Procorticacarus beedelup, Orginal, 2021

Orginal, Harry Smit, 2021, The water mites of Western Australia (Acari: Hydrachnidia), with the description of 13 new species, Acarologia 61 (4), pp. 928-966 : 943

Procorticacarus beedelup n. sp.

Zoobank: D60C4D2F-B085-44E1-BF77-A829520F379B

( Figure 10 A-E)

Material examined — Holotype male, Beedelup Brook downstream of falls, Beedelup NP, Western Australia, Australia, 34°25.107′ S 115°52.071′ E, 103 m asl, 10 Feb. 2019 ( WAM) . Paratypes: three females ( WAM), one male, three females ( RMNH), same data as holotype.

Diagnosis — Both male and female with a pair of postocularia platelets, ventral extension of P2 blunt.

Description — Male: Idiosoma dorsally 397 (365) long and 332 (308) wide, ventrally

433 (413) long. Integument with small papillae and a fine striation. Dorsum with a pair of postocularia platelets, 108 long and with a reticulate pattern, posterior to postocularia platelets four pairs of glandularia platelets ( Figure 10A). Cx-I medially fused. Cxgl-4 located near the middle of Cx-IV ( Figure 10B). Genital field with three pairs of acetabula. Gonopore rhomboid, 42 long. Length of P1-5: 24, 70, 82, 110, 43. P2 ventrally with a blunt extension, its tip with small papillae, ventral margin of P3 with numerous papillae, P4 ventrally with large setal tubercles ( Figure 10C). Length of I-leg-4-6: 95, 103, 90. Length of IV-leg-4-6: 138, 158, 126.

Female: Idiosoma dorsally 510 (356-591) long and 454 (332-486) wide, ventrally 551 (397-624) long. Integument structure as in male. Configuration of dorsal platelets as in male ( Figure 10D), postocularia platelets 114 long. Cx-I separated medially, Cxgl- 4 in the middle of Cx-IV ( Figure 10E). Genital field with three pairs of acetabula, posterior pair near-separated from anterior two pairs ( Figure 10E). Pre-genital sclerite 118 wide, genital field 180 wide, genital plate 80 long. Length of P1-5: 28, 92, 116, 156, 58. Palp as in male. Length of I-leg-4-6: 110, 128, 96. Length of IV-leg-4-6: 158, 182, 160.

Etymology — Named after the type locality. The name is a noun in apposition.

Remarks — The new species is close to P. angulicoxalis (K.O. Viets, 1978) in the presence of paired postocularia platelets in both male and female. The new species differs from the latter species (characters in parentheses) in the medially fused Cx-I (separated), a blunt ventral extension of P2 (pointed) and the ventral margin of P3 with numerous papillae (smooth). Moreover, the gonopore of P. angulicoxalis is not rhomboid.