Australiobates tasmanicus, Smit & Pešić, 2025

Smit, Harry & Pešić, Vladimir, 2025, New records of hygrobatid water mites from SE Australia (Acari: Hydrachnidia Hygrobatidae) with the description of ten new species, Zootaxa 5566 (3), pp. 481-521 : 496

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5566.3.3
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:5A41C10B-C902-4583-AB0F-0E843EB700E3
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14704813
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03EC878B-FFE8-B93E-80D4-FE6234E3FAA7
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Australiobates tasmanicus
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Australiobates tasmanicus sp. nov.

Figure 9 View FIGURE 9

Material examined. Holotype female, Tasmania, Nelson River at crossing with road A10, Franklin Gordon Wild Rivers NP, 42°06.247 S 145°44.186 E, 318 m asl, 24-iii-2008, leg. Smit, dissected and slide mounted ( TMAG). GoogleMaps

Diagnosis (Male unknown). P-3 with one seta each on medial and lateral surface extending beyond ventral margin of segment; gonopore very long, genital plate flanking the posterior half of the gonopore, extending a bit posterior to the gonopore.

Description. Female. Idiosoma ventrally 570 long and 472 wide. Coxal field 238 long, Cx-III width 303; apodeme of Cx-IV relatively short and broad. Genital field ( Figure 9A View FIGURE 9 ) 173 long and 156 wide, individual genital plate 75–81 long, genital plates extending a bit posterior to the gonopore, three pairs of acetabula in a curved line, maximum diameter Ac 1–3: 20, 19–20, 23–25; pregenital sclerite 68 wide; gonopore very long, 154 in length.

Palp as illustrated in Figures 9B–C View FIGURE 9 : dorsal length/height: P1, 25/23; P2, 58/36; P3, 80/34; P4, 97/21; P5, 29/11; palpal segment comparatively long, ventral margin of P2 nearly straight, P-3 with one seta each on medial and lateral surface extending beyond ventral margin of segment, ventral margin of P4 with two short, thin setae, placed relatively close to each other and extending distally at a sharp angle. Gnathosoma with its long posterior process 159 long.

Dorsal lengths of I-leg: 47, 63, 74, 121, 130, 133; I-leg-5 and -6 as illustrated in Figure 9D View FIGURE 9 ; dorsal lengths of IV-leg: 81, 83, 128, 182, 192, 167; IV-leg-5 with two very short swimming setae.

Male: Unknown.

Etymology. Named for its occurrence in Tasmania.

Remarks. The new species differs from all other species in having one seta on the medial and lateral surface of P-3 and a very long gonopore with the genital plates flanking its posterior part.

Distribution. Tasmania.