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 bellesi
(
Mahnert, 1989
)
,
n. comb.
(
Fig. 89
)
Chthonius
(
Ephippiochthonius
)
bellesi
Mahnert 1989
: 86
‒87, figs 1‒4.
Chthonius
(
Ephippiochthonius
)
bellesi
:
Zaragoza 2007
: 15
.
Type
locality.
Spain
,
Balearic Islands
,
Menorca
,
Es Mercadal
,
Cova Na Polida
(
39°55′58″N
,
04°02′21″E
;
91 m
a.s.l.
)
.
Distribution.
Spain
:
Balearic Islands
.
Diagnosis (
♀
).
A medium-sized, hypogean
Ephippiochthonius
species of the
gibbus
-group. Movable cheliceral finger with isolated subapical tooth (
di
) and with small, prominent spinneret in female, unknown for male; lyrifissure
ldb
present; no eyes or eye-spots, 2 preocular microsetae on each side, posterior margin of carapace with 2 macrosetae; chelal hand weakly depressed at level of
ib
/
isb
, with low and rounded hump distad of
ib
/
isb
and gentle slope between trichobothria
ib
/
isb
and
eb
; fixed chelal finger with 27–29 teeth; movable chelal finger with 21–23 teeth, most with dental canals, without marginal lamina; pedipalpal femur (
♀
) 6.9–7.6 times longer than broad, length (
♀
)
0.91–1.12 mm
; chela (
♀
) 5.5–5.9 times longer than deep, length (
♀
)
1.20–1.50 mm
; ratio movable chelal finger/chelal hand (
♀
) 1.4–1.5; all chelal lyrifissure patterns present, most with their standard complements, except that
ma2
is absent.
Non-type
material examined.
1 ♀
(
DEUA
),
Spain
,
Balearic Islands
,
Menorca
,
Es Mercadal
,
Cova Na Polida
(
39°55′58″N
,
04°02′21″E
;
91 m
a.s.l.
),
07.XII.1987
, leg.
C. Ribera
;
1 ♀
(
DEUA
),
Cova
des
Coloms
(
39°56′06″N
,
04°02′40″E
;
94 m
a.s.l.
), collection date unknown, leg.
C. Ribera
.
FIGURE 88.
Ephippiochthonius balearicus
(Mahnert, 1977)
n. comb.
, male, Cueva del Pilar, Palma, Mallorca Island, Balearic Islands, Spain, left chela, antiaxial view.
FIGURE 89.
Ephippiochthonius bellesi
(Mahnert, 1989)
n. comb.
, female, Cova Na Polida, Es Mercadal, Menorca Island, Balearic Islands, Spain, left chela, antiaxial view.
Description (
♀
;
♂
unknown).
Medium-sized, hypogean species, moderately troglomorphic. Integument depigmented; weakly hispid granulation on lateral surfaces of carapace, on cheliceral hand and on bases of chelal fingers.
Carapace slightly longer than broad and posteriorly constricted; medial part of anterior margin weakly prominent, without epistome, and strongly dentate; without eyes or eye-spots. Chaetotaxy: 18 macrosetae and 2 preocular microsetae on each side, formula mm
4mm
:6:4:2:2, anteromedial setae
0.16–0.19 mm
long, sublateral ocular setae
0.10–0.14 mm
long; 4 lyrifissures anteriorly and 2 posteriorly.
Cheliceral hand with 6 setae and 2 lateral microsetae (7 setae for
Mahnert 1989
, includes 6 setae and 1 lateral microseta), seta
vb
short (
0.055 mm
long), microsetae
0.035 mm
long; hand with 5 dorsal and 1 ventral lyrifissure, lyrifissure
ldb
present. Fixed finger with 9–12 teeth decreasing in size proximally, 1 distal tooth distinctly larger than others. Movable finger with an isolated subapical tooth (
di
), with 9–11 teeth decreasing in size proximally, the distal tooth larger than others; spinneret prominent, low in female, unknown for male; seta
gl
0.56–0.58 from base of movable finger.
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, TS tergite XI
0.37–0.41 mm
long. Chaetotaxy of sternites 10:(3)9–11(3):(2)7–8(2):7–8:6:6:6:6:2T1T2:0:2, lateral setae on sternite III microsetal in size, sternite X with 2 submedial tactile setae.
Pedipalpal coxa with 5 setae (including 2 on manducatory process), distal marginal seta of disk
0.12–0.14 mm
long; coxa
I 3
+ 3 marginal microsetae, distal marginal seta
0.05–0.09 mm
long;
II 4–5
+ 8–12 bipinnate coxal spines,
III 5–6
+ 6–7 bipinnate coxal spines and
IV 6
; intercoxal tubercle bisetose.
Pedipalp with femoral chaetotaxy 3:6:2:5:1. Chela (
Fig. 89
) with hand weakly depressed at level of
ib
/
isb
, with low and rounded 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 27–28 teeth, the distal one tiny and the subdistal small, mostly pointed and with dental canals, of these the 10 proximal teeth progressively decreasing in size, 1–3 most proximal are rounded, dental row reaching up to distad of trichobothrium
b
, 3 microtubercles at base; from 8th to 12th distal teeth bear a tiny intercalated denticle without dental canal, mentioned by
Mahnert (1989)
; tip of finger with an accessory tooth (
td
) on antiaxial face; one pair of long antiaxial sensory setae (
as
) at the finger base (
0.055–0.065 mm
long), distance between them
0.070 mm
, approximately equal to the finger depth (
0.065–0.075 mm
) at base; 3–4 teeth at level of
est
/
it
occupying
0.1 mm
, distance between successive apices
0.025–0.035 mm
. Movable finger with 21–23 teeth, 2 distal ones small, mostly pointed and with dental canals, of these the 8–9 proximal teeth progressively decreasing in size and becoming rounded, dental row proximad of trichobothrium
sb
; basal apodeme long and apically indented; coupled sensilla
pc
level with or distad of
sb
. Trichobothria as in
Fig. 89
; 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 base of hand; distance between
st
and
sb
1.8–1.9 times longer than that between
sb
and
b
. All chelal lyrifissure patterns present, most with their standard complements, except that
ma2
is absent.
Measurements and ratios
. Female (
types
and new material studied): Body 2.0–2.4. Carapace 0.52/0.67 (1.0– 1.1). Chelicera 0.49–0.61/0.24–0.28 (2.1–2.2), movable finger 0.26–0.31. Pedipalp: femur 0.91–1.12/0.13–0.16 (6.9–7.6), patella 0.34–0.42/0.16–0.20 (2.1–2.3), chela 1.20–1.50/0.22–0.28 (5.5–5.9), hand 0.49–060 (2.2–2.4), movable finger 0.69–0.88; ratio movable finger/hand 1.4–1.5, femur/movable finger 1.3, femur/carapace 1.7–1.8, chela/carapace 2.2–2.3, chela/femur 1.3.
Remarks.
Within the
gibbus
-group,
E. bellesi
(
Mahnert, 1989
)
shares with the species
E. gibbus
(
Beier, 1953
)
,
E. masoae
n. sp.
,
E. sevai
n. sp.
and
E. zaballosi
n. sp.
the presence of an isolated subapical tooth on the movable cheliceral finger and only 2 setae in the posterior row of the carapace.
E. bellesi
is the only one of these species that is anophthalmic and it also has the pedipalpal segments markedly longer, mostly more than twice the length of those of the other two species. It also differs from
E. gibbus
and
E. zaballosi
n. sp.
by the presence of preocular microsetae. The above description incorporates in part that of
Mahnert (1989)
.