A revision of the species of the pseudoscorpion subgenus Chthonius (Ephippiochthonius) (Arachnida, Pseudoscorpiones, Chthoniidae) from Italy and neighbouring areas
Author
Gardini, Giulio
text
Zootaxa
2013
3655
1
1
151
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.3655.1.1
a6990774-66c7-4586-b14e-354b42d0857b
1175-5326
223358
FC302AA5-49CC-41B0-9A66-23C11AB4EBAE
Chthonius
(E.)
apulicus
Beier, 1958
(
Figs 13–17
,
285
)
Chthonius (Ephippiochthonius) apulicus
Beier 1958: 27
, fig. 1.
Not
Chthonius
(E.)
apulicus
: Beier 1975: 55 (Catania: misidentification; see
C. concii
).
Type
locality
:
Italy
, Apulia, Foggia Prov., Rignano Garganico, Grotta Paglicci 300 Pu/FG (41°40ʹ0 0ʺN 15°34ʹ0 0ʺE).
FIGURES 13–17
.
Chthonius
(E.)
apulicus
Beier, 1958
, male holotype. 13, anterior margin of carapace; 14, anterolateral portion of carapace; 15, fingers of right chelicera; 16, right chela, lateral view; 17, tip of fixed chelal finger, dorsal view.
Distribution
.
Italy
: Apulia.
Diagnosis (
3
)
. An anophthalmic, hypogean
Chthonius (Ephippiochthonius)
from Apulia that differs from the species of the
C. tetrachelatus
group in the following combination of characters: highly specialized troglomorphic facies; movable cheliceral finger without isolated subapical tooth (
di
) and with weak spinneret; carapace without epistome, with 1 preocular microseta on each side and two macrosetae on the posterior margin; fixed and movable chelal fingers respectively with 22 and 9 triangular and pointed teeth; fixed chelal finger at level of
est-it
with 3 teeth occupying
0.1 mm
; length of chela
1.78 mm
, length of movable chelal finger 1.05; chela 7.4 times as long as deep; ratio of pedipalpal femur/carapace 2.0.
Type
material examined
. ITALY—
Apulia: Foggia Prov.
—1 3 (
holotype
), “
Chthonius
(E.)
apulicus
n. sp.
/ det. Beier /
Type
! 3”, “Grotta Paglicci [300 Pu/FG,
110 m
a.s.l. (41°40ʹ0 0ʺN 15°34ʹ0 0ʺE)] (Rignano Garg[anico]. Puglie) /
22.IX.
[19]57 Ruffo l. / Coll. Mus. Civ. St. Nat. Verona” (MSNV).
Description of adult (
3; Ƥ
unknown)
. Facies strongly troglomorphic. Integument pale depigmented; lateral surfaces of carapace, cheliceral palm, ventrodistal surface of pedipalpal hand and base of movable finger with weak hispid granulation. Carapace 1.1 times longer than broad, posteriorly slightly constricted; anterior margin (fig. 13) dentate between median macrosetae, without epistome; no eyes or eye-spots, ocular area as in fig. 14; chaetotaxy m
4m
:6:4:2:2 (18), macrosetae long, length of anteromedian macrosetae
0.185 mm
. Chaetotaxy of tergites
I–X 4
:4:4:4:6:6:6:6:6:4. Chaetotaxy of sternites
II–X 10
:(3)9(3):(2)7(3):9:6:6:6:6:7; genital opening flanked by 10 setae on each side. Chelicerae (fig. 15) 2.35 times as long as broad, palm with 6 setae and 2 microsetae laterally; fixed finger with one large tooth and proximally with 4 small worn teeth; movable finger with 5 worn teeth, isolated subapical tooth (
di
) absent;
gl
ratio 0.58; spinneret weakly raised, keel-like; rallum with 10 (?) blades; serrulae interior and exterior respectively with 12 and 16 blades. Coxal setae: pedipalp 5 (including 2 on manducatory process),
I 3
+ 3 marginal microsetae,
II 4
,
III 5
,
IV 6
; coxae II with 15 and 17 coxal spines, coxae III with 8 and 10 coxal spines; intercoxal tubercle bisetose. Pedipalp (figs 16–17): femur 9.4 times as long as broad; chela 7.4 times as long as deep; hand of chela 3.1 times as long as deep, with a long slight depression proximad of
ib-isb
and a very slight hump distad of
ib-isb
; fixed chelal finger with 25 teeth: 22 triangular pointed teeth with dental canals, gradually reduced proximally, and 4 rounded, rudimentary basal teeth without canals; base of fixed finger with 4 microtubercles; tip of fixed finger with a modified accessory tooth (
td
) on antiaxial face; pedipalpal fixed finger at level of
est-it
with 3 teeth occupying
0.1 mm
(distance between successive apices
0.044 mm
); distal half of movable finger with 9 triangular and pointed teeth and one rounded proximal tooth with dental canals, proximal half of movable finger with 7 reduced, vestigial teeth, without dental canals, reaching back to
sb
; coupled sensilla
pc
just distad of
sb
; trichobothria as in fig. 16,
eb-esb-ist
placed in a straight line; basal apodeme of movable finger sclerotized, rectangular, apically truncate; ratio of movable finger/hand of chela 1.4; ratio of pedipalpal femur/movable finger 1.3; ratio of pedipalpal femur/carapace 2.0.
Measurements (in mm). Body length 2.5. Carapace 0.67 × 0.62 (0.58 anteriorly). Chelicerae 0.59 × 0.25, movable finger length 0.31. Pedipalp: femur 1.37 × 0.145; chela 1.78 × 0.24; hand length 0.74; movable finger length 1.05.
Remarks
.
Chthonius apulicus
is the most troglomorphic species among the members of the
C. tetrachelatus
group in mainland
Italy
. It is related to the epigean
C. tetrachelatus
and the hypogean
C. altamurae
from Apulia (see Remarks under
C. altamurae
). There are some minor discrepancies between the description of Beier (1958) and that above: the most important concerns the measurements of pedipalpal femur [1.30 ×
0.13 mm
, 10 times as long as broad in Beier (1958), 1.37 ×
0.145 mm
, 9.4 times as long as broad here].