 80, 111, 138, 155, 122; IV-leg-5 with two very short swimming setae.

Male: Unknown.

Etymology. Named for the stout seta of I-leg-5.

Remarks. With Cook (1986) the examined specimens key out as G. imamurai Cook, 1986 , a species known from Queensland ( Cook 1986, Smit 2015b). From the new species, G. imamurai differs in the anterior glandularia of the posterior dorsal plate shifted more medially from the anterolateral margin (see figure 601 in Cook 1986), distoventral seta of I-leg-5 comparatively slender (figure 596 in Cook 1986) and P4 with a ventral projection (see figure 600 in Cook 1986).

Distribution. New South Wales.

Figures

FIGURE 11. Gondwanabates crassisetus sp. nov., female holotype, Bola Creek:A—dorsal shield; B—ventral shield; C—palp; D—I-leg-5 and 6. Scale bars = 100 µm.