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 serengei
n. sp.
(
Figs 184–189
)
Type
locality.
Spain
,
Valencian Community
,
Castellón province
,
La Plana Alta
comarca, Cabanes, Avenc del Serenge (
40°07′38″N
,
00°03′58″E
;
289 m
a.s.l.
).
Distribution.
Spain
:
Valencian Community
.
Etymology.
Latin genitive derived from the name of the cave in which the species is found.
Diagnosis (
♂
♀
).
A medium-sized, hypogean
Ephippiochthonius
species of the
tetrachelatus
-group. Movable cheliceral finger without isolated subapical tooth (
di
), spinneret moderately prominent in female and absent in male, lyrifissure
ldb
present; no eyes or eye-spots, usually without preocular microsetae on each side, posterior margin of carapace with 4 macrosetae; chelal hand depressed at level of
ib
/
isb
, with a rounded hump distad of
ib
/
isb
and an abrupt slope between trichobothria
ib
/
isb
and
eb
; fixed chelal finger with 20–23 teeth; movable chelal finger with 17–19 teeth, without marginal lamina; pedipalpal femur (
♂
) 6.7, (
♀
) 6.5–6.9 times longer than broad, length (
♂
)
0.60 mm
, (
♀
)
0.74–0.78 mm
; chela (
♂
) 6.2, (
♀
) 5.7–5.9 times longer than deep, length (
♂
)
0.80 mm
, (
♀
)
0.97–1.02 mm
; ratio movable chelal finger/chelal hand (
♂
♀
) 1.6; all chelal lyrifissure patterns present with their standard complements.
Type material examined.
♂ holotype,
1 ♀
paratype
(both
DEUA
),
Spain
,
Valencian Community
,
Castellón province
,
La Plana Alta
comarca,
Cabanes
,
Avenc
del
Serenge
(
40°07′38″N
,
00°03′58″E
;
289 m
a.s.l.
),
21.III.2004
; 1 ♀ paratype (MCNB),
26.II.2006
, leg. S. Montagud
et al.
; 1 ♀ paratype (DEUA), same type locality,
14.III.1982
, leg. J. Comas; 1 ♂ (DEUA),
2 ♀
paratypes
(
DEUA
,
MCNB
),
Cabanes
,
Avenc
del
Mas de la Cova
(
40°07′10″N
,
00°04′48″E
;
446 m
a.s.l.
),
24.XII.2013
/
17.VI.2015
, pitfall, 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. 185
) distinctly longer than broad and posteriorly strongly constricted; medial part of anterior margin prominent, without a well-defined epistome, and strongly dentate (
Fig. 184
); without eyes or eye-spots. Chaetotaxy: 20 macrosetae, preocular microsetae absent (only the
holotype
with one microseta on one side), posterior margin with 4 macrosetae, macrosetal formula 4:6:4:2:4, anteromedial setae
0.11–0.13 mm
long and distinctly longer than the anterolateral setae, sublateral ocular setae
0.08–0.10 mm
long; 4 lyrifissures anteriorly and 2 posteriorly.
FIGURES 184–189.
Ephippiochthonius serengei
n. sp.
, male holotype (184–188) and female paratype (189). 184, anterior margin of carapace, partial view; 185, carapace; 186, left chelicera; 187, fingers of left chelicera, partial view; 188, left chela, antiaxial view; 189, movable finger of left chelicera, partial view.
Chelicera (
Figs 186, 187, 189
) with 6 setae and 2 lateral microsetae on hand, seta
vb
short (length
0.04–0.06 mm
), microsetae
0.025 mm
long; hand with 5 dorsal and 1 ventral lyrifissure, lyrifissure
ldb
present. Fixed finger with 8–9 teeth decreasing in size proximally, two distal teeth distinctly larger than others, 2–3 proximal microtubercles. Movable finger without an isolated subapical tooth (
di
), with 8–9 teeth decreasing in size proximally, the distal tooth larger than others, 2–3 proximal microtubercles; spinneret absent in male (
Fig. 187
), moderately prominent in female (
Fig. 189
); seta
gl
0.53–0.60 from base of movable finger. Rallum with 11 blades. Serrula exterior with 15 blades, serrula interior 12–13 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 10–12:(3)10(3):(2)7(2):8:6:6:6:6:2T1T2:0:2, lateral setae on sternite III microsetal in size, sternite X with 2 submedial tactile setae; in addition, genital notch of male flanked by 7–8 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
0.09–0.11 mm
long; coxa
I 3
+ 3 marginal microsetae, distal marginal seta
0.06 mm
long;
II 4
+ 7–10 bipinnate coxal spines,
III 5
+ 4–6 bipinnate coxal spines and
IV 6
; intercoxal tubercle bisetose.
Pedipalp with femoral chaetotaxy 3:6:2:5:1. Chela (
Fig. 188
) with hand depressed at level of
ib
/
isb
, with a 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; 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 20–23 teeth, most pointed, with dental canals, decreasing in size in proximal third, distal tooth tiny, 2–6 proximal teeth rounded, dental row reaching level of sensilla
pc
, 2–6 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,
0.040–0.050 mm
long, distance between them
0.043–0.063 mm
slightly shorter than finger depth at base; 3– 5 teeth at level of
est
/
it
occupying
0.1 mm
, distance between successive apices
0.025–0.035 mm
. Movable finger with 17–19 teeth, with dental canals except the most proximal tooth in one female
paratype
, the distal one tiny, teeth pointed and well developed up to distad of trichobothrium
sb
, thereafter decreasing in size and becoming progressively more rounded proximally, without marginal lamina, dental row reaching up to distad of sensilla
pc
; basal apodeme long and apically indented; coupled sensilla
pc
halfway between
sb
and
b
. Trichobothria as in
Fig. 188
; 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
1.7–1.9 times longer than that between
sb
and
b
. All chelal lyrifissure patterns present with their standard complements.
Measurements and ratios
. Male
holotype
: Body 1.12. Carapace 0.35/0.35 (1.0). Chelicera 0.36/0.16 (2.2), movable finger 0.18. Pedipalp: femur 0.60/0.09 (6.7), patella 0.23/0.11 (2.2), chela 0.80/0.13 (6.2), hand 0.30 (2.3), movable finger 0.49; ratio movable finger/hand 1.6, femur/movable finger 1.2, femur/carapace 1.7, chela/carapace 2.3, chela/femur 1.3. Female
paratypes
: Body 1.48–1.75. Carapace 0.45–0.49/0.42–0.47 (1.0–1.1). Chelicera 0.42– 0.46/0.19 (2.2–2.3), movable finger 0.24–0.25. Pedipalp: femur 0.74–0.78/0.11–0.12 (6.5–6.9), patella 0.28–0.30/ 0.13–0.14 (2.1–2.2), chela 0.97–1.02/0.17–0.18 (5.7–5.9), hand 0.38–0.40 (2.2–2.3), movable finger 0.61–0.62; ratio movable finger/hand 1.6, femur/movable finger 1.2–1.3, femur/carapace 1.6, chela/carapace 2.1–2.3, chela/ femur 1.3.
Remarks.
Within the
tetrachelatus
-group,
Ephippiochthonius serengei
n. sp.
shares with
E. cabreriensis
the presence of 4 setae in posterior row of the carapace and the absence of an isolated subapical tooth on the movable cheliceral finger. They are easily distinguished:
E. serengei
n. sp.
is a hypogean, anophthalmic species, lacking preocular microsetae, with the pedipalpal femur 6.7 (
♂
) times longer than broad, length 0.60 (
♂
) mm, chela 6.2 (
♂
) times longer than broad, length (
♂
)
0.80 mm
, whereas
E. cabreriensis
is an epigean species with well developed eyes, having one pair of preocular microseta, with the pedipalpal femur 5.0 (
♂
) times longer than broad, length (
♂
)
0.34 mm
, chela 4.6 (
♂
) times longer than broad, length (
♂
)
0.51 mm
.