Twenty-Six New Dytiscidae (Coleoptera) of the Genera Limbodessus Guignot and Nirripirti Watts & Humphreys, from Underground Waters in Australia.

Summary Twenty-six new species of stygobitic Dytiscidae from inland Western Australia and Central Australia are described: Limbodessus atypicalis, L. barwidgeeensis, L. cooperi, L. exilis, L. leysi, L. gumwellensis, L. harleyi, L. macrohinkleri, L. millbilliensis, L micrommatoion, L. mirandaae, L. melitaensis, L. narryerensis, L. nambiensis, L. palmulaoides, L. phoebeae, L. raeae, L. surreptitius, L. usitatus, L. yandalensis, Nirripirti macrosturtensis, N. megamacrocephalus, N. mesosturtensis, N. microsturtensis, N. septum and N. tetrameres. This brings the total of stygobitic Dytiscidae described from Australia to 80 species in four genera. A key to the known species of Australian stygobitic Dytiscidae is given as well as notes on the physico/chemical properties of selected collecting sites. Geographically the study reinforced our working hypothesis that stygal Dytiscidae in Australia are confined to two discrete areas; the Ngalia Basin northwest of Alice Springs in Central Australia and the Yilgarn Craton in Central Western Australia. As in previous years (see Watts & Humphreys 2004) the stygofauna was found, together with a rich stygobitic fauna largely comprising crustaceans, in those portions of shallow aquifers that ran through areas of calcrete formation. The following new combinations are proposed: Limbodessus bialveus (Watts & Humphreys, 2003), (Tjirtudessus); Limbodessus cunyuensis (Watts & Humphreys, 2003), (Tjirtudessus); Limbodessus hillviewensis (Watts & Humphreys, 2004), (Tjirtudessus); Limbodessus jundeeensis (Watts & Humphreys, 2003), (Tjirtudessus); Limbodessus karalundiensis (Watts & Humphreys, 2003), (Tjirtudessus); Limbodessus macrotarsus (Watts & Humphreys, 2003), (Tjirtudessus); Limbodessus microocular (Watts & Humphreys, 2004), (Tjirtudessus); Limbodessus occidentalis (Watts & Humphreys, 2004), (Boongurrus); Limbodessus padburyensis (Watts & Humphreys, 2004), (Tjirtudessus); Limbodessus silus (Watts & Humphreys, 2003), (Tjirtudessus); Limbodessus sweetwatersensis (Watts & Humphreys, 2003), (Tjirtudessus); Limbodessus wilunaensis (Watts & Humphreys, 2003), (Tjirtudessus); Limbodessus wogarthaensis (Watts & Humphreys, 2004), (Tjirtudessus); and Limbodessus yuinmeryensis (Watts & Humphreys, 2003), (Tjirtudessus). This is the seventh paper in our series describing the stygobitic Dytiscidae of Australia (Watts & Humphreys 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004; Balke et al. 2004). In it we describe the new species found during fieldwork in Western Australia in the winters of 2003 and 2004.

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