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 portugalensis
n. sp.
(
Figs 169–173
)
Type
locality.
Portugal
,
Porto
,
Peñafiel
,
Lagares
(
41°07′19″N
,
08°21′55″W
;
176 m
a.s.l.
).
Distribution.
Portugal
:
Porto
.
Etymology.
Latin noun derived from the name of the country in which the
type
locality is located.
Diagnosis (
♀
).
A small, epigean
Ephippiochthonius
species of the
E. fuscimanus
-group. Movable cheliceral finger without isolated subapical tooth (
di
) and with prominent spinneret in female, unknown for male; lyrifissure
ldb
present; two pairs of eyes with lenses, anterior margin of carapace with 2–3 preocular microsetae on each side, posterior margin with 2 macrosetae; chelal hand weakly depressed at level of
ib
/
isb
, with low rounded hump distad of
ib
/
isb
and an abrupt slope between trichobothria
ib
/
isb
and
eb
; fixed chelal finger with 20 teeth; movable chelal finger with 6 teeth pointed teeth at the distal half with dental canals, basal half with thick and almost level marginal lamina; pedipalpal femur (
♀
) 5.8 times longer than broad, length
0.64 mm
; chela (
♀
) 4.2 times longer than deep, length
0.88 mm
; ratio movable chelal finger/chelal hand (
♀
) 1.2; chelal lyrifissures
hd
and
ma2
absent,
fd3
missing on one chela.
Type
material examined.
♀
holotype
(
FCUL
),
Portugal
,
Porto
,
Peñafiel
,
Lagares
(
41°07′19″N
,
08°21′55″W
;
176 m
a.s.l.
),
23.III.2007
, leg.
A. Serrano.
Description (
♀
;
♂
unknown).
Small, epigean species. Integument pigmented; marked hispid granulation on lateral surface of carapace, on cheliceral hand and weaker on bases of chelal fingers.
Carapace (
Fig. 170
) slightly longer than broad, weakly constricted posteriorly; anterior margin almost straight, medially dentate (
Fig. 169
); two pairs of well developed eyes with lenses and reflecting tapeta, anterior eyes strongly convex,
0.055 mm
from anterior margin of carapace, diameter
0.040 mm
, posterior eyes with weakly convex lens,
0.040 mm
from anterior eyes, diameter
0.045 mm
. Chaetotaxy: 18 macrosetae and 2–3 preocular microsetae on each side, macrosetal formula 4:6:4:2:2, anteromedial setae
0.12 mm
long, sublateral ocular setae
0.06 mm
long; 4 lyrifissures anteriorly and 2 posteriorly.
Chelicera (
Figs 171, 172
) with 6 setae and 2 lateral microsetae on hand, seta
vb
0.055 mm
long, microsetae
0.0225–0.0250 mm
long; hand with 5 dorsal and 1 ventral lyrifissure, lyrifissure
ldb
present. Fixed finger with 9 teeth decreasing in size proximally and 2 proximal microtubercles, distal tooth larger than others. Movable finger without an isolated subapical tooth (
di
), with 5 teeth decreasing in size proximally and 4 proximal microtubercles, distal tooth larger than others; spinneret prominent, apically rounded (
Fig. 172
); seta
gl
0.60 from base of movable finger. Rallum with 11 blades. Serrula exterior with approximately 14 blades, interior with 11 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 9:(3)10(3):(2)6(2):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
0.065 mm
long; coxa
I 3
+ 3 marginal microsetae, distal marginal setae lost;
II 4
+ 7 bipinnate coxal spines,
III 5
+ 3 bipinnate coxal spines and
IV 6
; intercoxal tubercle bisetose.
Pedipalp with femoral chaetotaxy 3:6:2:5:1. Chela (
Fig. 173
) with hand weakly depressed at level of
ib
/
isb
, with long, low rounded, hump distad of
ib
/
isb
and an abrupt slope between trichobothria
ib
/
isb
and
eb
; dorsalantiaxial surface of the chelal hand between the hump and trichobothria
eb
/
esb
with a weak edge; ventral intercondylar bow-like protuberance (
ip
) present; width shorter than depth; chaetotaxy 4:5:3, seta
ph3
lacking, setae
ih1
slightly proximad of trichobothria
ib
/
isb
, whereas setae
ih3
is well distad and
ih4
slightly distad of
ib
/
isb
; distal end of hand and bases of chelal fingers with sclerotized condylar complex. Fixed finger with 20 mostly pointed teeth with dental canals, of these the two distal small teeth, decreasing in size proximally, dental row reaching up to slightly distad of trichobothrium
b
, 2 microtubercles at base; tip of finger with an accessory tooth (
td
) on antiaxial face; 6 teeth at level of
est
/
it
occupying
0.1 mm
, distance between successive apices
0.030–0.035 mm
, halfway between 5th and 8th distal teeth with a very tiny denticle, difficult to be observed; one pair of very short antiaxial sensory setae (
as
),
0.020–0.023 mm
long, very close together, distance between them
0.026 mm
, finger depth at the base
0.058 mm
. Distal half of movable finger with 6 triangular teeth level
st
, all with dental canals, wider than long, followed by 3 vestigial teeth without dental canals, distal tooth very tiny; basal half proximally with 4 low and rounded vestigial teeth without dental canals on thick and mostly level marginal lamina, 1 microtubercle at base; basal apodeme long and apically indented; coupled sensilla
pc
slightly proximad of
sb
. Trichobothria as in
Fig. 173
;
ib
and
isb
distally united by a weakly chitinized dorsal band;
ist
slightly distad of
esb
, trichobothria
eb - esb -ist
in a straight line,
ist
well proximad of lyrifissure
fb
; distance between
ib
/
isb
and
esb
1.3 times longer than that between
ib
/
isb
and the base of the hand; distance between
st
and
sb
2.2 times longer than that between
sb
and
b
. Chelal lyrifissures
hd
and
ma2
absent,
fd3
missing on one chela.
FIGURES 169–173.
Ephippiochthonius portugalensis
n. sp.
, female holotype. 169, anterior margin of carapace, partial view; 170, carapace; 171, left chelicera; 172, fingers of left chelicera, partial view; 173, right chela, antiaxial view.
Measurements and ratios
. Female
holotype
: Body 1.48. Carapace 0.48/0.44 (1.1). Cheliceral 0.41/0.19 (2.2), movable finger 0.20. Pedipalp: femur 0.64/0.11 (5.8), patella 0.26/0.14 (1.9), chela 0.88/0.20 (4.2), hand 0.39 (1.9), movable finger 0.48; ratio movable finger/hand 1.2, femur/movable finger 1.3, femur/carapace 1.3, chela/carapace 1.8, chela/femur 1.3.
Remarks.
Ephippiochthonius portugalensis
n. sp.
is tentatively included within the
E. fuscimanus
-group due to the absence of lyrifissures
ma2
,
hd
and
fd3
(the latter only on one chela), the position of intermediate paraxial chelal setae
ih3
and
ih4
(strongly and slightly distad of trichobothria
ib
/
isb
, respectively), the shape of the distal teeth on the movable chelal finger (distinctly wider than long), and the thick basal lamina. Following Gardini’s key (2013), within the known species of the
fuscimanus
-group,
E. portugalensis
n. sp.
is close to
E. boldorii
(
Beier, 1934
)
(
Austria
,
Croatia
,
Germany
,
Italy
,
Slovenia
,
Switzerland
) by virtue of the absence of an isolated subapical tooth (
di
) on the movable cheliceral finger and by the pedipalpal measurements. The morphometric data for
E. portugalensis
n. sp.
fall within the wide ranges seen in
E. boldorii
, but it differs from this Central European species by the large number of teeth on the fixed chelal finger, 20 versus mostly 11–12 (rarely 16) in
E. boldorii
. The shape of the chelal hand between the trichobothria
ib
/
isb
and
eb
, in lateral view, is also different between the two species. Comparison with the other Iberian species of the
E. fuscimanus-
group,
E. pyrenaicus
(
Beier, 1934
)
, is given in the key.