Neumania (Lemienia) australica, Smit, 2021

Smit, Harry, 2021, The water mite genusNeumania Lebert, 1879 in Australia (Acari: Hydrachnidia, Acarologia 61 (2), pp. 479-485 : 480-482

Neumania (Lemienia) australica n. sp.

Zoobank: 9827A63C-A485-4D1B-A8BE-D69931A285FF

( Fig. 1A – E , 2 )

Material examined — Holotype male, Maitland River , pools , at crossing with NW Coastal Highway , Western Australia, Australia, 20°51.005 ′ S 116°36.608 ′ E, alt. 8 m asl, 31 Jan. 2019 ( WAM) . Paratypes: ten females ( WAM), 11 females ( RMNH), same data as holotype ; one male, two females, pool in Weetootla Creek, Gammon Ranges NP, South Australia, 24 Oct. 2001 ( SAM); two males, Onkaparinga River at Sundews Trail, South Australia, Australia, 35°09.478 ′ S 138°34.791 ′ E, alt. 95 m asl, 6 Apr. 2008 ( RMNH).

Other material. Northern Territory. 2/7/0, pools upstream of Waterfall Creek, Kakadu NP, 13°25.762 ′ S 132°25.089 ′ E, 25 July 1994. Western Australia. 2/5/0, pool Lennard River, Windjana Gorge NP, Kimberley, 9 Sept. 1998 ; 1/0/0, pool Lennard Gorge, Kimberley, 10 Sept. 1998 ; 1/1/0, pool Manning Gorge Falls, Kimberley, 13 Sept. 1998 ; 2/29/1, pool Amalia Gorge, El Questro Station, Kimberley, 16 Sept. 1998 ; 7/11/0, pools in creek at Old Halls Creek, S of Halls Creek, 26 Sept. 1998 ; 1/1/0, Geikie Gorge, western side, Geikie Gorge NP, 18°7 ′ 23.92 ″ S 125°39 ′ 42.47 ″ E, 28 Sept. 1998. Queensland. 12/13/0, Mt Carbine Dam, Mt Carbine, 16°32.019 ′ S 145°07.525 ′ E, alt. 358 m asl, 14 Oct. 2005 ; 3/5/0, Porcupine Creek, Porcupine NP, 20°21.039 ′ S 144°27.852 ′ E, 23 Oct. 2005 ; 1/3/0, rockpool Porcupine Creek, Porcupine Gorge NP, 20°21.039 ′ S 144°27.852 ′ E, 23 Oct. 2005 ; 1/0/0, Yabba Creek at Peach Trees Campground, Jimna, 26°38.251 ′ S 152°26.924 ′ E, alt. 465 m asl, 2 Nov. 2005.

Diagnosis — Male: IV-leg-6 bowed, IV-leg-5 with a distinct ventral indentation, anterior to this indentation a bowed stout seta, IV-leg-6 relatively short.

Description — Male: Idiosoma with very fine papillae, yellowish, 446 (470 – 518) long and 340 (381 – 405) wide, ventrally 454 (486 – 502) long. Apodemes of anterior coxae extending onto Cx-IV. Suture line Cx-III/IV incomplete. Area between the coxae lightly sclerotized. Gonopore ellipsoid, 61 long. Genital field with 7 – 8 pairs of acetabula, one of these distinctly larger than the others. Genital plates fused with venter without suture line. Length of P1-5: 16, 68, 40, 74, 25. P4 distally with a setal tubercle. Length of I-leg-4 – 6: 160, 172, 140. Length of IV-leg-4 – 6: 154, 178, 147. IV-leg-5 with a ventral indentation, anterior to this indentation a stout, bowed seta, ventral margin of this segment with seven pectinate setae, the five anterior setae more stout; IV-leg-6 bowed, ventral margin with 5 – 6 stout setae. True swimming setae absent, but instead legs with relatively short stiff setae.

Female: Idiosoma yellowish, dorsally 697 (624 – 826) long and 526 (486 – 640) wide, ventrally 648 (616 – 697) long. Integument with very fine papillae. Coxae as in male. Medial margin of Cx-IV with a strip of secondary sclerotization. Genital field with 11 – 13 pairs of acetabula, genital plate 80 long; pre-genital sclerite 66 wide. Length of P1-5: 30, 97, 52, 96, 36. Palp as in male. Length of I-leg-4 – 6: 219, 200, 140. Length of IV-leg-4 – 6: 194, 235, 194. Legs with stiff swimming setae, IV-leg-3 with two, III-leg-5, IV-leg-4 and -5 with three and III-leg-4 with four swimming setae.

Etymology — Named after the Australian continent.

Remarks — The male of the new species is close to N. gila . The new species has IV-leg-5 distinctly bowed over its whole length (bowed anteriorly, but straight over most of its posterior part in N. gila ), and IV-leg-6 is shorter (147 – 160 versus 225 – 258 in N. gila ). Females are not separable.

The new species is similar also to N. lacustris Smit, 2002 from New Caledonia. The third leg of the male of N. lacustris is slightly modified, especially III-leg-4. The third leg of the male of the new species is hardly modified, III-leg-4 is not much broader than other segments of this leg.

Smit (1992) reported N. falcipes from Queensland. I re-examined this material, lodged in RMNH, and concluded that the two males belong N to. australica n. sp. Therefore, N. falcipes must be omitted from the Australian list.

Figures

Figure 1 Neumania australica n. sp., A – D holotype male, E paratype female. A = venter male; B = palp, C = III-leg-4 – 6; D = IV=leg=5 – 6; E = genital field female. Scale bars: A, E = 100 µm, B – D = 50 µm.

Figure 2 Neumania australica n. sp., paratype male from Onkaparinga River. Scale bar = 50 µm.