A new troglobitic palpigrade from Central Brazil, with notes on a new opisthosomal character (Arachnida: Palpigradi)
Author
Souza, Maysa F. V. R.
Centro de Estudos em Biologia Subterrânea, Setor de Biodiversidade Subterrânea, Departamento de Ecologia e Conservação, Universidade Federal de Lavras, Lavras, MG. CEP 37200 - 000, Brazil.
Author
Mayoral, Jaime
0000-0002-8813-6804
Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, 11200 S. W. 8 th Street, Miami, FL, 33199, USA. & Grupo de Investigación Protección Vegetal de Cultivos, CITE II-B, Universidad de Almería, 04120, Almería, Spain. jgmayoral @ hotmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 8813 - 6804
jgmayoral@hotmail.com
Author
Ferreira, Rodrigo L.
0000-0003-3288-4405
Centro de Estudos em Biologia Subterrânea, Setor de Biodiversidade Subterrânea, Departamento de Ecologia e Conservação, Universidade Federal de Lavras, Lavras, MG. CEP 37200 - 000, Brazil. & drops @ ufla. br; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0003 - 3288 - 4405
drops@ufla.br
text
Zootaxa
2020
2020-11-04
4869
4
493
514
journal article
9071
10.11646/zootaxa.4869.4.2
f6e526b5-da1b-4f42-8ed5-0c70704d67fb
1175-5326
4418840
2E986EF1-29C0-4F43-8672-86128D8CC360
Taxonomy of
E. audax
Eukoenenia audax
shows affinity with other Brazilian troglobitic palpigrades and with the edaphic species
E. improvisa
Condé, 1979
from
French Guiana
. The absence of one
esp
seta on IVbta and the chaetotaxy of tergites II–VI (
t
1
,
t
2
,
s
) are shared with
E. maquinensis
,
E. spelunca
,
E. sagarana
,
E. cavatica
,
E. neytiri
,
E. jequitinhonha
,
E. navi
,
E. eywa
,
E
.
ibitipoca
,
E. igrejinha
,
E. improvisa
,
E. magna
,
E. lundi
,
E. jequitai
and
E. virgemdalapa
(in these three last species, seta
gla
is also absent on bta IV). The number of setae on sternites IV–VI (
a
1
,
a
2
,
s
) in the new species is also similar to those in most of the species previously mentioned, except
E. maquinensis
,
E. sagarana
and
E. igrejinha
(
Condé 1979a
;
Souza & Ferreira 2010
,
2011b
,
2012a
,
2012b
,
2016
,
2018
,
2019a
,
2019b
,
2020
). The chaetotaxy of the female genitalia is similar to that of
E. navi
,
E. eywa
,
E. neytiri
,
E. magna
,
E. lundi
and
E. jequitinhonha
(some species have an asymmetrical or unknown condition). However, the chaetotaxy of the male genitalia is only shared with
E. sagarana
and
E. lundi
(
Souza & Ferreira 2012a
,
2016
,
2018
,
2020
).
The new species shares a similar coxal formula with
E. navi
,
E. eywa
,
E. neytiri
and
E. magna
. The general chaetotaxy of palp and leg I also resembles that of those species, as well as that of
E. ibitipoca
and
E. igrejinha
, but there are some differences. For instance, the number of setae on trochanter of leg I is
11 in
Eukoenenia audax
and 13 for all other species. In addition,
E. audax
carries 9n on ta3 of the pedipalp while
E. navi
,
E. eywa
and
E. neytiri
carry 11n setae,
E. ibitipoca
carries 13n and
E. magna
and
E. igrejinha
have
8n.
On the other hand,
E. audax
,
E. ibitipoca
,
E. magna
and
E. igrejinha
have a forked seta (
fs
) on bta2 of leg I, but it is absent in
E. navi
,
E. eywa
and
E. neytiri
(
Souza & Ferreira 2018
,
2019a
,
2019b
,
2020
).
Eukoenenia audax
can be differentiated from all South American species and from most palpigrades described to date by the presence of a single deutotritosternal seta. This character state is only shared with
E. deleta
Condé, 1992
from
Thailand
and
E. vargovitshi
Christian, 2014
from the Western Caucasus. A more detailed comparison with
E. deleta
is not possible since only two specimens were captured: an adult female that was lost before its description and an immature A on which the description of the species was based (
Condé 1992
).
E. vargovitshi
differs from the new species in almost all other characters,
i.e
. number of setae on propeltidium (7 + 7
vs
. 10 + 10), number of blades in lateral organs (9–11
vs
. 3), number of setae on IVbta (6
vs
. 4) and different ventral chaetotaxy on sternites IV–VI (Christian 2014). In addition to the deutotritosternal chaetotaxy, the position of the seta
r
on IVbta (distal to the insertion of the pair
esd
) and the number of blades in the lateral organs (
9–11 in
adults) are unique characters among Brazilian palpigrades.
The number of propeltidial setae is also distinctive in the new species. While most species of palpigrades carry 10 + 10 setae on the propeltidium,
Eukoenenia audax
carries 7 + 7. This character is shared with only 7 other species of
Eukoenenia
:
E. maquinensis
,
E. sagarana
,
E. navi
,
E. eywa
,
E. neytiri
and
E. magna
from
Brazil
, and with
E. naxos
Condé, 1989
from
Greece
(
Condé 1989
;
Souza & Ferreira 2010
,
2012a
,
2018
,
2020
).
The presence of 2 thickened setae (
a
1
, a
2
) and one seta (
s
) on sternites IV–VI relates the new species with some other Brazilian species, as discussed above, but also with
E. improvisa
Condé, 1979
,
E
.
lyrifer
Condé, 1992
,
E. pauli
Condé, 1979
and
E. thais
Condé, 1988
. All these other species have a different deutotritosternal setae formula (1
vs
. 5–7), number of setae on propeltidium (7 + 7
vs
. 10 + 10) and smaller legs,
i.e
. IVbta 215–238
vs
. 62–117 (Note: for
E. thais
Condé
reported two values for IVbta, 117 and 223) (
Condé 1979a
,
1979b
;
1988
;
1992
).