Corrections to the description of Tasmanura (Pseudachorutinae)
Author
Greenslade, Penelope
text
Zootaxa
2020
2020-12-09
4894
2
278
286
journal article
9324
10.11646/zootaxa.4894.2.7
55ab23c4-7dda-4341-99ad-421971142dd6
1175-5326
4315757
27B40B9E-601C-403B-8222-88AE9B3FE1B3
Tasmanura
Womersley, 1937
Fig. 1, 1–3
;
Fig. 2
,
1
–16,
Fig. 3
,
1–2
;
Fig. 4
,
1–2
;
Fig. 5
,
1–2
. (Figures from some specimens collected from other localities are used to illustrate generic characters where they are obscured on the
type
specimen).
Tables 1–2
TYPE
SPECIES
.
Tasmanura evansi
Womersley, 1937
(
Figs 3–5
)
.
TYPE
LOCALITY
.
AUSTRALIA
,
Female
(HT),
National Park
(now
Mt Field
),
Tasmania
,
3000 feet
asl
(
900m
), local coordinates –
42.683848S
,
146.591548E
December 1936
, leg.
J.W. Evans.
Other material of the genus examined all from
Tasmania
.
Slide material:
1 male
,
Mt Michael
, -
41.243100S
147.016550E
,
740m
asl
, in leaf litter,
29.xi.1989
, leg.
R
.
Coy
;
1 male
,
Franklin River
Bridge,
51 km
W of Bronte
, -
42.364080S
145.697360E
,
737m
asl
, in moss,
3.iii.
l985, leg. PG;
Projection Bluff
, -41.962470S, 147.121850E,
1100m
asl
, leg.
R
.
Coy
;
1 male
Lake Highway
,
Quamby Bluff area
,
99 km
N Bothwell
, -
41.67344S
,
146.73621E
,
750m
asl
, eucalypt forest, moss and ground litter,
15.ix.1975
, C10, leg.
J. Ireson.
Ethanol material. One specimen from each of the following localities: Gordon River,
Melaleuca
forest, ground litter,
1.iii.1977
, 23, leg. J. Maddern; Gordon River, wet sclerophyll, ground litter,
16.ii.1974
, 63F1, leg. J. Maddern; Gordon River, rainforest, in moss,
18.ii.1976
, 63C2, leg. J. Maddern; Quamby Bluff, moss,
Nothofagus
rainforest,
13.ix.1977
, lg. J. Ireson; Mt Field,
Nothofagus gunnii
rainforest,
23.iii.1984
, leg. P.G.; Franklin River,
5 km
W Bronte Park,
4.
III
.1985
, leg. PG.
Specimens photographed but not collected were from: Cradle Mountain, Tarkine Wilderness, Mountain Lodge, all
Tasmania
(A. Murray, pers. comm.), (
Fig. 1. 1–3
).
Redescription of genus
(based on re-examination of the
holotype
and other specimens listed above). Womersley's original description (in italics):
Colour: background pale, dorsally blue, with darker pigmented patches of enlarged secondary tubercles (see
Fig. 1.1–3
,
Fig. 2.8
), paler legs; sternites white. The dark pigmented patches of cuticle with enlarged tubercles vary in distribution between species.
Size:
1.6mm
(HT slightly contracted); up to
2 mm
other specimens.
FIGURE 1.
1–3. Photographs of live specimens of
Tasmanura
spp. from Tasmanian natural sites. 1, dorsal view of specimen from Sumac Lookout, Tarkine Wilderness; 2, dorsal view of specimen from Lodge, showing slightly different pigment pattern on mid abd I and II; 3, dorsolateral view of specimen from Cradle Mountain showing paratergites and sensorial rasp on antennal IV ventrally. All photographs by A. Murray©.
Habitus (
Fig. 1.1–3
,
Fig. 2. 1
): broad, dorsoventrally
flattened
species
with laterally expanded paratergites
, slightly broader than half body length measured at widest point; digitations and bosses absent; abd V extended posteriolaterally over abd V1; abd VI just visible dorsally, not bilobed; abd V not bilobed but slight indentation centre of posterior margin, anus completely ventral. Intersegmental segments present between th I and II, th II and III and between all abdominal segments to abd II and III but without chaetae. Body often with amorphous white or yellow deposits at reflex bleeding sites at boundary of paratergites and tergites. Antennae about the same length as that of head.
FIGURE 2.
1–15.
Tasmanura evansi
Womersley, 1937
. Figs 1,9,10, Holotype(HT); Figs 2–8, 11–13
Tasmanura
spp. 1, outline of whole specimen; 2, Franklin River, ocelli and postantennal organ; 3, Mt Michael, maxilla; 4, Mt Michael, mandible; 5, Franklin River dorsal view antennal I, II, III,, IV; 6, Mt Michael, labium; 7, Mt Michael, antennae III organ; 8, profile view of large tubercles on cuticle; 9, HT, labium and ventral head chaetotaxy; 10, HT, tibiotarsus and claw external view; 11, trochanter and femur; 12, Mt Michael, ventral tube; 13, two views of rami tenaculum; 14, HT, dental remnant and rami tenaculum; 15, HT, furcal subcoxa; 16, HT, anal lobes.
Ratio length to breadth measured at abd III = 1.5:1.
Vestiture: antennae somewhat plurichaetose but otherwise chaetae sparse on body and legs of
holotype
but other species plurichaetose; body chaetae short, all shorter than segments are long, and smooth, pointed, arranged in groups; th I with 1 + 1 Di, 2 + 2 De, 5 + 5 Dl; no chaeta on intersegments; cuticle dorsally densely covered with prominent, evenly arranged conical, black pigmented tertiary
tubercles
. S-chaetae long, fine, ratio length to adjacent ordinary chaeta on th II = 4.5:1. Cuticular structures consist of round structures, columnar in form.
Height of cuticular tubercles:distal abdominal VI chaetae = 1:2 (HT)
Antennae: cylindrical to triangular, about half diameter of head in length;
antennal III organ
with slightly elongated papillae (S chaetae)
in a slight groove; flanked by two ordinary? chaeta, Sgv thickened;
(
Womersley, 1937
fig.) with two much longer thick chaetae in this position); ant IV with
trilobed apical bulb
, S-chaetae at least eight, long curved only slightly thickened; ventral file on antenna IV of about 30 short, slightly broadened, blunt chaetae interspersed with numerous short, smooth and acuminate mesochaetae (Fig. 2.5,7).
Head and thorax: buccal cone fairly elongated, wedge shaped, blunt; mandible (
Fig. 2.4
) elongate with 10 teeth, three basal subequal stronger teeth and 7 apical smaller teeth, maxilla (
Fig. 2.3
) with two long, thin, lamellae each with about 20 teeth and a third lamella with minute denticles and point at tip; ocelli patch round, pigmented (
Fig. 2.2
), labrum with 5/4/2/2 from posterior to anterior, 4 most anterior long and fine;
eight round equal sized ocelli
on each side inserted in a hemispherical cuticular protuberance, postantennal organ with only 4 tubercles observed on
holotype
but up to 16 elongate tubercles arranged in a single ring (
Fig. 2.2
) on other species,
(4 tubercles
were recorded by Womersley) about equal to the anterior ocellus in width on
holotype
, labium with A,B,C,D present, chaeta A slightly displaced laterally, F much longer than E; small papillated chaeta L present distally on labium (
Fig. 2.6
); head ventrally with 3+3 chaetae along mid line (
Fig. 2.9
);
clavate tenent hairs absent; empodial appendage absent
; claw with small inner tooth, at 0.25 of inner claw length from base (
Fig. 2.10
). Leg chaetotaxy of
holotype
in
Table 1
, more chaetae on other species (trochanter and femur:
Fig. 2.11
). M chaeta present slightly displaced apically, short, fine; two pre-tarsal chaetae present. No pseudopore seen between head and th I in adult.
FIGURE 3.
Tasmanura evansi
holotype. Photographs of slide specimen. 1, whole animal dorsal view; 2, ventral view abdomen V, VI and anal lobes.
TABLE 1. Chaetotaxy of legs of holotype of
Tasmanura evansi
Womersley, 1937
Subcoxa I
|
Subcoxa II
|
Coxa
|
Trochanter
|
Femur
|
Tibiotarsus
|
Leg I |
0 |
1 |
4 |
6 |
13 |
8/11 |
Leg II |
4–6 |
2–6 |
5 |
6 |
13 |
8/11 |
Leg III |
4/4 |
7/6 |
5 |
4/6 |
9/9 |
7–8/11 |
Ratio tibiotarsus: internal length of claw: distance of internal claw tooth from base of claw = 6:3:1. (HT)
Abdomen: ventral tube (
Fig. 2.12
) with 4/5 chaetae on
holotype
, more on other species; rami tenaculum with 2+2 teeth (Fig. 2.13,14), no chaetae on stem;
furca reduced to a small bilobed remnant with
5+5 microchaetae (Womersley states that there are only 3 chaetae on the dental remnant but illustrates 3 on one side and 5 on the other, but 5+5 on HT) (
Fig. 2.14
),
mucrones absent
; ventral anal lobes with about 14 chaetae plus 2 hr on each lobe; abd VI with six short, distal fine chaetae (HT) (
Fig. 2.15
).
FIGURE 4.
Tasmanura evansi
holotype. Photographs of slide specimen. 1, male genital opening; 2, dorsal view large cuticular tubercles.
FIGURE 5.
Tasmanura evansi
holotype. Photographs of slide specimen. 1, lateral view tubercles distally on abdomen; 2, lateral view leg III.
Female with 12 chaetae, male from Mt Michel with ten chaetae anterior to genital opening.
Comments
. The genus differs from all other Australian
Pseudachorutinae
in the extreme dorso-ventrally flattened body, the expanded paratergites; the reduction of furca to two small setose bulbs, the presence of 8+8 ocelli, the maxilla with two finely toothed lamellae and a third with coarser teeth, instead of smooth lamellae, a PAO with probably variable number of lobes from 4 to12 considering all species, and extremely coarse, pigmented, granulated cuticle. On this basis the genus is here confirmed to be of generic status. A more detailed redescription of the
type
species,
Tasmanura evansi
, awaits recollection of more specimens from the
type
locality.
Table 2
lists all genera known that are dorso ventrally flattened with extremely laterally expanded paratergites for comparison with
Tasmanura
and lists their significant characters. It is noticeable that nearly all genera are from southern regions.