On hypogean Roncocreagris (Arachnida: Pseudoscorpiones: Neobisiidae) from Portugal, with descriptions of three new species
Author
Reboleira, Ana Sofia P. S.
Author
Zaragoza, Juan A.
Author
Gonçalves, Fernando
Author
Oromí, Pedro
text
Zootaxa
2013
3670
2
283
299
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.3670.2.11
bc516484-c1c5-4ee3-8912-7ff89f906a8a
1175-5326
219876
67402B31-9D14-4116-8752-2927A1084240
Roncocreagris gepesi
Zaragoza & Reboleira
sp. nov.
(
Figs 23–32
)
Type
material.
Holotype
Ƥ,
Portugal
, Sicó Massif, district of Coimbra, Penela, Gruta do Algarinho/Dueça Cave system (39°59ʹ4.89"N, 8°23ʹ5.86"W;
208 m
.
a.s.l.),
25.IV.2009
, lgt. A.S.P.S. Reboleira (
DEUA
).
FIGURES 23–32.
Roncocreagris gepesi
sp. nov.
, female holotype.
23.
carapace;
24.
anterior margin of carapace;
25.
anterior and medial processes of left coxa I;
26.
left chelicera;
27.
partial view of fingers of left chelicera, showing galea;
28.
right pedipalp minus chela, dorsal view;
29.
right chela, dorsal view;
30.
right chela, lateral view;
31.
claw of left leg IV;
32.
subterminal seta of left leg IV. Scale bars (in mm): 0.05 (Figs 25, 31, 32), 0.10 (Figs 24, 26, 27), 0.30 (Fig. 23), 0.50 (Figs 28–30).
Etymology.
This species is dedicated to the speleological association Grupo Protecção Sicó (GPS), for its contribution to the knowledge and protection of caves and karst of Sicó region, and as recognition to its members for their effort and support during our field work.
Diagnosis.
No eyes or eye-spots. Strong troglomorphic adaptations. Carapace with 21 setae, 7 on the posterior margin. Tergite
I 6
setae. Female cheliceral galea long, with five short, apical rami. Pedipalp: femur ratio about 6.6, femur longer than movable finger; chela+ ratio about 5.9; chelal hand widest at middle, ratio movable finger/hand+ 1.4; trichobothium
ist
close to middle of finger, ratio
ib–ist
/
ist–it
1.3, ratio
isb–ist
/
ib–isb
1.8.
Description.
Large pseudoscorpion. Opisthosoma elongate, advanced troglomorphic adaptations. Opisthosoma and legs yellowish. Carapace, chelicerae and pedipalps reddish brown.
Carapace distinctly longer than broad (
Fig. 23
). Without eyes or eye-spots. Anterior margin moderately prominent medially, epistome blunt and short (
Fig. 24
). Chaetotaxy: 21 setae, formula 4:4:6:7. Four microlyrifissures in ocular zone, two between median and posterior zones.
Coxal area. Manducatory process with 3 setae. Anterior process of coxa I with simple tooth shape, long and apically pointed; medial process straight with some small tubercles (
Fig. 25
). Pedipalpal coxa with 7 setae, pedal coxa I with 6, II: 5–6, III: 3, IV: 5.
Tergal chaetotaxy I–X: 6:6:7:10:9:10:10:10:9:9, most hairs lacking. Genital area with 5 thin setae on sternite II. Sternal chaetotaxy III–X: 9:7:12:12:12:9:9:8; sternites VI and VII each with 2 discal setae (included in sternal formula); discal setae glandular, with visible duct. Segment
XI 9
setae. Chaetotaxy of stigmata of sternites III and IV with 3 microsetae on each side. Anal cone with two dorsal and two ventral setae.
Chelicerae (
Figs 26–27
). Palm with 6 setae, subgaleal seta 0.68 from base of movable finger. Galea
0.04 mm
long, with five short, apical rami. Fixed finger with 5 small, blunt distal denticles and 14 other small, medium teeth; movable finger with 13 teeth, one large and blunt subdistal tooth, the others medium or small, dental row ending just proximad of subgaleal seta. Rallum with 8 blades, all unilaterally pinnate on anterior face, basal blade about half length of others. Serrula exterior with 32 blades, serrula interior 27 blades.
Pedipalps (
Figs 28–30
). Trochanter, femur, distal third of patella and hand at base of the fingers distinctly granulated, more pronounced on paraxial faces. Lyrifissures as in
Figs 28–30
. Antiaxial face of trochanter and femur with one tiny tubercle at middle or slightly more distad; femur bearing one distal glandular pore. Patella with one micropore at base of pedicel. Chelal hand elliptic in dorsal view, maximum width at middle; three dorsal micropores on pedicel; two glandular pores on antiaxial face close to finger base. Fixed finger with 98 teeth, most of them apically cusped, dental row almost reaching level of trichobothrium
esb
;
nodus ramosus
short, reaching level of 5th distal tooth; trichobothrium
it
proximad of
et
, closer to
est
than to
et
; trichobothrium
ist
slightly closer to base of finger than to apex; distance between trichobothria
ib
and
ist
1.3 times longer than that between
ist
and
it
; distance between trichobothria
isb
and
ist
1.7 times longer than that between
isb
and
ib
; distance between trichobothria
et
and
it
1.2 times longer that between
it
and
est
. Chelal microsetae pattern:
Em
3 curved setae,
Mm
2,
Im
1. Movable finger with 103 teeth, most of them apically cusped, dental row ending distad of trichobothrium
b
, shorter than that of fixed finger. Distance between trichobothria s
b
and
st
1.2 times longer than that between
sb
and
b
. One sensillum near the tip of both fingers; diploid sensillum
pc
not raised, close to dental margin, slightly proximad of trichobothrium
sb
.
Legs. Claws of legs I and IV with a tiny dorsal tooth proximad to middle (
Fig. 31
), subterminal setae with three rami, trident shaped (
Fig. 32
). Leg IV tibia TS ratio 0.48, basitarsus TS 0.13, telotarsus TS 0.27.
Measurements and ratios.
Body 2.19. Carapace 0.95/0.65 (1.5). Chelicera: palm 0.57/0.27 (2.1), movable finger 0.36. Pedipalp: trochanter 0.79/0.21 (3.9); femur 1.46/0.22 (6.6); patella 1.41/0.26 (5.5), pedicel 0.36, club 1.05/0.26 (4.1), ratio club/pedicel: 2.92; chela+ 2.39/0.41 (5.9), chela - 2.21/0.41 (5.5); hand+ 1.03 (2.5), hand - 0.85 (2.1); movable finger 1.39; ratio finger/hand+ 1.4; ratio chela+/carapace 2.5; femur/carapace 1.5; femur/finger 1.1; femur/patella 1.0; patella/ hand+ 1.4. Leg I: femur 0.73/0.14 (5.4); patella 0.51/0.12 (4.4); tibia 0.68/.08 (8.7); basitarsus 0.33/0.07 (5.0); telotarsus 0.45/0.06 (8.2); ratio femur/patella 1.4; telotarsus/basitarsus 1.4. Leg IV: femur+patella 1.12/0.25 (4.5); tibia 1.12/0.13 (8.4); basitarsus 0.41/0.1 (4.2); telotarsus 0.58/0.08 (7.4); ratio femur+patella/tibia 1.0; ratio telotarsus/basitarsus 1.4.
Remarks.
The new species is easily distinguishable from
R. borgesi
sp. nov.
by the shape of the chelal hand, which is elliptic and widest at middle in
R. gepesi
versus oval and widest proximad of middle in
R. borgesi
; also the pedipalps are larger and more slender in
R. gepesi
. The new species can be differentiated from
R. cavernicola
by the chelal movable finger/hand+ ratio (1.4, versus 1.7) and by the chaetotaxy of the posterior margin of the carapace (7 setae, versus 4) and of tergite I (6 setae, versus 4).
Roncocreagris gepesi
is more closely related to
R. lucensis
Zaragoza, 2002
(from Galicia,
Spain
), despite being
400 km
away, but in the latter the pedipalps are shorter and less slender than in
R. borgesi
,
and the distance between trichobothria
et
and
it
is 3.3 times longer than that between
it
and
est
in the Spanish species, versus
1.2 in
the Portuguese species.
Distribution and habitat.
Roncocreagris gepesi
sp. nov.
was collected in Algarinho, one of the caves of the Dueça system, opened in 1998 with the aid of a backhoe (
Neves
et al.
2005
). This species was not found in Soprador do Carvalho, a cave located only
200 m
from the entrance of Algarinho Cave. The mean cave temperature is 14.9ºC at soil level. The new species shares its habitat with other hypogean species, such as the woodlouse
Porcellio cavernicolus
and the dipluran
Podocampa
cf.
fragiloides.