Unionicola (Downesatax) minutissima Lundblad 1947, new comb.
Creators: name: Smit, Harry
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2008
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Trombidiformes
Unionicolidae
Unionicola
Unionicola minutissima

description: Unionicola (Downesatax) minutissima Lundblad, 1947 new comb.
Unionicola (Hexatax) minutissima Lundblad, 1947: 61.
Unionicola (Pentatax) minutissima K.O. Viets 1975: 93; Cook 1986: 159; Smit 1992: 100. Unionicola (Smithatax) minutissima Vidrine 1992: 463; 1996: 40; Wiles 1997: 409; Harvey 1998: 143.
Material examined. New South Wales: 1 female, Wattamolla Creek, Royal NP, 8 November 2001. Queensland: 1 female, Nankin Creek, Rockhampton, 26 June 1982, leg. A.P. Mackay; 1 female, same location, 24 September 1982, leg. A.P. Mackay; 1 male, Lake Emma, Lakefield NP, 15° 17’47.43” S 144° 38’48.05” E, 3 September 2000; 2 males, 1 female, Hann Crossing (stagnant), Lakefield NP, 14° 45’ 57.30” S 144° 04’ 46.60” E, 4 September 2000; 1 female, Catfish Waterhole, Lakefield NP, 15° 3’ 57.50” S 144° 17’ 8.43” E, 4 September 2000; 4 females, Crediton Creek, Eungella NP, 18 September 2000; 2 males, 2 females, Lake Moondarra, Mt Isa, 20° 35.274 S 139° 34.357 E, 8 October 2005; 5 males, 1 female, Mt Carbine Dam, Mt Carbine, 16° 32.019 S 145° 0 7.525 E, 14 October 2005; 1 female, Waterview Creek at Jourama Falls, Paluma Range NP, 18° 51.729 S 146° 0 7.650 E, 20 October 2005; 2 females, Fletcher Creek, Dalrymple NP, 19° 49.125 S 146° 0 3.771 E, 22 October 2005; 3 males, 18 females, 1 nymph, Porcupine Creek, Porcupine Gorge NP, 20° 21.039 S 144° 27.852 E, 23 October 2005; 1 female, rockpool Porcupine Creek, Porcupine Creek NP, 20° 21.039 S 144° 27.852 E, 23 October 2005; 5 males, 13 females, Broken River, Eungella National Park, 21° 10.069 S 148° 30.676 E, 25 October 2005; 3 males, 4 females, pool Broken River, 21° 10.112 S 148° 30.078 E, 25 October 2005; 3 males, 8 females, South Mimosa Creek, Blackdown Tablelands NP, 23° 47.714 S 149° 0 4.270 E, alt. 802 m asl, 27 October 2005. Northern Territory: 1 female, Mardugal Billabong, Kakadu NP, 21 July 1994; 1 male, Home Billabong, Kakadu NP, 22 July 1994; 5 females, pond in Jim Jim Creek, at Jim Jim Crossing, Kakadu NP, 22 July 1994; 1 male, 1 female, pond in Jim Jim Creek, near Jim Jim campground, Kakadu NP, 23 July 1994; 2 males, Pools upstream of Waterfall Creek, Kakadu NP, 13° 25.762 S 132° 25.089 E, 25 July 1994; 15 males, 7 females, Lily Pond Falls, Katherine Gorge NP, 27 July 1994; 7 males, 21 females, 1 nymph, same location, 3 October 2005; 1 female, plunge pool Edith Falls, Katherine Gorge NP (= Nitmiluk NP), 14° 10.899 S 132° 11.342 E, 30 July 1994; 1 male, same location, 2 October 2005; 1 female, Douglas River at Douglas Hot Springs, 1 August 1994; 3 males, 1 female, Kambolgie Creek, Kakadu NP, 13° 30.169 S 132° 23.688 E, 30 September 2005; 1 female, pools Waterfall Creek, upstream of falls, Kakadu NP, 13° 25.762 S 132° 25.089 E, 1 October 2005; 8 males, 8 females, Edith River downstream of plunge pool, Nitmiluk NP, 14° 10.885 S 132° 11. 271 E, 2 October 2005; 7 males, 21 females, 1 nymph, Lily Pond, Katherine Gorge, Nitmiluk NP, 14° 18.801 S 132° 28.326 E, 3 October 2005. Western Australia: 2 females, Fortescue Falls (pool), Hamersley Range NP, 22° 28’39.18” S 118° 33’3.04” E, 11 August 1994; 1 male, 1 female, pond Kalamina Gorge near falls, Hamersley Range NP, 22° 24’48.08” S 118° 24’34.50” E, 13 August 1994; 3 males, 5 females, Pond Knox Gorge, Hamersley Range NP, 13 August 1994; 1 male, 4 females, Palm Pool, Millstream-Chichester NP, 21° 34’2.85”S 117° 2’32.10”E, 15 August 1994; 4 males, 10 females, Deep Reach Pool, Millstream-Chichester NP, 21° 36’47.36”S 117° 6’31.53”E, 15 August 1994; 1 male, 1 female, Western part Deep Reach Pool, Millstream-Chichester NP, Western Australia, Australia, 16 August 1994; 3 females, Crossing Pool, Millstream-Chichester NP, 21° 34’55.16”S 117° 5’37.72”E, 16 August 1994; 2 males, 10 females, Python Pool, Millstream-Chichester NP, 21° 20’0.88”S 117° 14’18.89”E, 17 August 1994; 1 female, Fitzroy River at crossing with Great Northern Highway, S of Derby, 8 September 1998; 2 males, 1 female, pool Manning Gorge Falls, The Kimberley, 13 September 1998.
Remarks. A widespread species, previously known from Queensland, Tasmania and Papua New Guinea (Wiles 1997), and reported here for the first time from New South Wales, the Northern Territory and Western Australia.
description: Published as part of Smit, Harry, 2008, Australian Unionicola (Acari: Hydrachnidia: Unionicolidae), with the description of two new subgenera and eight new species, pp. 1-26 in Zootaxa 1674 on pages 9-11, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.180257