Paradoxiclamousella fideli, Camacho & Dorda & Rey, 2013

Camacho, A. I., Dorda, B. A. & Rey, I., 2013, Old and new taxonomic tools: description of a new genus and two new species of Bathynellidae from Spain with morphological and molecular characters, Journal of Natural History (J. Nat. Hist.) 47 (21 - 22), pp. 1393-1420 : 1397-1408

Paradoxiclamousella fideli gen. nov. sp. nov.

( Figures 1–3 )

Material examined

Type locality. Pozo del Agua Cave (CO69), Peñamellera Baja (Asturias, Spain); coordinates 43.28383 N, 4.52318 W and Z: 374 ( WGS84 ); 20 March 1992 (13 females and and Vejdovskybathynellini Serban, 1989 .

four males) and 24 June 2011 (two females and three males). All 15 females and seven males collected belong to the type series together with seven DNA extractions from the specimens used for molecular analysis (see voucher number on Table 4).

Details of the descriptions are based on all adult specimens. The holotype is a male ( MNCN 20.04 / 8855), the allotype is a female ( MNCN 20.04 / 8856) and the morphological type series contains six males and 14 females ( MNCN 20.04 / 8857 to 8876) .

Description

Body. Total length of holotype 0.73 mm and paratype 0.71 mm. Total length of male 0.69–0.82 mm, of female 0.63–0.87 mm. Body elongated, segments slightly widening towards posterior end; approximately eight times as long as wide. Head as long as wide. Pleotelson with one small barbed dorsal seta on each side. All drawings are of the holotype (male) except for Th VIII female, and one figure of Md that belong to the allotype.

Antennule ( Figure 1A ). Seven-segmented; length of first three segments similar to other four segments; fourth, fifth and sixth segments, similar and smaller than the others; inner flagellum almost trapezoidal; setation as in Figure 1A ; segment six with two terminal aesthetascs and seventh with three aesthetascs, all similar in size; A.I slightly longer than the antenna.

Antenna ( Figure 1B ). Eight-segmented; slightly shorter than A.I; the two distal segments longer than the others and the last the longest; length of first four segments similar to last two segments; ventromedial seta of exopod present and with two apical setae, one of these bifurcated sensory seta; setal formula: 0 / 0 / 1 + exp / 2 + 0 / 1 + 0 / 0 + 0 / 2 + 1 / 4.

Paragnath ( Figure 1C ). Lengthened and rounded in the distal part and fine setules setation around the distal part.

Mandible ( Figure 1D,F ). Palp with three segments, terminal segment with two equal and smooth claws; in the females ( Figure 1E ) the claws are shorter than in the male ( Figure 1D ). Masticatory part ( Figure 1F ): pars molaris with three main teeth, the two first (the nearest to processus incisivus accessorius with one tooth) simple the third tooth with one small tooth on each side and incisor process (pars incisiva) with two teeth.

Maxillule ( Figure 1G ). Proximal endite with four setae; distal endite with six teeth, four with denticles and two more smooth, seta-like, and with three plumose setae, of similar size, on the outer margin.

Maxilla ( Figure 1H ). Four segments; setal formula 4, 4, 5, 6.

Thoracopods I–VII ( Figure 2A,G ). Th I ( Figure 2A ) smaller than others; Th II ( Figure 2B ) to V ( Figure 2E ) similar in size and Th VI ( Figure 2F ) to VII ( Figure 2G ) slightly longer than others but only the endopod, exopod almost like the first three segments of the endopod; the exopod is similar in all thoracopods. Th I without epipod; coxa with a long and strong plumose seta; basipod with two smooth setae. Basipod of Th II with two setae and Th III to VII with one smooth seta and with a group of ctenidia. Exopod one-segmented on all thoracopods; with four barbed setae, with groups of ctenidia at base of setae. Endopod with three segments in Th I to V, and four segments in Th VI and VII; all setae are smooth except the setae on the distal outer corner of segment two that is plumose; with groups of ctenidia at lateral internal edge in all segments. Thoracopod endopod setal formulae: Th I, 2 + 0 / 3 + 1 / 4; Th II: 1 + 0 / 2 + 1 / 3; Th III: 1 + 0 / 2 + 1 / 3; Th IV: 0 + 0 / 1 + 1 / 3; Th V: 0 + 0 / 1 + 1 / 3; Th VI: 0 + 0 / 0 + 1 / 0 + 0 / 2(1); Th VII: 0 + 0 / 0 + 1 / 0 + 0 / 2(1).

Male thoracopod VIII ( Figure 3A,B). Elongated outer lobe (O. lb.) (“lobe externe”), shorter than the frontal projection (“prolongement rostral”) also elongated and also exceeding the basipod; small expanded outer protuberance (O. prt.) (“proéminence externe”); frontal projection (Fr. prj.) very large, the longest of all the lobes of the penial region; inner lobe (I. lb.) bi-lobulated and shorter than the outer lobe; vertical rectangular basipod (Bsp.) with a seta above its outer distal corner; exopod with four setae; endopod small, one-quarter the size of the exopod, with two small terminal setae of different lengths.

Female thoracopod VIII ( Figure 3C). Coxa with one smooth and long lateral seta; very large epipod, beyond the distal end of exopod; endopod very small, with a smooth apical seta; exopod almost three times longer than endopod, and with two apical smooth setae of different lengths.

First pleopod ( Figure 3D). Two-segmented, first segment with one seta; second segment with four setae, all smooth.

Uropod ( Figure 3F). Sympod almost twice as long as wide, 1.5 times longer than endopod, with four equal spines; endopod slightly longer than exopod, with two strong claws, distal longest, almost twice length of most basal, terminally with two barbed setae, the internal very long and with two plumose shorter setae located dorsolaterally; exopod with two terminal setae, the internal very long and two small medial setae.

Pleotelson ( Figure 3E). With one short, barbed dorsal seta on either side near the base of furca.

Furcal rami ( Figure 3E). Almost square, bearing five spines; dorsal spine, similar to fourth spine, a little shorter than the first spine, which is a bit shorter than second spine, and this a little shorter than the third which in turn is three times longer than four, but not very long.

Etymology

The generic name, Paradoxiclamousella gen. nov., comes from the fact that the new species is more similar to Clamousella species than to species of other genera but is not “ Clamousella ” (“Paradoxi” in Greek means unexpected or incredible). The species name, fideli , is derived from Fidel Molinero, a good friend and caver, who has often accompanied us on our sampling and exploration trips in Spanish caves. This is a tribute to his patience and help.

Remarks

The new genus, Paradoxiclamousella gen. nov., certainly belongs to the subfamily Gallobathynellinae Serban et al., 1971 (see Camacho 2007). Gallobathynellinae consists of four tribes. In Table 2 we show the differences amongst these tribes, and clearly the new genus belongs to the Gallobathynellini Serban et al., 1971 tribe basically by: eight-segmented A.II, and Th I–V with three segments on endopod.

The Gallobathynellini tribe includes two subtribes, Gallobathynellina Serban et al., 1971 and Meridiobathynellina Serban, 1989b, with three genera each. The differences between them are shown in Table 3. The new species with seven-segmented A.I and eight-segmented A.II belongs to the Gallobathynellina , but the combination of the other characters is new, sexual dimorphism may be present on the mandibular palp and the Th VIII in males is completely different from those found in other genera (three well-developed lobes and large frontal projection on the penial region and basipod without prominent crest).

Paradoxiclamousella gen. nov. has some characters that are similar to Clamousella Serban et al., 1972 (see Table 3) but differs in: sexual dimorphism on the mandibular palp, the presence of medial seta of exopods of A.II; A.I slightly longer than A.II; presence of three lobes on penial region of male Th VIII (only one in Clamousella ); frontal projection of male Th VIII reaches the distal part of basipod (reaches half the basipod in Clamousella ); basipod of male Th VIII without crest; one apical seta of endopod of uropod very long and the other short (the two very long in Clamousella ); the third spine of the furcal rami is the longest and is not very long (the longest is the second one, and is very long, in Clamousella ).

Paradoxiclamousella fideli gen. nov. sp. nov., as type species of the new genus, has a unique combination of characters and is nearest to the only species known of the genus Clamousella , Clamousella delayi ( Serban et al., 1971) .

Figures

Figure 1. Paradoxiclamousella fideli sp. nov. (A–D, F–H) Male holotype. (A) Antennule (dorsal view); (B) antenna (dorsal view); (C) paragnath; (D) mandible; (E) mandible female; (F) masticatory part of mandible; (G) maxillule; (H) maxilla. Scale bar in mm.

Figure 2. Paradoxiclamousella fideli sp. nov. (A–G) Male holotype. (A) Thoracopod I; (B) thoracopod II; (C) thoracopod III; (D) thoracopod IV; (E) thoracopod V; (F) thoracopod VI; (G) thoracopod VII. Scale bar in mm.