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 aini
n. sp.
(
Figs 70–75
)
Type
locality.
Spain
,
Valencian Community
,
Castellón province
,
La Plana Baixa
comarca, Aín, Cova Covatilla (
39°54′06″N
,
00°20′10″W
;
590 m
a.s.l.
).
Distribution.
Spain
:
Valencian Community
.
Etymology.
Latin noun derived from the municipal area of Aín, in which the
type
locality is situated.
Diagnosis (
♂
♀
).
A medium-sized, hypogean
Ephippiochthonius
species of the
tetrachelatus
-group. Chelicera longer than carapace, movable cheliceral finger without isolated subapical tooth (
di
) and with prominent spinneret in female, strongly reduced in male, lyrifissure
ldb
present; without eyes or eye-spots, posterior margin of carapace with 2 macrosetae; chelal hand depressed at level of
ib
/
isb
, with a distinct hump distad of
ib
/
isb
and moderate slope between trichobothria
ib
/
isb
and
eb
; fixed finger with 23–25 mostly pointed teeth; movable finger with 18 teeth, distal two thirds of dental row with pointed teeth, teeth of proximal third decreasing in size; pedipalpal femur (
♂
) 7.1, (
♀
) 7.0 times longer than broad, length (
♂
)
0.80 mm
, (
♀
) 0.91; chela (
♂
) 6.3, (
♀
) 6.2 times longer than deep, length (
♂
)
1.07 mm
, (
♀
) 1.24; ratio movable chelal finger/chelal hand (
♂
) 1.6, (
♀
) 1.5; all chelal lyrifissure patterns present in their standard number.
FIGURES 70–75.
Ephippiochthonius aini
n. sp.
, male holotype (70–74) and female paratype (75). 70, anterior margin of carapace, partial view; 71, carapace; 72, left chelicera; 73, fingers of left chelicera, partial view; 74, right chela, antiaxial view; 75, movable cheliceral finger, partial view.
Type material examined.
♂ holotype (DEUA),
1 ♀
paratype
(
MNCN
),
Spain
,
Valencian Community
,
Castellón province
,
La Plana Baixa
comarca,
Aín
,
Cova Covatilla
(
39°54′06″N
,
00°20′10″W
;
590 m
a.s.l.
),
07.VIII.1977
, leg.
A. Sendra
.
Description (
♂
♀
).
Medium-sized, hypogean species. Integument depigmented; very weakly hispid granulation on lateral surfaces of carapace, on cheliceral hand and on bases of chelal fingers.
Carapace (
Fig. 71
) slightly shorter than broad and distinctly constricted posteriorly; medial part of anterior margin weakly prominent, without epistome, and strongly dentate (
Fig. 70
); without eyes or eye-spots. Chaetotaxy: 18 macrosetae, no preocular microsetae, macrosetal formula 4:6:4:2:2, anteromedial setae
0.12–0.15 mm
long, sublateral ocular setae
0.07–0.08 mm
long; 4 lyrifissures anteriorly and 2 posteriorly.
Chelicera (
Fig. 72
) longer than carapace, with 6 setae and 1 lateral microseta on hand, seta
vb
short (
0.05– 0.07mm
long), microseta 003–
0.04 mm
long; hand with 5 dorsal and 1 ventral lyrifissure, lyrifissure
ldb
present. Fixed finger with 7 teeth, decreasing in size proximally, 1–2 distal teeth distinctly larger than others, 2–5 proximal microtubercles. Movable finger without an isolated subapical tooth (
di
), with 5–7 teeth decreasing in size proximally, distal tooth larger than others, with 3 proximal microtubercles; spinneret prominent in female (
Fig. 75
), much lower in male (
Fig. 73
); seta
gl
0.56–0.61 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)10(3):(2)7(2):7–9:6:6:6:6:2T1T2:0:2, lateral setae on sternite III microsetal in size, 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
0.04 mm
long;
II 4
+ 8–9 bipinnate coxal spines,
III 5
+ 4–6 bipinnate coxal spines and
IV 6
; intercoxal tubercle bisetose.
Pedipalp with femoral chaetotaxy 3:6:3:5:1. Chela (
Fig. 74
) with hand depressed at level of
ib
/
isb
, with a distinct hump distad of
ib
/
isb
and moderate 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 distinct edge; ventral intercondylar bow-like protuberance (
ip
) present; width equal to depth; chaetotaxy 4:5:3, seta
ph3
lacking, setae
ih1
,
ih3
and
ih4
approximately level with or slightly proximad of trichobothria
ib
/
isb
; distal end of hand and bases of chelal fingers with sclerotized condylar complex. Fixed finger with 23–25 mostly pointed teeth, the distal one small, of these the 6–9 proximal teeth progressively decreasing in size, 2–3 proximally rounded, most with dental canals; 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 base (
0.04–0.06 mm
long), both distad of lyrifissure
fb
, distance between them
0.05–0.09 mm
, equal to or longer than the finger depth at the base (
0.05–0.06 mm
); 3 teeth at level of
est
/
it
occupying
0.1 mm
, distance between successive apices
0.033 mm
. Movable finger with 18 teeth, distal two thirds of finger with pointed teeth, the distal tooth very tiny on a low protuberance; proximal third with 6–7 progressively decreasing teeth reaching halfway between trichobothria
sb
and
b
, 4 of them vestigial and without dental canals; basal apodeme long and apically narrowed; coupled sensilla
pc
halfway between
sb
and
b
or closer to
sb
. Trichobothria as in
Fig. 74
; trichobothrium
ist
approximately level with
esb
and well proximad of lyrifissure
fb
; distance between
ib
/
isb
and base of hand slightly shorter than or equal to their distance from
esb
; distance between
st
and
sb
1.6–2.0 times longer than that between
sb
and
b
. All chelal lyrifissure patterns present with their standard complements.
Measurements and ratios
. Male
holotype
: Body 1.48. Carapace 0.43/0.44 (1.0). Chelicera 0.47/0.21 (2.2), movable finger 0.24; ratio chelicera/carapace 1.1. Pedipalp: femur 0.80/0.11 (7.1), patella 0.30/0.13 (2.3), chela 1.07/0.17 (6.3), hand 0.42 (2.4), movable finger 0.65; ratio movable finger/hand 1.6, femur/movable finger 1.2, femur/carapace 1.9, chela/carapace 2.5, chela/femur 1.3. Female
paratype
: Body 1.58. Carapace 0.55/0.57 (1.0). Chelicera 0.56/0.26 (2.2), movable finger 0.28; ratio chelicera/carapace 1.1. Pedipalp: femur 0.91/0.13 (7.0), patella 0.36/0.16 (2.3), chela 1.24/0.20 (6.2), hand 0.48, movable finger 0.71; ratio movable finger/hand 1.5, femur/ movable finger 1.3, femur/carapace 1.7, chela/carapace 2.3, chela/femur 1.4.
Remarks.
Within the species of the
tetrachelatus
-group,
E. aini
n. sp.
resembles
E. nudipes
(
Mahnert, 1982
)
and
E. riberai
n. sp.
, in the following combination of characteristics: anophthalmic, hypogean, without preocular microsetae, only 2 setae in posterior row of carapace and lacking an isolated subapical tooth on the movable cheliceral finger. The species
E. aini
n. sp.
, like
E. riberai
n. sp.
, is markedly stouter and smaller than
E. nudipes
and has the pedipalpal femur chaetotaxy 3:6:3:5:1, versus 3:6:2:6:
1 in
the latter. Comparison of pedipalpal measurements and ratios between
E. aini
n. sp.
and
E. riberai
n. sp.
are given in the key. Additionally, the chelicera of
E. aini
n. sp.
is longer than the carapace, as opposed to shorter in
E. riberai
n. sp.
, and the coupled sensilla
pc
are proximad of trichobothrium
sb
in
E. aini
n. sp.
, versus distad in
E. riberai
n. sp.