Chordodes tjorvenae, Schmidt-Rhaesa, Andreas, 2016
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4158.2.8 |
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publication LSID |
lsid:zoobank.org:pub:9C8A2420-7D8B-4B2E-88C1-8CB5BEDD1964 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6063464 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03E4F74D-5067-EC30-2CB4-FE34D6A86F76 |
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treatment provided by |
Plazi |
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scientific name |
Chordodes tjorvenae |
| status |
sp. nov. |
Chordodes tjorvenae n.sp.
( Figures 1–3 View FIGURE 1 View FIGURE 2 View FIGURE 3 )
Holotype. One female from the type locality, deposited in the Zoological Museum of the Department of Zoology at Pachhunga University College, Aizawl-Mizoram, India, accession number PUCZM -A/V/16001.
Etymology. The species name “ tjorvenae ” is chosen after a daughter of the senior author, Tjorven Finja.
Type locality. Sala River , in the vicinity of Lungpuk Village, Saiha District, Mizoram, India (22°04’53 N; 92°55’28 E). Collected on November 14, 2012. Found in a small river-side pool together with a female determined here as Chordodes sp. (specimen 1), half buried in the sand.
Further specimens. Three females from the Tuichang River , in the vicinity of Chhawrtui , Champhai District, Mizoram, India (23°28’12 N; 93°04’52 E). Collected on November 20, 2014. All the specimens were collected close to each other (around a 500 m stretch). One of the specimens (not recorded) is from an undetermined praying mantid. Both the Sala and Tuichang Rivers are tributaries of the Kaladan River drainage.
Description of the holotype. The female holotype is 200 mm long with a diameter of 1.7 mm. The anterior end tapers towards a whitish tip. The body color is light to medium brown, a “leopard pattern” (darker patches) is not present. In the midbody region different types of areoles are present (the names of the structures used here follow the terminology proposed by Schmidt-Rhaesa et al. (2008)). Most abundant are simple areoles. These are at moderate distances from each other, so that the structure of the interareolar region can be observed ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 A). It is composed of ridges and grooves arranged perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the animal. The ridges are confluent with the simple areoles, which are elevated roundish structures ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 A). The surface is irregularly structured and has a few fine bristles on the apex ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 A). Tubercle areoles are present, being quite long and thin and originating either on an areole-like elevation ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 B) or more or less directly from the cuticular surface ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 C). Most tubercles are straight, some are curved ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 B, C). Scattered thick ‘thorns’ are present ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 A, E). In one case the ‘thorn’ is situated between two areoles that are taller than the simple areoles and have an apical tuft of bristles ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 A). Such areoles correspond to bulging areoles, but they are the only ones of this type that could be observed. Crowned areole clusters are composed of approximately 22–25 areoles of similar appearance but different shape ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 B, C). Distinction between circumcluster areoles and crowned areoles cannot be made. All areoles carry apical filaments. These are 5–7 µm long in the largest areoles ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 D) and shorter in smaller ones. Few filaments are bifurcate ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 D). Filaments originate from the marginal region of the areoles, the center of the areole contains very short structures, but no longer filaments ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 D). Crowned areoles with very long (> 40 µm) apical filaments are present ventrally ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 E, F). The long filaments are not branching. Two or exceptionally three crowned areoles with long filaments are present per cluster ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 E). They are surrounded by circumcluster areoles that correspond to the areoles from the “normal” crowned areole clusters.
The posterior end is, as usual for Chordodes females, swollen, meaning that the diameter decreases slightly towards the posterior tip and then increases again for the last 0.7 mm ( Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 A). The cloacal opening is terminal in a slight depression. In this depression, radial grooves spread from the cloacal opening ( Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 B). The areoles change towards the posterior end. They become more and more uniform in structure and resemble the crowned areoles described above, differing only in size, with the crowned areoles being the largest ones ( Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 D). Slender tubercles are present. Along the ventral midline are pairs of crowned areoles without surrounding circumcluster areoles ( Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 E, F). These crowned areoles are larger than the surrounding ones. At the most posterior part where areoles are present, irregular elevations occur, carrying scattered bristles, but no crown of bristles or filaments ( Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 C). A number of tubercles is present in this region ( Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 C).
Description of other specimens. Three females from the Tuichang River, deposited in the Zoological Museum in the Department of Zoology at Pachhunga University College, Aizawl-Mizoram, India, accession number PUCZM -A/V/16002.
Three further female specimens are assigned here to C. tjorvenae n.sp. Specimens are 175, 190 and 295 mm long and have diameters of 1.2, 1.2 and 1.4 mm, respectively. Cuticular structures are in part not as clear as in the holotype and specimen 3 is covered with dirt, crystals and diatoms ( Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 I). Simple areoles correspond to those of the holotype. Single tubercle areoles were found in specimens 1 and 2, these are slightly (specimen 1) or distinctly (specimen 2) curved and their tip is often pointed ( Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 B, E). A ‘thorn’ was observed in specimen 1, enclosed by a pair of elevated areoles with a tuft of bristles as in the holotype ( Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 A). The clusters of crowned areoles are similar to the ones described for the holotype ( Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 C, F–K). Crowned areoles with long filaments were observed only in specimen 1 ( Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 C).
Discussion. There are few species of Chordodes in which clusters of crowned areoles include only one type of areoles, but which have crowned areoles with long filaments on the ventral side. There is some resemblance of the specimens examined here to C. compressus and C. polycoronatus , both species from Malaysia described by Schmidt-Rhaesa & Brune (2008). However, C. compactus has very long and slender areoles in the crowned areole cluster which form very dense clusters and C. polycoronatus has very large clusters composed of about 40 areoles ( Schmidt-Rhaesa & Brune 2008). There is also some resemblance to C. curvicillatus , a species described from Sumatra, Indonesia by Kirjanova & Spiridonov (1989). The crowned areole clusters are very similar in C. curvicillatus and C. tjorvenae n.sp. and both species possess distinctly curved as well as straight tubercles. The difference is that a ‘thorn’ is described in C. curvicillatus only from the center of a crowned areole cluster and that pointed areoles are present close to the crowned areole cluster ( Kirjanova & Spiridonov 1989). Due to these differences we regard Chordodes tjorvenae n.sp. as a separate, new species.
Chordodes sp.
Seven further specimens, one male and six females, belong to the genus Chordodes , but with structures not preserved well enough to identify them with certainty. At least some of these specimens probably belong to C. tjorvenae n.sp. described above. Specimens are deposited in the Zoological Museum in the Department of Zoology at Pachhunga University College, Aizawl-Mizoram, India, accession number PUCZM -A/V/16003 for Chordodes sp. (specimen 1) and PUCZM -A/V/16004 for Chordodes sp. (specimens 2–7).
Chordodes sp. (1). Locality: Sala River, India (22°04’53 N; 92°55’28 E). Male, length 160 mm, diameter 1.0 mm. Cuticle covered with dirt. Only a few bristles around the cloacal opening were observed ( Fig. 4 View FIGURE 4 A, B).
Chordodes sp. (2). Locality: Tuichang River, India (23°28’12 N; 93°04’52 E). Female, length 250 mm, diameter 1.7 mm. Cuticle eroded, fine apical structures of areoles not present ( Fig. 4 View FIGURE 4 C). Basal structure of areoles in crowned areole clusters are present, simple areoles flat, roundish, with few small surface structures. Bulging areoles are present ( Fig. 4 View FIGURE 4 D).
Chordodes sp. (3). Locality: Tuichang River, India (23°28’12 N; 93°04’52 E). Female, length 250 mm, diameter 1.3 mm. Cuticular pattern similar to Chordodes sp. (2) ( Fig. 4 View FIGURE 4 E, F).
Chordodes sp. (4). Locality: Tuichang River, India (23°28’12 N; 93°04’52 E). Female, length 160 mm, diameter 1.1 mm. Cuticular pattern similar to Chordodes sp. (2) ( Fig. 4 View FIGURE 4 G). Additionally, a few complete crowned areoles were observed, with very short apical filaments ( Fig. 4 View FIGURE 4 I). Distinctly curved and pointed tubercles were observed ( Fig. 4 View FIGURE 4 H).
Chordodes sp. (5). Locality: Tuichang River, India (23°28’12 N; 93°04’52 E). Female, length 225 mm, diameter 1.2 mm. Cuticular pattern generally resembles Chordodes sp. (2). Simple areoles have longer bristles than those observed in other specimens ( Fig. 4 View FIGURE 4 J). Straight tubercles are present ( Fig. 4 View FIGURE 4 J).
Chordodes sp. (6). Locality: Tuichang River, India (23°28’12 N; 93°04’52 E). Female, length 235 mm, diameter 1.5 mm. Cuticle eroded and covered with dirt and diatoms, it resembles specimen (2) ( Fig. 4 View FIGURE 4 K).
Chordodes sp. (7). Locality: Tuichang River, India (23°28’12 N; 93°04’52 E). Female, length 150 mm, diameter 1.1 mm. Cuticular pattern similar to Chordodes sp. (2). Crowned areoles with long filaments and distinctly curved ‘thorns’ are present ( Fig. 4 View FIGURE 4 L, M).
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