Epiperipatus marajoara, Costa & Chagas-Junior & Pinto-da-Rocha, 2018

Costa, Cristiano Sampaio, Chagas-Junior, Amazonas & Pinto-da-Rocha, Ricardo, 2018, Redescription of Epiperipatus edwardsii, and descriptions of five new species of Epiperipatus from Brazil (Onychophora: Peripatidae), Zoologia (e 23366) 35, pp. 1-15 : 8-11

Epiperipatus marajoara sp. nov.

http://zoobank.org/ 0591C7B3-B49E-4897-B61C-7DC7547F741D

Figs 8, 28–32, 37

Peripatus simoni : Bouvier, 1900: 753; 1905: 315; Froehlich 1968: 167 (misidentification).

Epiperipatus simoni : Clark and Zetek 1946: 211; Peck 1975: 346; Vasconcelos et al. 2004: 140; Sampaio-Costa et al. 2009: 556 (misidentification).

Diagnosis. This species has dorsal background color of body in the brown spectrum, dorsal diamond pattern inconspicuous or absent, roundish dorsal papillae, primary papillae with well-developed base, and a cylindrical apical piece.

Compound description. Measurements. Females. Length 40, 50 and 65 (specimens from NHM examined by Bouvier in his monograph). Males. Length 27–34, width 2.0–7.0, height 1.0–6.0. The single female is: length 33, width 2.8, height 1.2. Color (living specimens). Background color of body Light Grayish Brown (60) overlaid with brownish pink (33) diamond-shaped makers. Dorsalmedian furrow moderate brown (58), and antennae grayish reddish brown (46) ( Figs 28, 29). Largest primary papillae pale and distinguishable in vivo by the light brown (57) color. Found on alternate plicae and forming longitudinal sequences on dorsal integument. Dorsal side of legs same color as dorsal background color of body. Color uniform on ventral surface, grayish yellowish pink (32), except for white spot splashed on integument over the ventral organs ( Fig. 29). The number of pale primary papillae increases towards legs. Description of body. Dorsal papillae aligned on top of folds, with two primary papillae separated by one to three accessory papillae ( Fig. 30). Both have conical and artichoke-like basal pieces, and are composed of overlapping lanceolate scale ranks. Primary papillae the largest dorsal papillae, bearing five to six scale ranks basally. Apical piece conical and reduced ( Fig. 30), composed of three scale ranks on front side and two scale ranks on back side. Constriction between base and apical piece hidden by basal scale ranks. Bristle slightly displaced to posterior region of apical piece.

Head. Antennae composed of 43 to 47 rings. Antennal tip composed of seven broad rings, except the terminal disc on top, followed by sequence of narrow and broad rings until at least the eighteenth antennal ring. Jaws with two blades and both composed of one long curved main tooth followed by one accessory tooth. Dental formula of outer and inner for holotype and paratype are: 1/1 and 1/1/8 ( Fig. 32). Legs. Males: 27 pairs of legs. Single female with 31 pairs of legs. Nephridial tubercle on fourth and the fifth pairs of legs, between third and fourth spinous pads ( Fig. 31), no evidence of fifth spinous pad.

Sexual dimorphism. One or two pregenital legs with one or two crural papillae (male), absent in females. Anal glands inconspicuous (male); represented only by two pores on anterior margin of anal aperture, absent in females.

Type material. Holotype. ♂, Brazil, Pará State , Island of Marajó , Breves , Reserva de Extrativista Mapuá, Breves; 4–8.xii.2012; Cristiano Sampaio Costa leg. ( MZUSP 0022 ) . Paratypes. Same data as holotype . ♀ ( MZUSP 0027 ) . 4 ♂ ( MZUSP 0023-0026 ) . 3♀, Breves , Marajó Island, Brazil, Amazon, 96.5.14.6-8 ( NHM # 1004943 , 1004944 , 1004945 ) .

Distribution ( Fig. 37). Only known from the type locality ( Brazil, Pará State, Breves, Reserva Extrativista Mapuá).

Etymology. The specific name marajoara (demonymic noun in apposition; invariable), honors the marajoara people, natives from the Island of Marajó.

Remarks. This species was discovered comparing the descriptions with bona fide specimens of E. simoni from NHM and specimens collected from the Island of Marajó, Pará State, Brazil. The type locality of E. simoni is Caracas in Venezuela, with records in Breves, Island of Marajó (Pará State) and Rio de Janeiro State (see Sampaio-Costa et al. 2009). We examined the specimens of E. simoni from Breves identified by Bouvier (1905) deposited in the NHM and we considered a misidentification of the new species here described. Also, we examined the integument of the specimens of E. simoni from Rio de Janeiro ( Sampaio-Costa et al. 2009: 556) and we believe both records are misidentifications and belong to undescribed species.