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 anae
n. sp.
(
Figs 217–221
)
Type
locality.
Spain
,
Valencian Community
,
Alicante province
,
El Comtat
comarca, Agres, ravine close to
Santuario de Agres
(
38°46′36″N
,
00°30′56″W
;
774 m
a.s.l.
).
Distribution.
Spain
:
Valencian Community
.
Etymology.
The new species is dedicated to my daughter, Ana Zaragoza Ripoll, for her helpful collaboration in the preparation of manuscripts.
Diagnosis (
♀
).
A small, microphthalmic, subterranean
Occidenchthonius
species. Movable cheliceral finger with isolated subapical tooth (
di
) and with prominent spinneret in female, unknown for male, lyrifissure
ldb
present; anterior pair of eyes with lens, posterior eyes reduced to eye-spots, anterior margin of carapace without preocular microsetae, posterior margin with 2 macrosetae; chelal hand distinctly depressed at level of
ib
/
isb
, with a short hump distad of
ib
/
isb
and moderate slope between trichobothria
ib
/
isb
and
eb
; fixed chelal finger with 18 teeth; distal half of movable chelal finger with 10 pointed teeth with dental canals, basal half of movable chelal finger with 8 rounded, partially fused, vestigial teeth, without canals, on raised lamina; pedipalpal femur (
♀
) 5.1 times longer than broad, length
0.46 mm
; chela (
♀
) 4.7 times longer than deep, length
0.65 mm
; ratio movable chelal finger/chelal hand (
♀
) 1.5; lacking lyrifissures
ma1
and
ma2
, all other chelal lyrifissure patterns present with their standard complements.
Type
material examined.
♀
holotype
(
DEUA
),
Spain
,
Valencian Community
,
Alicante province
,
El Comtat
comarca,
Agres
, ravine close to
Santuario de Agres
(
38°46′36″N
,
00°30′56″W
;
774 m
a.s.l.
), under large stones partially sunken in clay,
22.V.2004
, leg.
V. Ortuño
&
J.A. Zaragoza.
Description (
♀
;
♂
unknown).
Small, microphthalmic species, probably endogean or hypogean. Integument weakly depigmented; hispid granulation on lateral surfaces of carapace, on cheliceral hand and on bases of chelal fingers.
Carapace (
Fig. 218
) slightly longer than broad and weakly constricted posteriorly; medial part of anterior margin prominent, without a well-defined epistome, and strongly dentate (
Fig. 217
); anterior eyes with low convex lens (diameter
0.028 mm
),
0.038 mm
from anterior margin of carapace, posterior eyes reduced to eye-spots,
0.020 mm
from anterior eyes, diameter
0.025 mm
; both pairs of eyes with reflecting tapeta. Chaetotaxy: 18 setae, without preocular microsetae, 2 setae in posterior row, formula 4:6:4:2:2, anteromedial setae
0.10 mm
long, sublateral ocular setae
0.04 mm
; 4 lyrifissures anteriorly and 2 posteriorly.
FIGURES 217–221.
Occidenchthonius anae
n. sp.
, female holotype. 217, anterior margin of carapace, partial view; 218, carapace; 219, left chelicera; 220, fingers of left chelicera, partial view; 221, left chela, antiaxial view.
Chelicera (
Figs 219, 220
) with 6 setae and 1 lateral microseta on hand, seta
vb
short (length
0.025 mm
), microseta
0.015 mm
; hand with 5 dorsal and 1 ventral lyrifissure, lyrifissure
ldb
present. Fixed finger with 7 teeth decreasing in size proximally, the distal tooth distinctly larger than others, 3 proximal microtubercles. Movable finger with an isolated subapical tooth (
di
), with 7 teeth decreasing in size proximally and 2 proximal microtubercles, the distal tooth larger than others; spinneret prominent and apically rounded in female (
Fig. 220
), unknown for male; seta
gl
0.60 from base of movable finger. Rallum with 11 blades. Serrula exterior with 13 blades, serrula interior 12 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 (0.15 and
0.20 mm
long, respectively). Chaetotaxy of sternites 9:(3)6(3):(2)6(2):8:6:6:6:6:2T1T2:0:2, lateral setae on sternite III macrosetal in size, sternite X with 2 submedial tactile setae (
0.18 mm
long).
Pedipalpal coxa with 5 setae (including 2 on manducatory process), distal marginal seta of disk
0.065 mm
long; coxa
I 3
+ 3 marginal microsetae, distal marginal seta
0.05 mm
long;
II 4–5
+ 6–8 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. 221
) with hand distinctly depressed at level of
ib
/
isb
, with a short hump distad of
ib
/
isb
and moderate slope between trichobothria
ib
/
isb
and
eb
; distinct hollow before base of movable finger with thicker cuticle; width shorter than depth, maximum width proximad of
ib
/
isb
; chaetotaxy 4:4–5:4, seta
ph3
present,
ph5
present on one chela and absent on the other; distal end of hand and bases of chelal fingers with sclerotized condylar complex. Fixed finger with 18 teeth progressively decreasing in size in the proximal third, pointed and with dental canals, except the most proximal that is rounded and without dental canal, 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
, 5 proximal microtubercles; tip of finger with an accessory tooth (
td
) on antiaxial face; one pair of long antiaxial sensory setae (
as
) at the base, on either side of lyrifissure
fb
,
0.040–0.045 mm
long, distance between them
0.035 mm
, fixed finger depth at the base
0.045 mm
; 6 teeth at level of
est
/
it
occupying
0.1 mm
, distance between successive apices
0.018–0.020 mm
. Distal half of movable finger with 10 pointed teeth with dental canals, the distal one small; basal half of movable chelal finger with 8 rounded, partially fused, vestigial teeth, without canals, on raised lamina; dental row reaching slightly proximad of
sb
, 4 proximal microtubercles; basal apodeme long and apically indented; coupled sensilla
pc
slightly closer to
b
than to
sb
. Trichobothria as in
Fig. 221
; trichobothrium
ist
distinctly 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
1.7 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
. Female
holotype
: Body 1.31. Carapace 0.38/0.36 (1.1). Chelicera 0.33/0.16 (2.1), movable finger 0.17. Pedipalp: femur 0.46/0.09 (5.1), patella 0.21/0.11 (2.0), chela 0.65/0.14 (4.7), hand 0.26 (1.9), movable finger 0.38; ratio movable finger/hand 1.5, femur/movable finger 1.2, femur/carapace 1.2, chela/carapace 1.7, chela/femur 1.4.
Remarks.
Occidenchthonius anae
n. sp.
is a microphthalmic subterranean species that does not belong to either of the species-groups recognized within the genus. The presence of seta
ih5
on the chelal hand (assuming that its loss on one hand of the
holotype
is teratological) and the absence of preocular microsetae preclude its belonging to the
machadoi
-group. The microphthalmic condition of
O. anae
n. sp.
and its stout and short pedipalp are shared by the Canarian species
O. dubius
. Differences from
O. dubius
are the presence of lyrifissure
ldb
and the position of trichobothrium
ist
relative to
esb
, being slightly distad in
O. anae
n. sp.
and strongly distad in
O. dubius
.