Records of the Western Australian Museum 18 : 347-355 ( 1998 ). 
The water mite family Limnesiidae from northern and Western Australia 
(Acari: Actinedida), with a description of two new species 
Harry Smit 
Emmastraat 43-a, 1814 DM Alkmaar, The Netherlands 
Abstract - Two new species, Limnesia rubra and Physolimnesia katherine, are 
described from the Northern Territory, Australia. Timmsilimnesia prehendens 
is synonymized with Limnesia inga. Additional taxonomic characteristics are 
given for L. parasolida and L. solida. Furthermore, new records are presented 
from the Northern Territory and Western Australia for a number of Limnesia 
species known from other regions of Australia. 
INTRODUCTION 
The family Limnesiidae is represented in 
Australia by five genera: Heterolimnesia, Limnesia, 
Physolimnesia, Timmsilimnesia and Tubophorella 
(Cook, 1986). The most species-rich genus is 
Limnesia, with 25 species known from Australia so 
far. 
Limnesiid water mites occur in nearly every 
lentic water of Northern Territory and Western 
Australia. Together with members of the genus 
Arrenurus (Smit, 1997), they belong to the most 
abundant water mites of these type of waters 
(personal observation). 
In this study, two new species are described, 
Limnesia rubra and Physolimnesia katherine. New 
records are presented of Limnesia inga K.O. Viets, 
L. lembangensis Piersig, L. longigenitalis Lundblad, 
L. tnaceripalpis K.O. Viets, L. parasolida K.O. Viets, 
L. solida Lundblad and Timmsilimnesia prehendens 
K.O. Viets. Timmsilimnesia prehendens proved to be 
the male of Limnesia inga, a species previously 
known only from the female; the new name is 
Timmsilimnesia inga (K.O. Viets). Additional 
taxonomic characteristics are given for two 
previously inadequately described species, L. 
parasolida and L. solida. 
MATERIAL AND METHODS 
All material has been collected by the author. 
Holotypes and paratypes from the Northern 
Territory have been deposited in the Northern 
Territory Museum (Darwin) (NTM). Additional 
paratypes have been deposited in the Western 
Australian Museum (Perth) (WAM) and the 
Zoological Museum of the University of 
Amsterdam (ZMA). All non-type material has been 
placed in the ZMA. 
Measurements of palp and leg segments are 
dorsal lengths. The body length is measured 
dorsally from unmounted specimens. Measure¬ 
ments of paratypes are given in brackets. The 
following abbreviations have been used: PI-PV 
palp segments 1-5; I-leg-5 fifth segment of first leg. 
SYSTEMATICS 
Genus Limnesia Koch 
Limnesia Koch, 1836: 19. 
Limnesia (Limnesia) lembangensis Piersig 
Limnesia lembangensis Piersig, 1906: 348; Walter, 
1928: 73; Walter, 1929: 228; K. Viets, 1935: 607; 
Uchida, 1935: 121; Halik, 1941: 109; K.O. Viets, 
1959: 422; Imamura, 1964: 70; Cook, 1967: 87; 
Lundblad, 1969: 334; Prasad, 1974: 62; K.O. 
Viets, 1975: 93; Bisht, 1979: 89; Khatoon and Ali, 
1989: 613; Smit, 1992: 95. 
Limnesia gentilis Koenike, 1906: 124. 
Limnesia gentilis irtdica K. Viets, 1926: 378. 
Material Examined 
Australia: Northern Territory: 1 9, Lake Jabiru, 
Jabiru, 20 July 1994; 6 d, 5 9,1 nymph, billabong 
Yellow Waters, Kakadu National Park, 21 July 
1994. 
Remarks 
Unlike specimens from eastern Australia, which 
have red chitinized parts (Halik, 1941; personal 
observation), those of Northern Territory have 
brown chitinized parts. 
Distribution 
Previously reported from New South Wales 
(Halik, 1941) and Queensland (Smit, 1992). L. 
lembangensis has a very wide distribution, and is 
known from Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, India, 
Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Indonesia. 
