Revision of the Ephippiochthonius complex in the Iberian Peninsula, Balearic Islands and Macaronesia, with proposed changes to the status of the Chthonius subgenera (Pseudoscorpiones, Chthoniidae)
Author
Zaragoza, Juan A.
text
Zootaxa
2017
4246
1
1
221
journal article
36212
10.5281/zenodo.437611
3ff74501-6241-43b2-a52f-0e7580bb2f45
1175-5326
437611
D8594E96-D561-4A37-9073-B138EC7E95A7
Occidenchthonius beieri
n. sp.
(
Figs 222–227
)
Chthonius
(
Ephippiochthonius
)
dubius
(not
Mahnert, 1993
):
Mahnert 2011a
: 41
–42 (misidentification: see Remarks below).
FIGURES 222–227.
Occidenchthonius beieri
n. sp.
, male holotype (222–226) and female paratype (227). 222, anterior margin of carapace, partial view; 223, carapace; 224, left chelicera; 225, fingers of left chelicera, partial view; 226, left chela, antiaxial view; 227, movable finger of left chelicera, partial view.
Type
locality.
Spain
,
Canary Islands
,
Las Palmas province
,
Gran Canaria Island
,
Los Majaletes
(
27°57′17″N
,
15°30′44″W
;
1274 m
a.s.l.
)
.
Distribution.
Spain
:
Canary Islands
, Gran Canaria
Island
.
Etymology.
Dedicated to the memory of Prof. Max Beier (
1903–1979
), to honour his remarkable contribution to the knowledge of the pseudoscorpions around the World and particularly those of the Iberian Peninsula and the
Canary Islands
.
Diagnosis (
♂
♀
).
A small, microphthalmic, hypogean
Occidenchthonius
species of the
machadoi
-group. Movable cheliceral finger with isolated subapical tooth (
di
) and with prominent spinneret in female, absent in male, lyrifissure
ldb
present; anterior pair of eyes with lens, posterior eyes absent, anterior margin of carapace medially prominent, with 1–2 preocular microsetae on each side, posterior margin with 2 macrosetae; chelal hand distinctly depressed at level of
ib
/
isb
, with a hump distad of
ib
/
isb
and moderate slope between trichobothria
ib
/
isb
and
eb
, chaetotaxy 4:4:4; fixed chelal finger with 16–17 teeth; distal half of movable chelal finger with 9–10 pointed teeth with dental canals, basal half of movable chelal finger with 8–10 rounded, partially fused, vestigial teeth, without canals, on raised lamina; pedipalpal femur (
♂
) 6.0–6.1, (
♀
) 5.9 times longer than broad, length (
♂
)
0.53 mm
, (
♀
)
0.53–0.58 mm
; chela (
♂
) 5.7–5.8, (
♀
) 5.0–5.2 times longer than deep, length (
♂
)
0.71–0.72 mm
, (
♀
)
0.75–0.76 mm
; ratio movable chelal finger/chelal hand (
♂
) 1.5–1.6, (
♀
) 1.4–1.5; lacking lyrifissures
ma1
and
ma2
, all other chelal lyrifissure patterns present with their standard complements.
Type material examined.
♂ holotype, 1 ♂,
4 ♀
,
paratypes
(
MHNG
),
Spain
,
Canary Islands
,
Las Palmas province
,
Gran Canaria Island
,
Los Majaletes
(
27°57′17″N
,
15°30′44″W
;
1274 m
a.s.l.
),
03.V.2006
, leg.
H. López
.
Description (
♂
♀
).
Small, microphthalmic hypogean species, occurring in MSS. Integument weakly depigmented; hispid granulation on lateral surfaces of carapace, on cheliceral hand and on bases of chelal fingers.
Carapace (
Fig. 223
) slightly longer than broad and weakly constricted posteriorly; medial part of anterior margin weakly prominent, without a well-defined epistome, and strongly dentate; anterior eyes small with low convex lens (diameter
0.040 mm
) and reflecting tapetum,
0.035 mm
from anterior margin of carapace, posterior eyes absent. Chaetotaxy: 18 setae, usually with 2 preocular microsetae on each side (one male with 1 on one side), 2 setae in posterior row, usual formula mm
4mm
:6:4:2:2, anteromedial setae
0.11–0.14 mm
long, sublateral ocular setae
0.04–0.08 mm
; 4 lyrifissures anteriorly and 2 posteriorly.
Chelicera (
Figs 224, 225, 227
) with 6 setae and 2–4 lateral microsetae on hand, seta
vb
short (length
0.020– 0.030 mm
), microsetae
0.010–0.025 mm
; hand with 5 dorsal and 1 ventral lyrifissure, lyrifissure
ldb
present. Fixed finger with 7–9 teeth decreasing in size proximally, two distal teeth distinctly larger than others, 2–3 proximal microtubercles. Movable finger with an isolated subapical tooth (
di
), with 5–7 teeth decreasing in size proximally and 1–3 proximal microtubercles, the distal tooth larger than others; spinneret prominent and apically rounded in female (
Fig. 227
), almost absent in male (
Fig. 225
); seta
gl
0.54–0.61 from base of movable finger. Rallum with 11 blades. Serrula exterior with 15 blades, serrula interior 12–13 blades.
Chaetotaxy of tergites 4:4:4:4:6:6:6:6:1T2T1:4:1T2T1:0, tergites IX and XI each with 2 sublateral tactile setae (0.24 and
0.29–0.30 mm
long, respectively). Chaetotaxy of sternites 10:(3)7–8(3):(2)6–7(2):7– 8:6:6:6:6:2T1T2:0:2, lateral setae on sternite III macrosetal in size, sternite X with 2 submedial tactile setae (
0.20 mm
long); in addition, genital notch of male flanked by 5–7 setae on each side and 4+4 internal glandular setae.
Pedipalpal coxa with 5 setae (including 2 on manducatory process), distal marginal seta of disk
0.07–0.08 mm
long; coxa
I 3
+ 3 marginal microsetae, distal marginal seta
0.04–0.06 mm
long;
II 4
+ 6–11 bipinnate coxal spines,
III 5
+ 4–6 bipinnate coxal spines and
IV 6
; intercoxal tubercle bisetose.
Pedipalp with femoral chaetotaxy 3:6:3:5:1. Chela (
Fig. 226
) with hand distinctly depressed at level of
ib
/
isb
, with a hump distad of
ib
/
isb
and moderate slope between trichobothria
ib
/
isb
and
eb
; marked hollow before base of movable finger with thicker cuticle; width shorter than depth, maximum width proximad of
ib
/
isb
; chaetotaxy 3– 4:4:4 (lacks seta
ph4
on one chela, present on the other), seta
ph3
present, seta
ih5
absent; distal end of hand and bases of chelal fingers with sclerotized condylar complex. Fixed finger with 16–17 mostly pointed teeth and with dental canals, 1–2 most proximal teeth reduced in size, first two distal teeth small, third tooth of normal row (
mt
) of fixed finger distinctly modified in shape and deviated in orientation with respect to the others, dental row reaching up to slightly proximad of trichobothrium
sb
, 7–15 proximal microtubercles; tip of finger with an accessory tooth (
td
) on antiaxial face; tip of fixed chelal finger of male with a weak hollow on paraxial face, without subdistal protuberance (
sp
); one pair of long antiaxial sensory setae (
as
) at the base, one level with and other markedly distad of lyrifissure
fb
,
0.035–0.050 mm
long, distance between them
0.020–0.033 mm
, fixed finger depth at the base
0.045–0.050 mm
; 4–5 teeth at level of
est
/
it
occupying
0.1 mm
, distance between successive apices
0.020–0.025 mm
. Distal half of movable finger with 9–10 pointed teeth with dental canals that reach up to proximad of trichobothrium
st
, the distal tooth tiny (rarely absent) and on low protuberance, the subdistal one tiny or small; basal half of movable chelal finger with 8–10 rounded, partially fused, vestigial teeth, without canals, on weakly raised lamina; dental row reaching level with or slightly proximad of
sb
, 5–7 proximal microtubercles; basal apodeme long and apically indented; coupled sensilla
pc
slightly proximad of
sb
. Trichobothria as in
Fig. 226
; trichobothrium
ist
slightly distad of
esb
and well proximad of lyrifissure
fb
; trichobothria
eb -esb -ist
in a straight line; distance between
ib
/
isb
and
esb
approximately equal to that between
ib
/
isb
and the base of the hand; distance between
st
and
sb
1.8–2.1 times longer than that between
sb
and
b
; lacking lyrifissures
ma1
and
ma2
, all other chelal lyrifissure patterns present with their standard complements.
Measurements and ratios
. Male
holotype
, followed, when different, by male
paratype
in square brackets: Body 1.12 [1.07]. Carapace 0.39/0.35 (1.1) [0.41/0.36]. Chelicera 0.34–0.15 (2.2) [0.33–0.15], movable finger 0.16. Pedipalp: femur 0.53/0.09 (6.0) [(6.1)], patella 0.23/0.11 (2.1) [0.23/0.10 (2.2)], chela 0.72/0.13 (5.8) [0.71/0.13 (5.7)], hand 0.29 (2.3) [0.28 (2.2)], movable finger 0.43 [0.44]; ratio movable finger/hand 1.5 [1.6], femur/movable finger 1.2, femur/carapace 1.3, chela/carapace 1.8, chela/femur 1.4 [1.3]. Female
paratypes
: Body 1.28–1.45. Carapace 0.42–0.43/0.38–0.39 (1.1). Chelicera 0.35–0.37/0.17–0.18 (2.1), movable finger 0.17–0.18. Pedipalp: femur 0.53–0.58/0.09–0.10 (5.9), patella 0.24–0.25/0.11–0.12 (2.1), chela 0.75–0.76/0.14–0.15 (5.0–5.2), hand 0.30–0.32 (2.1), movable finger 0.45; ratio movable finger/hand 1.4 [1.5], femur/movable finger 1.2–1.3, femur/ carapace 1.2–1.4, chela/carapace 1.7–1.8, chela/femur 1.3–1.4.
Remarks.
A sample of the specimens from Gran Canaria, Los Majaletes assigned to
O. dubius
by
Mahnert (2011a)
has been re-examined and found to belong to a new species, here named
Occidenchthonius beieri
n. sp.
, which is endemic to Gran Canaria
Island
. Contrary to
O. dubius
,
O. beieri
n. sp.
belongs to the
machadoi
-group.
O. beieri
n. sp.
shares with
O. tamaran
(Mahnert, 2011)
, another endemic species from Gran Canaria
Island
, the presence of 2 setae in the posterior row of the carapace. Differences between the two species are the prominent medial margin of the carapace, the absence of posterior eyes and a cheliceral spinneret in male of
O. beieri
n. sp.
, as opposed to the straight margin, presence of posterior eye-spots and prominent cheliceral spinneret in male of
O. tamaran
. Morphometric differences are given in the key. The presence of
O. dubius
on Gran Canaria
Island
is excluded here and all previous records of this species from that island are reassigned to
O. beieri
n. sp.
The distribution range of
O. dubius
is thus limited to Tenerife
Island
.