Arrenurus (Arrenurus) bunyaensis, 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 : 115

Arrenurus (Arrenurus) bunyaensis n.sp.

Figs. 51–55

Type material. HOLOTYPE male, Barkers Creek at Little Falls, Bunya Mountains National Park, Queensland, Australia, 19 November 2003 ( QM).

Diagnosis. Third leg of male modified, with a large claw. Petiole with undulating lateral margins and a rounded posterior margin.

Description. Male: Idiosoma pale orange, 931 long (including petiole) and 551 wide.Anterior idiosoma margin convex. Dorsal shield incomplete, 470 wide. Dorsoglandularia 1 and 2 lying close to each other. Capitular bay V-shaped, rounded basally. Pygal lobes and cauda absent. Medial margin of third and fourth coxal plates more or less of same length, posterior margin of fourth coxal plates sloping. Third and fourth coxal plates well distanced medially. Petiole with undulating lateral margins, rounded posteriorly. Near base of petiole dorsally two long setae. Gonopore 60 long. Genital plates lying oblique, genital plates about three times as long as wide, not reaching lateral idiosoma margin. Lengths of PI–PV: 35, 82, 62, 90, 40. PII with four setae on medial side. Lengths of Ileg-4–6: 128, 146, 134. III-leg modified: III-leg-5 enlarged, III-leg-6 ventrally with a row of six short setae and with a large claw; lengths of III-leg-4–6: 1674, 200, 140. Lengths of IV-leg-4–6: 184, 172, 126; IV-leg-4 without spur. Third and fourth legs with numerous swimming setae.

Female: Unknown.

Etymology. Named after the Bunya Mountains.

Remarks. The modified third leg is unique for the genus Arrenurus . It is always the fourth leg which is modified in the males, with IV-leg- 4 in many cases with a spur. Besides the modified third leg, the petiole is also diagnostic for the new species.

Figures

Figs 51–55. Arrenurus bunyaensis n.sp., holotype male, (51) ventral view; (52) dorsal view; (53) detail of petiole, dorsal view; (54) palp; (55) III-leg-5–6. Scale bars 51–52 = 200 µm, 53–55 = 50 µm.