A new species of Aethiopella Handschin, 1942 (Collembola, Poduromorpha, Neanuridae) from Neotropical Region, with comments on the genus Paz, Raiane Vital Da Queiroz, Gabriel Costa Bellini, Bruno Cavalcante Zootaxa 2019 2019-07-04 4629 1 39 50 Paz & Queiroz & Bellini, 2019 Paz & Queiroz & Bellini 2019 [151,393,153,180] Entognatha Neanuridae Aethiopella Animalia Collembola 2 41 Arthropoda species ricardoi sp. nov.   Figs 1–16, Table 1   Type material.  Holotype: female in slide ( CC/UFRN): Brazil, Rio Grande do Norte State, Nísia Florestamunicipality, “Lagoa Redonda” Farm, 06°02’45.02”S 35°11’42.63”W,  49m,  15-16-iv-2017, pitfall-trap, Paz, R.Vand Carvalho, M.N.Acoll.  Paratypesdeposited in CC/UFRN:  1 malein slide, same data as holotype;  2 malesand 2 femalescollected in the same locality of the holotype, but during  16-18-vi-2018.  Paratypesdeposited in CC/ MNRJ: 2 femalesand 1 malecollected in the same locality of the holotype, but during  16-18-vi-2018;  2 femalescollected in the same locality of the holotype, but during  13-15-iv-2018.   Diagnosis.Habitus oval to elongate; Ant. IV with trilobed apical bulb, with 7 ( S1–S4, S7–S8and S10) dorsal subcylindrical sensilla, msabsent; Ant. IV and III ventral separation marked; sensory rods of Ant. III organ small and club-shaped, Sgdrelatively distant from the rods, ventral mspresent; PAO with 13–19 vesicles; mandibles with 7–8 teeth, 4–5 tiny teeth at the apex plus 3 basal larger; maxillae styliform with two lamellae, apically the external one discretely curved outside (hooked); head lacking a0; dorsal trunk sensillar formula from Th. II to Abd. V as: 22/11111, mesochaetae apically blunt; Th. I with 2+2 dorsal chaetae; Tita I–III with 19/19/18 chaetae, respectively, Mchaeta aligned to Bseries or slightly more proximal; ventral tube with 3+3 chaetae; tenaculum with 3 teeth on each ramus; manubrium with 11–12 chaetae; dens with 5–7 dorsal chaetae; mucro tapering at the apex; male’s eugenital chaetae not differentiated from others; anal valves with 2 hrchaetae.   Description.Habitus oval to elongate, specimens dark blue to brownish in ethanol ( Fig. 1). Body granules medium sized, uniformly distributed on tegument. Body length of holotype: 1.17 mm, range of type series 0.72 to 2.83 mm, average 1.54 mm.   FIGURE 1.  Aethiopella ricardoi  sp. nov.: habitus of a specimen fixed in ethanol. Head ( Figs 2–7). Ratio cephalic diagonal: antenna in holotype= 1: 0.74. Ant. IV with trilobed apical bulb, dorsally with 7 subcylindrical sensilla ( S1-S4, S7–S8and S10), msabsent; ventrally with smaller chaetae ( Figs 2–3). Ant. III and IV fused dorsally, ventral separation marked ( Fig. 3). Sensory organ of Ant. III with two small clubshaped sensory rods in an integument depression, protected by two longer subequal guard sensilla ( Sgdand Sgv), ventral mspresent ( Figs 2–3). Ant. I and II with 7 and 11 chaetae, respectively ( Fig. 2). Mandible with 7–8 teeth, 3 basal larger plus 4–5 smaller apical teeth ( Fig. 4). Maxilla capitulum styliform with two partially fused lamellae, apically the external one discretely curved outside (hooked) ( Fig. 5). Oral cone moderately elongate. Basomedian and basolateral labial fields with chaetae Fand elonger than others, labium lacking properly formed papillae, chaetae A–Dpresent, Cand Dapically displaced ( Fig. 6). Eyes 8+8, subequal lenses, with 3 interocular chaetae ( oc1–oc3) ( Fig. 7). PAO moruliform, larger than ocellus A, bearing 13–19 vesicles ( Fig. 7). Dorsal head chaetotaxy with micro (average 12 μm in holotype) and apically blunt mesochaetae (average 28 μm in holotype), a0absent; d5–d1, sd5–sd1and c3present; c1–2, c4absent; some specimens with 1 or 2 extra abnormal unpaired chaetae near dseries, posterior one near d2or d1( Fig. 7, white arrows). Trunk dorsal chaetotaxy ( Figs 7–8). Dorsal thorax and abdomen with heterochaetosis: micro (average 10 μm in holotype) and apically blunt mesochaetae (average 25 μm in holotype) plus long sensilla (average 54 μm in holotype) ( Figs 7–8). Sensillar formula from Th. II to Abd. V as 22/11111. Th. I with 2+2 mesochaetae. Th. II–III chaetotaxy similar, with 3+3 chaetae on aseries ( a1, a4and a6), 2+2 on mseries ( m5and m7)and 5+5 on pseries ( p1–2, p4–p6); Th. II–III long sensilla as p4and m7; lateral mspresent on Th. II ( Fig. 7). Abd. I–III main chaetotaxy similar, with 3+3 chaetae on aseries ( a1, a4and a6) and 5+5 on pseries ( p1–2, p4–p6); Abd. IV main chaetotaxy with the same chaetae, but with a4as mesochaeta, internal or just above p4; a2absent in Abd. I–IV; Abd. I–IV long sensilla as p5(Fig. 8). Abd. V with 2+2 chaetae on aseries ( a1and a4) and 3+3 on pseries ( p1, p2and p4), long sensilla as p2(Fig. 8). Abd. VI with unpaired mesochaeta p0 (Fig. 8). Trunk appendages and ventral abdomen ( Figs 9–16). Chaetotaxy of legs I–III: Scx. I: 1/2/2; Scx. II: 0/2/2; Cx. 2–3/5/7; Tr. 6/6/6; Fe. 12/11/10; Tita 19/19/18 ( Figs 9–11); Tita chaeta Mpresent, aligned to Bseries or slightly more proximal ( Figs 10–11). Ungues with a single median inner tooth; anterior and posterior pretarsal chaetae present ( Figs 9–11). Ventral tube with 3+3 chaetae ( Fig. 16). Tenaculum with 3 teeth on each ramus ( Fig. 12). Manubrium with 11+11 chaetae, 3 chaetae (2 external and 1 internal) present or absent in different specimens ( Fig. 16). Furca well developed, dens with 5–7 dorsal chaetae, 2–3 chaetae slightly longer than others (one proximal-external, one subdistal, if present and one distal) ( Fig. 14). Mucro tapering at the apex, average ratio mucro: dens = 1: 2,3 ( Fig. 14). Abdominal segments I–V ventrally with 1/3/8/3/6 chaetae by half body respectively, excluding genital plates ( Fig. 16). Male’s genital plate with about 21 chaetae, eugenital chaetae not differentiated ( Fig. 13), female’s genital plate with about 4 smaller eugenital plus 8 regular genital chaetae. Paired ventral anal valves with 15–16 ordinary chaetae plus 2 hrmicrochaetae each; unpaired dorsal anal valve with 13–15 ordinary chaetae (including p0) plus 2 hrmicrochaetae (Figs 8, 15).   Etymology.The new species name honors the memory of our dear friend Dr. Ricardo Andreazze, a cherished professor and entomologist at UFRN who recently passed away.   Distribution and Habitat.Specimens of  Aethiopella ricardoi  sp. nov.were collected at the beginning of rainy season in Lagoa Redonda Farm, Nísia Floresta municipality, Rio Grande do Norte State, Brazil, with pitfall traps installed in sandy soil surrounded by dead foliage near vegetation and lentic freshwater. This is a coastland area about 9 kmfar from the seashore which presents some spots of primary forest. Climate is “As” sensuthe Köppen-Geiger climate classification, meaning an equatorial main climate with dry summer ( Kottek et al.2006). The new species was only found in the typelocality until this moment.   Remarks.  Aethiopella ricardoi  sp. nov.resembles other Neotropical taxa as  Aethiopella caraibensis,  A. delamarei,  A. littoralisand  A. pilarandresaeby Ant. IV with trilobed apical bulb and 7 dorsal sensilla (except for  A. delamarei, which description lacks the number of dorsal sensilla), Th. I with 2+2 chaetae and dens with 5–7 chaetae ( 6 inall other compared species). However, the new species is unique by the combination of PAO with 13–19 vesicles ( 20–27 in  A. pilarandresaeand about 36  A. caraibensis), mandibles with 7–8 teeth ( 6 in  A. caraibensisand  A. pilarandresae, 4 in  A. delamarei, 9–10 in  A. littoralis), 19/19/18 chaetae respectively on Tita I–III (18/18/ 17 in  A. littoralis, unknown in  A. caraibensisand  A. delamarei) and males lacking modified eugenital chaetae (with such chaetae in  A. littoralis, unknown in  A. caraibensisand  A. delamarei). Despite the already mentioned differences, it must be remarked that  A. littoralisand the new species  Aethiopella ricardoi  sp. nov.present a strikingly similar body chaetotaxic pattern, with a noteworthy heterochaetosis. In this sense both display the pattern of Handschinurida Queiroz, 2015group of genera sensu Queiroz & Zeppelini, 2017on head and body, except for Th. I with only 2+2 chaetae. In addition, they present a similar number of PAO vesicles (13–15 for the first and 13–19 for the latter); regarding mandibles, despite a slight difference in number of apical teeth, their general shape is similar, with three strong basal teeth and smaller apical ones. The same is true regarding Ant. III–IV chaetotaxy, for which both also present the pattern of Handschinuridagroup. The absence of Mchaeta on tibiotarsi of  A. littoralisis the most striking difference in relation to  Aethiopella ricardoi  sp. nov.Otherwise, the position of Mchaeta aligned to Brow of chaetae in the new species is not fully in accordance to the basally displacement seen on other genera of the Handschinuridagroup. Further comparisons among  Aethiopellaspecies are summarized in Table I. 2273437438 2017-04-15 2017-04-16 2017-04-15 CC Paz, R. V & Carvalho, M. N. A Brazil 49 -6.045839 Farm 1 -35.195175 Nisia Floresta 2 41 1 Rio Grande do Norte holotype 2273437436 [415,805,333,360] CC Brazil 2 41 1 Rio Grande do Norte paratype 2273437440 [818,1262,333,360] 2017-04-15 2017-04-16 2017-04-15 CC Paz, R. V & Carvalho, M. N. A Brazil 49 -6.045839 Farm 1 -35.195175 Nisia Floresta 2 41 1 1 Rio Grande do Norte paratype 2273437439 2018-06-16 2018-06-18 2018-06-16 CC Paz, R. V & Carvalho, M. N. A Brazil 49 -6.045839 Farm 1 -35.195175 Nisia Floresta 2 41 4 2 2 Rio Grande do Norte holotype 2273437441 2018-06-16 2018-06-18 2018-06-16 CC, MNRJ Paz, R. V & Carvalho, M. N. A Brazil 49 -6.045839 Farm 1 -35.195175 Nisia Floresta 2 41 3 2 1 Rio Grande do Norte paratype 2273437437 2018-04-13 2018-04-15 2018-04-13 CC, MNRJ Paz, R. V & Carvalho, M. N. A Brazil 49 -6.045839 Farm 1 -35.195175 Nisia Floresta 2 41 2 2 Rio Grande do Norte holotype