Koenikea (Notomideopsis) saponaria, Smit, 2007

Smit, Harry, 2007, New Records of Hyporheic Water Mites from Australia, with a Description of Two New Genera and Ten New Species (Acari: Hydrachnidia), Records of the Australian Museum 59 (2), pp. 97-116 : 101-104

Koenikea (Notomideopsis) saponaria n.sp.

Figs. 12–18

Type material. HOLOTYPE male, Carters Creek at crossing with Western Distributor Road, New South Wales, Australia, 35°30.914'S 150°03.546'E, alt. 187 m, 16 December 2003 ( AMS) . PARATYPES: 2 females ( AMS, ZMAN), same data as holotype ; 1 male, 1 female, West Canungra Creek at Blue Pool, Lamington National Park, Queensland, Australia, 15 November 2003 ( ZMAN) .

Diagnosis. Genital field with 6–8 pairs of acetabula, glandularia 3, 4 and 5 of dorsal shield at equal distance of each other; male genital field bulging.

; (8) dorsal view; (9) palp; (10) I-leg-4–6; (11) IV-leg-5-6. Scale bars = 50 µm.

Description. Male: Dorsal and ventral shields present, dorsal shield strongly convex and without apophyses. Idiosoma dorsally 535 (510) long (including bulging genital field) and 510 (486) wide. Dorsal shield with six pairs of glandularia, none of which are on tubercles. Dorsal furrow complete, dorsal shield 446 long and 462 wide. Glandularia 3, 4 and 5 (see Smit, 2004) lying in a triangle, at equal distance of each other. One pair of eyes present lying below integument. First coxal plates extending to or just beyond anterior idiosoma margin. Tips of first coxal plates blunt. Suture lines of second and third coxal plates incomplete. Apodemes of first coxal plates extending onto anterior part of fourth coxal plates. Coxoglandularia 2 located more or less halfway posterior margin of fourth coxal plates and genital field. Genital field with eight pairs of acetabula, a pair of glandularia situated laterally in genital field. Genital field bulging, gonopore 64 long. Excretory pore terminal. Lengths of PI–PV: 16, 58, 36, 63, 36. Ventral margin of PII straight. PIV stocky, peg-like seta on a short tubercle, located near distal end of segment. Lengths of I-leg-4–6: 130, 131, 164. Lengths of IV-leg-4–6: 156, 174, 184. IV-leg-4 with four ventral setae and a distal pectinate seta, IV-leg-5 with six ventral setae and a distal pectinate seta and IV-leg-6 with four ventral setae and a distal pectinate seta. III-leg-4 and -5 and IV-leg-4 and -5 with three swimming setae, IV-leg-3 with one swimming seta. Claws of legs without clawlet and claw blade.

Female: Dorsal and ventral shields present, dorsal shield strongly convex. Idiosoma nearly circular, 672 (583–648) long and 658 (575–624) wide. Dorsal furrow complete, dorsal shield 624 long and 591 wide, with six pairs of glandularia, none of which are on tubercles. Configuration of dorsal glandularia as in male. Tips of first coxal plates blunt, extending almost to anterior idiosoma margin.Apodemes of first coxal plates extending onto anterior part of fourth coxal plates. Genital field with eight (six) pairs of glandularia. Gonopore 114 long and 106 wide. Lengths of PI–PV: 22, 69, 50, 72, 40; palp as in male. Lengths of I-leg-4–6: 157, 132, 156. Lengths of IV-leg-4–6: 170, 182, 162. IV-leg-4 ventrally with (2)3–4 setae and one pectinate distal seta, IVleg-5 ventrally with (4) 5 setae and one distal pectinate seta and IV-leg-6 with 4 (5) ventral setae. Swimming setae as in male. Claws of legs without clawlet and claw blade.

Etymology. The convex shape of the idiosoma is reminiscent of a piece of soap.

Remarks. Two other Australian Koenikea species have less than ten acetabula: K. pauciacetabula Smit and K. rubipes Smit. The first species has a differently shaped IV-leg-6 with a large claw, while the genital field is not bulging. Moreover, within the genital field an enlarged glandularium is found, which is absent in the new species. Koenikea rubipes also has an enlarged glandularium within the genital field, and the genital field is not bulging. Additionally, IV-leg-5 has 11 ventral setae and a pectinate distal seta. This is very likely the second interstitial Australian species of the genus. Based on the very different morphology, Cook (1986) considered K. rodosa Cook as an interstitial species. With two records from hyporheic collections from widely separated locations, K. saponaria n.sp. very likely is an obligate hyporheic species.

Family Frontipodopsidae K. Viets

Figures

Figs 12–18. (12–17) Koenikea saponaria n.sp., holotype male: (12) ventral view; (13) dorsal shield; (14) genital field; (15) palp; (16) Ileg-4–6; (17) IV-leg-4–6; scale bars 12–17 = 50 µm. (18) Koenikea saponaria n.sp., paratype female, ventral view, scale bar = 200 µm.