Hydryphantes (Polyhydryphantes) meridianus Lundblad, 1947 –,

K, Harry Smit & PešićK, Vladimir, 2023, New records of the water mite family Hydryphantidae Piersig from Australia with the description of five new species (Acari: Hydrachnidia), Acarologia 63 (4), pp. 981-997 : 982

Hydryphantes (Polyhydryphantes) meridianus Lundblad, 1947 – nov. stat

Material examined— Tasmania. 1/1/0, Big Waterhouse lake, Waterhouse Protected Area, 21 Oct. 1997 ; 0/1/0, Little Waterhouse Lake, Waterhouse Protected Area, 21 Oct. 1997. South Australia. 3/2/0, Hacks Lagoon, Bool Lagoon Game Reserve, 11 Oct. 2001 ; 1/0/1, Bool Lagoon near Big Hill, Bool Lagoon Game Reserve, 12 Oct. 2001 ; 1/1/0, Hacks Lagoon (behind reed bed), Bool Lagoon Game Reserve, 13 Oct. 2001 ; 3/1/0, Big Swamp, 20 km W of Port Lincoln, 27 Oct. 2001.

Remarks — This taxon was originally described as a variety of H. microphallus by Lundblad (1947) but given the differences in the genital field with much less acetabula than H. microphallus it deserves ranking as a full species. Lundblad (1947) mentioned that the genital flap has 3-4 posterior acetabula, but often there are five pairs of posterior acetabula.

Distribution — Previously known from Victoria only, and reported here for the first time from Tasmania and South Australia.