New records of rare water mites from New Zealand, with the description of a new genus (Acari: Hydrachnidia)

Abstract

New records of rare water mites mostly from interstitial habitat of New Zealand are presented. One new genus, Zelandostygolimnochares n. gen. (Piersigiidae) with the type species Z. curtipalpis n. sp. is described. Zelandobates occidentalis Smit and Pešić, 2020 is synonymized with Z. tongariro Smit and Pešić, 2020. The male is for the first time described for Zelandotonia orion Cook, 1992, and the female is for the first time described for Aciculacarus amalis Cook, 1983. New records of a number of rare species are presented.