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 verai
(Zaragoza, 1985)
,
n. comb.
(
Fig. 320
)
Chthonius
(
Ephippiochthonius
)
verai
Zaragoza 1985b
: 5
–15, figs 1–6.
Chthonius
(
Ephippiochthonius
)
verai
:
Zaragoza 2007
: 21
.
Type
locality.
Spain
,
Valencian Community
,
Alicante province
,
L’Alcoià
comarca,
Castalla
,
Cova
del
Tío Melxor
(
38°31′47″N
,
00°39′26″W
;
1093 m
a.s.l.
).
Distribution.
Spain
:
Valencian Community
.
Diagnosis (
♂
♀
).
A medium-sized, hypogean, weakly troglomorphic
Occidenchthonius
species of the
verai
- group. Movable cheliceral finger without isolated subapical tooth (
di
) and prominent and apically rounded in female, slightly reduced in male, lyrifissure
ldb
absent; two pairs of eye-spots, anterior margin of carapace without preocular microsetae, posterior margin with 2 macrosetae; chelal hand weakly depressed at level of
ib
/
isb
, with a short, low hump distad of
ib
/
isb
and moderate slope between trichobothria
ib
/
isb
and
eb
; trichobothrium
ist
proximad of lyrifissure
fb
; fixed chelal finger with 20–22 teeth; distal half of movable chelal finger with 15 pointed teeth with dental canals, basal half of movable chelal finger with 10–12 rounded, partially fused, vestigial teeth, without canals, on weak lamina; pedipalpal femur (
♂
) 7.3–7.5, (
♀
) 7.1–7.5 times longer than broad, length (
♂
)
0.87–0.88 mm
, (
♀
)
0.87–0.99 mm
; chela (
♂
) 6.4–6.9, (
♀
) 5.7–6.2 times longer than deep, length (
♂
)
1.11–1.19 mm
, (
♀
)
1.19–1.38 mm
; ratio movable chelal finger/chelal hand (
♂
) 1.4–1.5, (
♀
) 1.5–1.7; lacking lyrifissures
ma1
,
ma2
and
hp
, all other chelal lyrifissure patterns present with their standard complements.
Type material examined.
♀ holotype,
3 ♀
paratypes
(
DEUA
),
Spain
,
Valencian Community
,
Alicante province
,
L’Alcoià
comarca,
Castalla
,
Cova
del
Tío Melxor
(
38°31′47″N
,
00°39′26″W
;
1093 m
a.s.l.
),
07.X.1984
, leg.
U. Capdepón
,
A. Sendra
&
J.A. Zaragoza
; 1 ♂ paratype (DEUA),
18.VI.1978
, leg. J.A. Zaragoza.
Non-type material examined.
Same location as holotype, 1 ♂, 4 ♀,
31.V.1976
, leg. J. Comas & O. Escolà.
Description (
♂
♀
).
Medium-sized, hypogean species of weakly troglomorphic facies. Integument weakly depigmented; hispid granulation on lateral surfaces of carapace, on cheliceral hand and on bases of chelal fingers.
Carapace slightly longer than broad, constricted posteriorly; medial part of anterior margin strongly prominent, without a well-defined epistome, and strongly dentate. Ocular area reduced to eye-spots. Chaetotaxy: 18 setae, without preocular microsetae, 2 setae in posterior row, formula 4:6:4:2:2, anteromedial setae
0.15 mm
long, sublateral ocular setae
0.12 mm
; 4 lyrifissures anteriorly and 2 posteriorly.
Cheliceral hand with 6 setae and 1 lateral microseta, seta
vb
short (
0.035–0.050 mm
long), microseta
0.025– 0.030 mm
; hand with 4 dorsal and 1 ventral lyrifissure, lyrifissure
ldb
absent. Fixed finger with 11 teeth decreasing in size proximally, two distal teeth distinctly larger than others. Movable finger without an isolated subapical tooth (
di
), with 7–12 teeth decreasing in size proximally, the distal tooth larger than others; spinneret prominent and apically rounded in female, slightly reduced in male; seta
gl
0.57 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 (0.27 and
0.39 mm
long, respectively). Chaetotaxy of sternites 9:(3)7–8(3):(2)7(2):8:6:6:6:6:2T1T2:0:2, lateral setae on sternite III macrosetal in size, sternite X with 2 submedial tactile setae (
0.16 mm
long); in addition, genital notch of male flanked by 10 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
0.12 mm
long; coxa
I 3
+ 3 marginal microsetae, distal marginal seta
0.09 mm
long;
II 4
+ 7–11 bipinnate coxal spines,
III 5
+ 6– 7 bipinnate coxal spines and
IV 6
; intercoxal tubercle bisetose.
Pedipalp with femoral chaetotaxy 3:6:3:5:1. Chela (
Fig. 320
) with hand weakly depressed at level of
ib
/
isb
, with a short, low 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 equal to or slightly longer than depth; chaetotaxy 4:5:4, seta
ph3
present; distal end of hand and bases of chelal fingers with sclerotized condylar complex. Fixed finger with 20–22 pointed teeth and with dental canals, 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 level of trichobothrium
sb
, 5 proximal microtubercles; tip of fixed 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
,
0.050–0.055 mm
long, distance between them
0.053–0.075 mm
, fixed finger depth at the base
0.060–0.070 mm
; 4 teeth at level of
est
/
it
occupying
0.1 mm
, distance between successive apices
0.023–0.028 mm
. Distal half of movable finger with 15 mostly pointed teeth with dental canals that reach up to approximately halfway between trichobothria
st
and
sb
, 2 proximal teeth slightly reduced in size and apically rounded, two distal teeth tiny; basal half of movable chelal finger with 10–12 rounded, partially fused, vestigial teeth, without canals, on weakly raised lamina; dental row reaching up to level of sensilla
pc
, 4 proximal microtubercles; basal apodeme long and apically narrowed; coupled sensilla
pc
halfway between
sb
and
b
, slightly closer to
sb
. Trichobothria as in
Fig. 320
; trichobothrium
ist
well distad of
esb
and slightly proximad, almost level, of lyrifissure
fb
; distance between
ib
/
isb
and base of hand approximately equal to that between
ib
/
isb
and
esb
; distance between
st
and
sb
1.9–2.1 times longer than that between
sb
and
b
; lacking lyrifissures
ma1
,
ma2
and
hp
, all other chelal lyrifissure patterns present, most with their standard complements.
Measurements and ratios
. Female
holotype
, followed by female
paratypes
in square brackets: Body 1.50 [1.62–2.09]. Carapace 0.53/0.50 (1.1) [0.54–0.58/0.53–0.56 (1.0–1.1)]. Pedipalp: femur 0.87/0.12 (7.5) [0.94– 0.99/0.13–0.14 (7.1–7.3)], patella 0.35/0.15 (2.3) [0.38–0.42/0.16–0.18 (2.3–2.4)], chela 1.19/0.19 (6.2) [1.28– 1.38/0.22–0.23 (5.7–5.9)], hand 0.45 (2.4) [0.48–0.54 (2.2–2.4)], movable finger 0.74 [0.77–0.83]; ratio movable finger/hand 1.6 [1.5–1.7], femur/movable finger 1.2 [1.3], femur/carapace 1.6 [1.3], chela/carapace 2.3 [1.7], chela/ femur 1.4 [1.3]. Male
paratype
, followed, when different, by male topotype in square brackets: Body 1.41. Carapace 0.50/0.46 (1.1) [0.51/0.48 (1.1)]. Pedipalp: femur 0.87/0.12 (7.5) [0.88/0.12 (7.3)], patella 0.35/0.15 (2.4) [0.36/0.16 (2.3)], chela 1.19/0.19 (6.4) [1.11/0.16 (6.9)], hand 0.47 (2.5) [0.45 (2.8)], movable finger 0.71 [0.65]; ratio movable finger/hand 1.5 [1.4], femur/movable finger 1.2, femur/carapace 1.7 [1.7–1.8], chela/carapace 2.4 [2.4], chela/femur 1.4 [1.3–1.4].
Remarks.
Within the
verai
-group,
O. verai
shares with
O. espanyoli
,
O. perezi
and
O. ventalloi
the presence of about 10 rounded vestigial teeth in the basal half of the movable chelal finger and 2 larger distal teeth on the fixed cheliceral finger. Differences between
O. verai
and the other three species are noted in the key and in the remarks under the other species. The above description incorporates in part that of
Zaragoza (1985b)
.