Ctenorillo potiguar Cardoso & Ferreira, 2024

Cardoso, Giovanna Monticelli, M, Diego de, Bento, edeiros & Ferreira, Rodrigo Lopes, 2024, Unveiling a hidden diversity: descriptions of nine new species of Ctenorillo Verhoeff, 1942 (Isopoda, Armadillidae) discovered in Brazilian caves and their importance for conservation, Zoosystema 46 (5), pp. 95-132 : 118-121

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.5252/zoosystema2024v46a5
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:1B0779F3-FAE4-4105-8130-A26DE519721E
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10813640
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/53D58AC8-70BA-48E8-A228-4F455E72B475
taxon LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:act:53D58AC8-70BA-48E8-A228-4F455E72B475
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Ctenorillo potiguar Cardoso & Ferreira
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Ctenorillo potiguar Cardoso & Ferreira , n. sp.

( Figs 18-20 View FIG View FIG View FIG ; 27H View FIG ; 28I View FIG )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:53D58AC8-70BA-48E8-A228-4F455E72B475

TYPE MATERIAL. — Holotype. Brazil • 1 ♂ (3 mm, parts in slide); Rio Grande do Norte state; Baraúna municipality; Furna Nova cave; 5°2’3”S, 37°34’16”W; 12. VI.2008; D.M. Bento leg.; ISLA 96798 GoogleMaps . Paratypes. Brazil • 2 ♀; same data as holotype; ISLA 96799 GoogleMaps .

OTHER MATERIAL. — Brazil. Rio Grande do Norte; Baraúna municipality • 1 ♂, 2 ♀; Furna Feia cave ; 5°2’12”S, 37°33’36”W; 31.VII.2010; D.M. Bento leg.; ISLA59267 GoogleMaps • 2 ♂; Esquecida cave ; 5°2’16”S, 37°33’40”W; 12. VI.2010; D.M. Bento leg.; ISLA59283 GoogleMaps • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; ISLA59333 GoogleMaps • 1 ♀; Britador cave ; 11. VI.2010; D.M. Bento leg.; ISLA59263 .

Brazil. Rio Grande do Norte; Felipe Guerra municipality • 1♂, 1 ♀; Crotes cave ; 5°33’37”S, 37°39’30”W; 4. VI.2010; D.M. Bento leg.; ISLA59330 GoogleMaps • 2 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; ISLA59282 GoogleMaps • 1 ♂; Trapiá cave ; 5°33’45”S, 37°37’15”W; 4.VIII.2010; D.M. Bento leg.; ISLA59270 GoogleMaps .

ETYMOLOGY. — The new species name is a noun in reference to people who are born in the State of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil.

DIAGNOSIS. — Dorsum covered with round tubercles and ribs with three rows on cephalon (4, 4, 6); four rows on pereonite 1 (4, 5, 8, 9); two rows on pereonites 2-7 (8+ 7); one row of four tubercles on pleonites 3-5 with; two paramedian tubercles on telson. Pleopod 1 exopod with round distal portion, outer margin straight; endopod with distal portion bent outward, four times longer than exopod.

DISTRIBUTION. — Baraúna and Felipe Guerra municipalities, west of the Rio Grande do Norte state.

DESCRIPTION

Maximum size: ♂, 3 mm, ♀, 4 mm. Color brown with lateral margins depigmented in nature ( Figs 20D View FIG ; 27H View FIG ). Dorsum covered with round tubercles and ribs ( Fig. 18A, B View FIG ): cephalon with three rows (4, 4, and 6 from front to back of vertex); pereonite 1 with 26 in four rows (4, 5, 8 and 9); pereonites 2-7 with 15 (8 +7); pleonites 3-5 with one row of four tubercles; telson with two paramedian tubercles. Dorsal cuticle with short triangular scale setae; pereonites 1-7 bearing one line of noduli lateralis per side on outer surface of posterior tubercle of second tubercles ( Fig. 28I View FIG ). Cephalon with frontal shield protruding above vertex; eye consisting of five ommatidia ( Figs 18C, D View FIG ; 28I View FIG ). Pereonite 1 with posterior margin sinuous at sides; inner lobe of schisma rounded, extending beyond posterior margin of outer lobe; pereonite 2 with triangular ventral tooth reaching posterior margin of epimera ( Fig. 18E View FIG ). Pereonites 2-7 ( Fig. 18A View FIG ) with wide quadrangular epimera slightly bent outwards. Telson ( Fig. 18F View FIG ) hourglass-shaped, proximal portion broader than distal portion. Antennula ( Fig. 18G View FIG ) of three articles, second article shorter than first and third, third article with seven apical aesthetascs. Antenna ( Fig. 18H View FIG ) short and stout, flagellum shorter than fifth article of peduncle; second article of flagellum about three times as long as first. Buccal pieces as C. pelado Cardoso & Ferreira , n. sp. ( Fig. 18 View FIG I-M). All pleopod exopods with monospiracular covered lungs. Uropod ( Fig. 19A View FIG ) protopod flattened, enlarged on basal portion; exopod outward, short, inserted dorsally close to medial margin of protopod.

Male

Pereopods without particular modifications ( Fig. 19B, C View FIG ). Pleopod 1 exopod ( Fig. 19D View FIG ) wider than long, round distal portion, outer margin straight; endopod with distal portion bent outward, four times longer than exopod. Pleopod 2 endopod longer than exopod ( Fig. 19E View FIG ). Pleopods 3-5 exopods as in Figure 19 View FIG F-H.

HABITAT

Specimens of Ctenorillo potiguar Cardoso & Ferreira , n. sp. were found in six caves located in the west of the Rio Grande do Norte state. This region has more than 1000 currently known caves ( CANIE / CECAV 2022), but only about 48 have been inventoried ( Ferreira et al. 2010; Bento et al. 2021). The caves are inserted in the limestones of the Janaíra Formation, deposited during the Upper Cretaceous, which corresponds to a carbonate ramp that emerged along the emersed portion of the Potiguar Basin ( Bezerra et al. 2007). The region is in the Caatinga Biome, with a hot and semiarid climate (BSh on the Köppen climate classification) ( Alvares et al. 2013). The average temperature is constant over the year, ranging from 25° to 30°C, with average annual precipitation around 800 mm (concentrated from February to June, but 70% can fall in a single month) ( Silva et al. 2017).

Three caves, Furna Feia ( Fig. 20A, B View FIG ), Furna Nova ( Fig.20C View FIG ) and Macacos/Esquecida, are located in the Furna Feia National Park ( FFNP) in the municipality of Baraúna. Specimens were also found in the Britador cave, near FFNP, in Baraúna. Other specimens were found in Trapiá and Crotes caves, in the municipality of Felipe Guerra ( RN), 60 km from the first ones. These caves exhibit varied morphology, dimensions, and environmental conditions, ranging from small photic caves spanning a few tens of meters (e.g. Britador cave) to large aphotic caves covering hundreds of meters and characterized by more stable climatic conditions (e.g. Furna Feia, Furna Nova, and Trapiá caves). Despite this distribution, individuals ( Fig. 20D View FIG ) were mainly found in aphotic and humid areas within the caves, often sheltered under rocks. This observation suggests that the species may have a specific habitat preference.

No samplings were conducted outside caves in the area, and it is likely that the species also occurs in surface habitats (especially considering the absence of any obvious troglomorphic traits). Therefore, further studies including external samplings are needed to better understand the species distribution. Although only part of the distribution of the new species occurs within a conservation unit, the other caves are found in relatively conserved areas, without direct anthropic impacts. Three caves (Furna Feia, Furna Nova, and Crotes Caves) are visited by tourists in an orderly manner. Thus, the conservation status of the species can be considered of less concern.

REMARK

Ctenorillo potiguar Cardoso & Ferreira , n. sp. resembles C. ubajarensis Cardoso & Ferreira , n. sp. by the less developed tubercles, however they are more prominent on Ctenorillo potiguar Cardoso & Ferreira , n. sp. By the number of tubercles on pereonite 1, Ctenorillo potiguar Cardoso & Ferreira , n. sp. resembles C. quiteriensis Cardoso & Ferreira , n. sp. with 26 tubercles, differing by the shape.