Procorticacarus denticulatus sp. nov.

Figure 16

Material examined. Holotype male, Victoria, Morses Creek along Morses Creek Road, S of Bright, New South Wales, 36°49.393 S 146°58.527 E, 429 m asl, 14-ii-2024 leg. Smit, dissected and slide mounted (AMS).

Diagnosis (Female unknown). Dorsum with relatively small paired postocularia platelets; first coxae separated medially; anterior margin of genital field slightly concave, acetabula in a weakly curved line

Description. Male. Idiosoma ventrally 328 long, dorsally 300 long and 275 wide; dorsum with relatively small paired postocularia plates (Figure 16A). Coxae in four groups and genital field free; gnathosomal bay deep; medial margins of first coxae separated; Cxgl-4 close to the middle of Cx-IV; secondary sclerotization of Cx-IV well developed, enclosing Vgl-3, and embracing anterior part of the genital field (Figure 16B), distance between tips of Cx-I and posterior end of Cx-IV 278, Cx-III width 241. Genital field (Figure 16C) 103 long and 127 wide, with three pairs of acetabula arranged in a weakly curved line, maximum diameter Ac 1–3: 27, 21, 20; anterior margin of genital field slightly concave, gonopore 39 long and 27 wide.

Palp as illustrated in Figure 16D: dorsal length/height: P1, 13/28; P2, 50/39; P3, 76/41; P4, 96/22; P5, 44/11; ventral margin of P2 with a projection, denticles present on this projection and on the ventral side of P3, ventral margin P4 on a well-developed tubercle in posterior part of the segment. Chelicera (Figure 16E) 142 long, basal segment 99 long, claw 42 long.

Dorsal lengths of I-leg-1–5: 43, 55, 78, 81, 76; I-leg-4–6 as illustrated in Figure 16F; dorsal lengths of IV-leg: 73, 62, 68, 100, 102, 109; swimming setae absent.

Female: Unknown.

Etymology. Named for the small teeth on the palp.

Remarks. The combination of a paired postocularia plates and first coxae separated medially makes the new species similar to P. angulicoxalis Cook. The male of latter species differs in the shape of genital field with the anterior margin strongly projecting (see fig. 750 in Cook 1986), much enlarged paired postocularia plates and the palp lacking denticles on both P2 and P3, with comparatively longer and pointed ventral projection of P-4 (see fig. 747 in Cook 1986).

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