New species of subterranean and endogean terrestrial isopods (Crustacea, Oniscidea) from Tuscany (central Italy)
Author
Taiti, Stefano
Author
Montesanto, Giuseppe
text
Zoosystema
2018
2018-06-05
40
11
197
226
journal article
10.5252/zoosystema2018v40a11
19cf9485-c4c2-4bf1-a834-f13dfcfc50e1
1638-9387
3741502
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:E8AFD7E7-4FDD-408E-BB77-75E61F2BF22F
Leucocyphoniscus pisanus
n. sp.
(
Figs 1-3
,
21A
)
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:
2C35B10A-CEA5-46BC-BCF6-1C8BD85810BC
TYPE MATERIAL
.
—
Holotype
.
♂
,
Monte Pisano
,
Buca delle Fate di Cima Sugheretta
, 1823 T/PI,
43°44’37”N
,
10°29’03”E
,
San Giuliano Terme
,
Prov. Pisa
, leg.
S. Taiti
and
G. A. Gruber
,
20.I.2007
(
MZUF
9664)
.
Paratypes
.
3 ♂
,
12♀
, same data as holotype (MZUF 9664);
9 ♂
,
6 ♀
, same locality as holotype, leg.
S. Taiti
,
25.I.2008
(
MZUF
9665);
1 ♂
,
2 ♀
, same data (
MNHN-IU-
2017-1438
);
1♀
,
Monti d’Oltreserchio
,
Tana della Volpe di Baccanella
, 247 T/ PI,
43°47’05”N
,
10°24’09”E
,
Baccanella
,
Vecchiano
,
Prov. Pisa
, leg.
S. Taiti
and
M. Del Guasta
,
10.II.2007
(
MZUF
9666
)
.
DIAGNOSIS.
—
A species of
Leucocyphoniscus
characterized by the cephalon with three large tubercles and a very prominent tubercle on pleonite 3.
ETYMOLOGY.
—
The new species in named after the sampling locality (Monte Pisano).
DESCRIPTION
Maximum length:
♂
,
3.8 mm
;
♀
,
4.1 mm
. Body colourless, ovoidal, outline not interrupted between pereon and pleon; pereon tergites strongly convex, epimera obliquely directed outwards (
Fig. 1A
). Dorsum bearing distinct ribs and tubercles (
Fig. 1
A-C): cephalon with one central tubercle with two rounded tips, and two large tubercles near rear margin; pereonites with 1+1 well developed longitudinal paramedian ribs almost as long as tergites, and 3 +3 faint external ribs; pleonite 3 with one prominent median tubercle. Cephalon (
Fig. 1B, C
) with large subquadrangular frontal lateral lobes, directed outwards and not protruding compared with widely rounded median lobe. Eyes absent. Pereonites with right-angled posterior corners (
Fig. 1A
). Pleonites 3-5 (
Fig. 1A
) with large epimera obliquely directed backwards. Telson (
Fig. 1D
) wider than long, distal part trapezoidal with concave sides and truncate apex. Antennula (
Fig. 1E
) of three articles, basal article longest; two aestethacs at apex as long as third article. Antenna (
Fig. 1F
) with fifth article of peduncle slightly longer than flagellum; flagellum of three articles, with three aesthetascs on second article. Mandibles (
Fig. 2A, B
) with two free penicils on left and one free penicil on right. Maxillula (
Fig. 2C
) outer branch with 4+4 teeth, setose stem among outer group of teeth; inner branch with three stout penicils at apex, outer penicil much longer than other two. Maxilla (
Fig. 2D
) with bilobed and setose apex. Maxilliped (
Fig. 2E
) endite with stout subtriangular penicil at apex, palp distally rounded with long setae with basal article bearing two setae. Uropod (
Fig. 2F
) with flattened protopod; endopod slightly longer than exopod, with one apical seta; exopod with a tuft of five apical setae.
FIG. 1. —
Leucocyphoniscus pisanus
n. sp.
, from Buca delle Fate di Cima Sugheretta, Monte Pisano, ♂ paratype:
A
, adult specimen, dorsal view;
B
, cephalon, frontal view;
C
, cephalon, dorsal view;
D
, telson and uropods, dorsal view;
E
, antennula;
F
, antenna. Scale bar: A, 1 mm.
Male
Pereopod 1 (
Fig. 3A
) with no distinct modifications.Pereopod 7 (
Fig. 3B
) ischium with slightly convex sternal margin, carpus with three large setae on sternal margin. Genital papilla as in
Fig. 3C
. Pleopod 1 (
Fig. 3D
) exopod subtriangular, longer than wide, slightly concave outer margin and straight medial margin, apex rounded; endopod distinctly longer than exopod, second article with parallel sides and rounded apex, slightly bent outwards. Pleopod 2 (
Fig. 3E
) exopod much wider than long; endopod with distal part narrow. Pleopod 3-5 exopods as in
Fig. 3
F-H.
FIG. 2. —
Leucocyphoniscus pisanus
n. sp.
, from Buca delle Fate di Cima Sugheretta, Monte Pisano, ♂ paratype:
A
, left mandible;
B
, right mandible;
C
, maxillula;
D
, maxilla;
E
, maxilliped;
F
, left uropod.
REMARKS
The new species is included in the genus
Leucocyphoniscus
for the pattern of dorsal ornamentation, i.e., two paramedian large ribs on the pereonites and a single large tubercle on the pleonite 3. The genus was previously known only from three species:
L. verruciger
Verhoeff, 1900
, from Monte Generoso (southern
Switzerland
) and Como Province (northern
Italy
);
L. solarii
Brian, 1914
, from some caves in Como Province; and
L. torrii
Arcangeli, 1946
, from Grotta del Böter (or Grotta di Opreno), Lecco Province (northern
Italy
). Although the descriptions of these species are not detailed and with poor illustrations, our specimens are definitely belonging to a new species. It differs from all the other species in the disposition of the dorsal tubercles on the cephalon and the extreme development of the median tubercle on the pleonite 3. It also differs from
L. verruciger
in having the antennula with two instead of three aesthetascs (compare
Fig. 1E
and
Arcangeli 1923
: fig. 6a) and in the male pleopod 1 exopod with a rounded instead of pointed apical part (compare
Fig. 3D
and
Arcangeli 1923
: fig. 8b). The discovery of this new species from caves in Monte Pisano (northwestern
Tuscany
) considerably enlarges the distribution of the genus.