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
Ephippiochthonius castellonensis
n. sp.
(
Figs 105–110
)
Type
locality.
Spain
,
Valencian Community
,
Castellón province
,
Baix Maestrat
comarca,
Sant Mateu
,
Cova
dels
Encenalls
(
40°26′13″N
,
00°12′21″E
;
470 m
a.s.l.
).
Distribution.
Spain
:
Valencian Community
.
Etymology.
Latin noun derived from the name of the province in which the
type
locality is situated.
Diagnosis (
♂
♀
).
A medium-sized, hypogean
Ephippiochthonius
species of the
tetrachelatus
-group. Movable cheliceral finger without isolated subapical tooth (
di
) and with prominent spinneret in female, almost absent in male, lyrifissure
ldb
present; no eyes or eye-spots, 1–2 preocular microsetae on each side, posterior margin of carapace with 2 macrosetae; chelal hand weakly depressed at level of
ib
/
isb
, with distinct, short and weakly conical, hump distad of
ib
/
isb
and gentle slope between trichobothria
ib
/
isb
and
eb
; fixed chelal finger with 21–27 teeth, distal 5th or 6th to 10th teeth with a tiny intercalated denticle lacking dental canal; movable chelal finger with 16–17 teeth with dental canals, without marginal lamina; pedipalpal femur (
♂
) 6.9, (
♀
) 6.8–7.0 times longer than broad, length (
♂
)
0.66 mm
, (
♀
)
0.73–0.74 mm
; chela (
♂
) 6.2, (
♀
) 5.9–6.1 times longer than deep, length (
♂
)
0.87 mm
, (
♀
) 1.00–
1.01 mm
; ratio movable chelal finger/chelal hand (
♂
) 1.6, (
♀
) 1.6–1.7; all chelal lyrifissure patterns present with their standard complements.
Type
material examined.
♂
holotype
(
DEUA
),
Spain
,
Valencian Community
,
Castellón province
,
Baix Maestrat
comarca,
Sant Mateu
,
Cova
dels
Encenalls
(
40°26′13″N
,
00°12′21″E
;
470 m
a.s.l.
),
01.XI.2003
, leg.
S. Montagud
; 1 ♀ paratype (DEUA),
28.XII.1976
, leg. M. Blas, X. Bellés, J. Estany & C. Ribera (DEUA); 1 ♀, 1 deutonymph paratypes (MCNB),
26.VI.1993
, leg. F. Fadrique.
Description (
♂
♀
).
Medium-sized, hypogean, troglomorphic species. Integument depigmented; weakly hispid granulation on lateral surfaces of carapace, on cheliceral hand and on bases of chelal fingers.
Carapace (
Fig. 106
) distinctly longer than broad and posteriorly constricted; medial part of anterior margin prominent, without a well-defined epistome, and strongly dentate (
Fig. 105
); without eyes or eye-spots.
Chaetotaxy: 18 macrosetae and 1‒2 preocular microsetae on each side, macrosetal formula 4:6:4:2:2, anteromedial setae
0.10–0.12 mm
long; 4 lyrifissures anteriorly and 2 posteriorly.
Chelicera (
Figs 107, 108, 110
) with 6 setae and 1 lateral microseta on hand, seta
vb
short (
0.04 mm
long); hand with 5 dorsal and 1 ventral lyrifissure, lyrifissure
ldb
present. Fixed finger with 7–8 teeth decreasing in size proximally and none or 1 proximal microtubercle, two distal teeth distinctly larger than others. Movable finger without an isolated subapical tooth (
di
), with 6–7 teeth decreasing in size proximally and 1–2 proximal microtubercles, the distal tooth larger than others; spinneret almost absent in male (
Fig. 108
), prominent and apically rounded in female (
Fig. 110
); seta
gl
0.51–0.54 from base of movable finger. Rallum with 11 blades. Serrula exterior with 15 blades, serrula interior 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. Chaetotaxy of sternites 10:(3)6–7(3):(2)5–7(2):7–8:6:6:6:6:2T1T2:0:2, without small lateral setae on sternite III, sternite X with 2 submedial tactile setae; in addition, genital notch of male flanked by 6–6 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
0.10 mm
long; coxa
I 3
+ 3 marginal microsetae, distal marginal seta
0.06–0.07 mm
long;
II 4
+ 8–10 bipinnate coxal spines,
III 5
+ 5–7 bipinnate coxal spines and
IV 6
; intercoxal tubercle bisetose.
Pedipalp with femoral chaetotaxy 3:6:3:5:1. Chela (
Fig. 109
) with hand weakly depressed at level of
ib
/
isb
, with distinct, short and weakly conical, hump distad of
ib
/
isb
and gentle slope between trichobothria
ib
/
isb
and
eb
; dorsal-antiaxial surface of the chelal hand between the hump and trichobothria
eb
/
esb
flattened, limited by a marked edge; ventral intercondylar bow-like protuberance (
ip
) present; width shorter than depth; chaetotaxy 4:5:3, seta
ph3
lacking, setae
ih1
,
ih3
and
ih4
approximately level with trichobothria
ib
/
isb
; distal end of hand and bases of chelal fingers with sclerotized condylar complex. Fixed finger with 23–27 teeth, most pointed, the 1–2 distal ones tiny or small, 5th or 6th to 10th distal teeth with a tiny intercalated denticle lacking dental canal, 6 most proximal teeth progressively decreasing in size and becoming rounded, all with dental canals, dental row reaching proximad of sensilla
pc
level, 3–5 microtubercles at base; tip of finger with an accessory tooth (
td
) on antiaxial face; tip of fixed chelal finger of male with a deep hollow on paraxial face and subdistal protuberance (
sp
); one pair of long antiaxial sensory setae (
as
) at the finger base, distance between them equal to finger depth at base; 4 teeth at level of
est
/
it
occupying
0.1 mm
, distance between successive apices
0.025–0.030 mm
. Movable finger with 16–17 teeth with dental canal except 0–2 proximal ones, the distalmost one tiny, most teeth pointed, the 5–6 proximal rounded teeth progressively decreasing in size until being hard to see, dental row reaching to level of trichobothrium
sb
or sensilla
pc
, 0–2 microtubercles at base; basal apodeme long and apically indented; coupled sensilla
pc
between
sb
and
b
. Trichobothria as in
Fig. 109
; trichobothrium
ist
slightly distad of
esb
and well proximad of lyrifissure
fb
; distance between
ib
/
isb
and
esb
1.1 times longer than that between
ib
/
isb
and the base of the hand; distance between
st
and
sb
1.6–1.7 times longer than that between
sb
and
b
. All chelal lyrifissure patterns present with their standard complements.
Measurements and ratios
. Male
holotype
: Body 1.44. Carapace 0.42/0.41 (1.0). Chelicera 0.40/0.18 (2.2), movable finger 0.21. Pedipalp: femur 0.66/0.10 (6.9), patella 0.25/0.11 (2.2), chela 0.87/0.14 (6.2), hand 0.33 (2.4), movable finger 0.53; ratio movable finger/hand 1.6, femur/movable finger 1.2, femur/carapace 1.6, chela/carapace 2.1, chela/femur 1.3. Female
paratypes
: Body 1.53–1.62. Carapace 0.49–0.54/0.43–0.48 (1.1). Chelicera 0.45/0.19 (2.3), movable finger 0.23. Pedipalp: femur 0.73–0.74/0.11 (6.8–7.0), patella 0.27–0.28/0.13 (2.2), chela 1.00– 1.01/0.17 (5.9–6.1), hand 0.37–0.38 (2.2–2.3), movable finger 0.61–0.62; ratio movable finger/hand 1.6–1.7, femur/movable finger 1.2, femur/carapace 1.4–1.5, chela/carapace 1.9–2.2, chela/femur 1.4.
Deutonymph.
Carapace almost as long as broad; without eyes; chaetotaxy: 4:6:4:2:2, without preocular microsetae. Cheliceral hand with 4 setae, without lateral microsetae; fixed finger with 7 teeth, two distal teeth larger than others; movable finger without an isolated subapical tooth (
di
), with 5 teeth, the distal one larger than others; spinneret prominent, as in adult female; seta
gl
0.53 from base of movable finger. Chaetotaxy of tergites as in adults; sternites 2:4:4:6:6:6:6:6:1TT1:0:0, stigmatal microsetae apparently absent. Pedipalpal coxa 5 setae (including 2 on manducatory process), distal marginal seta of disk
0.06 mm
long; coxa
I 2
+ 1 marginal microseta, distal marginal seta
0.02 mm
long;
II 3
+ 6 bipinnate coxal spines,
III 3
+ 5 bipinnate coxal spines and
IV 3
; intercoxal tubercle bisetose. Fixed pedipalpal finger with 13 teeth, movable finger with 11 teeth; coupled sensilla
pc
in subbasal position on movable finger.
FIGURES 105–110.
Ephippiochthonius castellonensis
n. sp.
, male holotype (105–109) and female paratype (110). 105, anterior margin of carapace, partial view; 106, carapace; 107, left chelicera; 108, fingers of left chelicera, partial view; 10 9, left chela, antiaxial view; 110, movable cheliceral finger, partial view.
Measurements and ratios
. Body 0.88. Carapace 0.29/0.28 (1.0). Pedipalp: femur 0.33/0.07 (5.1), patella 0.16/ 0.09 (1.8), chela 0.50/0.10 (5.1), hand 0.20 (2.0), movable finger 0.30; ratio movable finger/hand 1.5, femur/ movable finger 1.1, femur/carapace 1.1, chela/carapace 1.7, chela/femur 1.5.
Remarks.
Within the
tetrachelatus
-group,
E. castellonensis
n. sp.
and
E. distinguendus
(
Beier, 1930
)
share the presence of intercalated denticles on the fixed chelal finger.
E. castellonensis
n. sp.
differs from
E. distinguendus
in the number and position of these intercalated denticles: only one denticle between normal teeth in the distal half of the fixed finger and none on the movable finger in
E. castellonensis
n. sp.
, as opposed to several denticles between normal teeth on both fingers of
E. distinguendus
. Other differences between these species are: tergites I–II with 4 setae in
E. castellonensis
n. sp.
and 2 setae in
E. distinguendus
; female spinneret, low and rounded in
E. castellonensis
n. sp.
, versus prominent and apically pointed in
E. distinguendus
; and pedipalp of
E. castellonensis
n. sp.
stouter and shorter [femur (
♀
) 6.8–7.0 times longer than broad, length
0.73–0.74 mm
; chela (
♀
) 5.9–6.1 times longer than deep, length 1.00–
1.01 mm
] than that of
E. distinguendus
[femur (
♀
) 8.2 times longer than broad, length
0.94 mm
; chela (
♀
) 6.8 times longer than deep, length
1.28 mm
].