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 ponsi
(
Mahnert, 1993
)
,
n. comb.
(
Fig. 167
)
Chthonius
(
Ephippiochthonius
)
ponsi
Mahnert 1993
: 973
–975, figs 5–7.
Chthonius
(
Ephippiochthonius
)
ponsi
:
Zaragoza 2007
: 19
.
Type
locality.
Spain
,
Balearic Islands
,
Cabrera Island
,
Avenc
des
Frare
(
39°08′20″N
,
02°55′29″E
;
27 m
a.s.l.
).
Distribution
.
Spain
:
Balearic Islands
.
Diagnosis (
♂
♀
).
A medium-sized, epigean
Ephippiochthonius
species of the
tetrachelatus
-group. Movable cheliceral finger without isolated subapical tooth (
di
) and with prominent spinneret in female, absent in male; lyrifissure
ldb
present; two pairs of eyes with lenses, anterior margin of carapace with 0–1 preocular microsetae on each side, posterior margin with 2 macrosetae; pedipalp with femoral chaetotaxy 3:6:3:5:1; chelal hand distinctly depressed at level of
ib
/
isb
, with rounded hump distad of
ib
/
isb
and an abrupt slope between trichobothria
ib
/
isb
and
eb
; fixed chelal finger with 22–26 teeth; movable chelal finger with 7–9 teeth pointed teeth at the distal half with dental canals, basal half without marginal lamina, with very low undulations; pedipalpal femur (
♂
) 6.2–6.6, (
♀
) 6.7 times longer than broad, length (
♂
)
0.73–0.76 mm
, (
♀
)
0.80 mm
; chela (
♂
) 5.4–5.5, (
♀
) 4.9 times longer than deep, length (
♂
) 0.98–1.00 mm, (
♀
)
1.02 mm
; ratio movable chelal finger/chelal hand (
♂
) 1.4–1.5, (
♀
) 1.4; all chelal lyrifissure patterns present with their standard complements.
Type
material examined.
1 ♂
paratype
(
MHNG
),
Spain
,
Balearic Islands
,
Cabrera Island
,
Avenc
des
Frare
(
39°08′20″N
,
02°55′29″E
;
27 m
a.s.l.
),
12.I.1991
, leg.
J.A. Alcover
&
G. Pons
.
Description (
♂
♀
).
Medium-sized epigean species. Integument pigmented; marked hispid granulation on lateral surface of carapace and on cheliceral hand, more weakly on bases of chelal fingers.
Carapace as long as broad, weakly constricted posteriorly; anterior margin weakly prominent, medially dentate; two pairs of well developed eyes with lenses and reflecting tapeta, anterior eyes strongly convex,
0.05 mm
from anterior margin of carapace, diameter
0.06 mm
, posterior eyes with weaker lens than anterior pair,
0.035 mm
from anterior eyes, diameter
0.045 mm
. Chaetotaxy: 18 macrosetae and 0–1 preocular microsetae on each side, macrosetal formula 4:6:4:2:2, anteromedial setae
0.11 mm
long, sublateral ocular setae
0.10 mm
long; 4 lyrifissures anteriorly and 2 posteriorly.
Chelicera with 6 setae and 1 lateral microseta on hand, seta
vb
0.050 mm
long, microseta
0.025 mm
long; hand with 5 dorsal and 1 ventral lyrifissure, lyrifissure
ldb
present. Fixed finger with 7 teeth decreasing in size proximally and 2 proximal microtubercles, distal tooth larger than others. Movable finger without an isolated subapical tooth (
di
), with 7 teeth decreasing in size proximally and 2 proximal microtubercles, distal tooth larger than others; spinneret prominent in female, absent in male; seta
gl
0.57 from base of movable finger. Rallum with 11 blades. Serrula exterior with 14–16 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)9–10(3):(2)6–9(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 (
0.20 mm
long); in addition, genital notch of male flanked by 8–11 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
0.075 mm
long;
II 4
+ 7–8 bipinnate coxal spines,
III 5
+ 4– 5 bipinnate coxal spines and
IV 6
; intercoxal tubercle bisetose.
Pedipalp with femoral chaetotaxy 3:6:3:5:1. Chela (
Fig. 167
) with hand distinctly depressed at level of
ib
/
isb
, with rounded hump distad of
ib
/
isb
and an abrupt 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 slightly longer than depth; chaetotaxy 4:5:3 (4:4:3 on one chela and normal formula on the other), 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 22–26 mostly pointed teeth, decreasing in size proximally, of these the 2 proximal teeth rounded, all with dental canals, 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; tip of fixed chelal finger of male with a deep hollow on paraxial face and a pronounced subdistal protuberance (
sp
); 5 teeth at level of
est
/
it
occupying
0.1 mm
, distance between successive apices
0.023–0.028 mm
; one pair of very short antiaxial sensory setae (
as
),
0.008–0.010 mm
long, very closer together, distance between them
0.011 mm
, finger depth at the base
0.058 mm
. Distal half of movable finger with 7–9 triangular teeth (strongly worn in one male
paratype
) level with trichobothrium
st
or slightly proximad, all with dental canals; proximally without marginal lamina, up to sensilla
pc
level with 9–10 very low undulations, without dental canals, almost unrecognizable in one male
paratype
; basal apodeme long and apically indented; coupled sensilla
pc
distinctly proximad of
sb
. Trichobothria as in
Fig. 167
;
ist
level with or slightly distad of
esb
, trichobothria
eb -esb -ist
in a straight line,
ist
well proximad of lyrifissure
fb
; distance between
ib
/
isb
and
esb
equal to that between
ib
/
isb
and the base of the hand; distance between
st
and
sb
1.6 times longer than that between
sb
and
b
. All chelal lyrifissure patterns present with their standard complements.
Measurements and ratios
.
Holotype
and
paratype
males, followed, when different, by female
paratype
in square brackets: Carapace 0.50–0.52/0.49–0.51 (1.0) [0.53/0.52]. Pedipalp: femur 0.73–0.76/0.11–0.12 (6.2–6.6) [0.80/0.12 (6.7)], patella 0.29–0.30/0.14–0.16 (1.8–2.1) [0.31/0.15 (2.1)], chela 0.98–1.00/0.18–0.19 (5.4–5.5) [1.02/0.21 (4.9)], hand 0.40–0.43 (2.2–2.3) [0.43 (2.1)], movable finger 0.58–0.60 [0.61]; ratio movable finger/ hand 1.4–1.5, femur/movable finger 1.3, femur/carapace 1.5, chela/carapace 2.0 [1.9], chela/femur 1.3.
FIGURE 167.
Ephippiochthonius ponsi
(Mahnert, 1993)
n. comb.
, male paratype, left chelicera.
FIGURE 168.
Ephippiochthonius rimicola
(Mahnert, 1993)
n. comb.
, female, Valverde, Hierro Island, Canary Islands, Spain, left chela, antiaxial view.
Remarks.
Within the species of the
tetrachelatus
-group,
E. ponsi
(
Mahnert, 1993
)
shares with
E. tetrachelatus
and
E. tarraconensis
n. sp.
the presence of well developed eyes, only 2 setae in posterior row of carapace and the absence of an isolated subapical tooth on movable cheliceral finger.
E. ponsi
differs from the other two species by the absence of a cheliceral spinneret in male (versus prominent or more or less reduced) and the pedipalpal femur chaetotaxy 3:6:3:5:1 (versus 3:6:2:5:1). The above description incorporates in part that of
Mahnert (1993)
.