Phyllhermannia colini, Colloff, 2011

Colloff, Matthew J., 2011, 2770, Zootaxa 2770, pp. 1-60 : 12-16

Phyllhermannia colini sp. nov.

( Figs. 6, 7, 34c)

Dimensions. Holotype female length 732 µm breadth 424 µm; paratype females (n = 7): mean length 721 µm, (range 702–742), mean breadth 402 µm (range 384–419); paratype male lengths: 626, 621 µm, breadths 333, 343 µm. Ratio of length of prodorsum to total length: 0.33 (holotype).

Female. Prodorsum: rostrum acute, with inverted V-shaped ridge; rostral seta (ro) 25 µm, setiform, curved, smooth ( Fig. 6a). Lamellar seta (le) 46 µm, curved, barbed, stout, on conical lateral tubercle. Transverse lamellar ridge and lateral ridge absent. Prodorsal margin tuberculate. Surface of prodorsum porose, smooth. Interlamellar setae (in) 46 µm, phylliform, broad, pointed apically, finely barbed except on basal portion, on shallow inverted Vshaped interbothridial ridge. Bothridial seta (bs) elongate, 104 µm, evenly thick, apex not tapering, rounded, smooth. Exobothridial seta (ex) 12 µm long. Interbothridial region densely and strongly porose, divided medially by non-porose region. Median condyles with line of small tubercles between them.

Notogaster: ratio of length to breadth 1.17. Dorsosejugal suture smooth. With network of minute tubercles: narrow median line, broader lines between median and lateral files of setae ( Fig. 6a); with transverse lines between bases of setae c 1 and c 2, d 1 and c 3, d 2 and d 3, e 1, e 2 and the notogastral margin anterior of lyrifissure im, f 1 and h 3. Rest of notogaster smooth, porose. Setae flat, curved, phylliform, similar in shape and dimensions to interlamellar setae, each with a basal stalk; not overlapping ( Fig. 6c). Setae of p series shorter (28–40 µm) than others (44–64 µm). Setae c 1 and c 2 on anterior notogastral margin, c 3 displaced slightly medially, all directed posteriorly, c 2 closer to c 3 than to c 1. Distance between bases of setae c 1 subequal to that between c 1 and c 2 and between bases of d 1. Distance between d 2 2 × that between d 1; distance between e 1 1.2 × that between f 1. Lyrifissurae im acute.

Coxisternum: Posteriolateral margins of rostrum and lateral margins of epimeres II and IV tuberculate; posteriolateral margin of epimere I in form of blunt spur ( Fig. 6b). Anterior sternal apodeme straight. Apodeme III transverse, broader than others, lacking tubercles, with median U-shaped ridge. Posterior margin of epimere IV with line of well-developed, posteriorly-directed tubercles, opposed by ridge of tubercles anterior of genital plate. Epimere IV without sclerotised projection laterally. Epimeral setal formula 3-1-3-5. Setae 1a, 1b, 2a 3a and 4b short, sub-equal (ca. 14–22 µm); 1c and 3b longer (ca. 28–35 µm). Setae 3c longest of epimeral setae (82–88 µm); setae on epimeral plate III on anterior part of plate. Setae 4a and 4e subequal (63–74 µm), 4c slightly shorter (46 µm), setae of epimeral plate IV on posterior half of plate.

Anogenital region: Posterior and lateral regions of genital plates surrounded by narrow zone of cuticle more heavily sclerotised than ventral plate ( Fig. 6b). Each genital plate 121 µm long, 60 µm broad with six spinose setae in median file; g 1 displaced laterally of others in median file, subequal to other median setae (8 µm). Three setae in lateral file, anteriolateral seta (g 4) long, setiform (37 µm); others subequal to median setae. Aggenital setae 14 µm long. Pre-anal organ rounded. Each anal plate 170 µm long, 44 µm broad, with two very short (5 µm) setae on anterior and central part of plate. Adanal setae subequal in length (21 µm).

Lateral view: Anterior prodorsal margin curved vertically and slightly posteriorly; prodorsum with faint ridge anterior of bases of lamellar seta ( Fig. 6d). Lamellar seta projecting almost as far as bases of rostral seta; interlamellar and bothridial setae projecting vertically. Acetabulum I and II each with a dorsal tectum; region anterior of acetabulum II tuberculate. Exobothridial seta emerging from posteriolateral base of bothridium below projecting rim. With alvelolus-like structure posterior of exobothridial seta. Interbothridial region convex; posterior prodorsum forming a narrow channel with prodorsal condyle medially and enantiophysis laterally. Notogastral shield convex: ratio of height to length 0.31. Anterior margin of notogastral shield overhanging prodorsum; notogastral setae strongly curved; shallow concave region on notogaster region between setae c 1 and d 1. Region between anterior margin of genital plate and epimere IV strongly concave.

Legs: Cuticle of femora, genua and tibiae alveolate; with oval porose areas on paraxial surfaces ( Fig. 7). Femora I and II laterally flattened, with a well-developed ventral keel. Femur I 160 µm long, with well-developed lateral and medial projections proximally ( Fig. 34c); setae d curved, flattened, phylliform, barbed, pointed, 36 µm long; l " markedly shorter (23 µm), curved, spiniform, barbed, blunt apically; l ' long (57 µm), stout, barbed, pointed, curved basally. Seta v " on femur I spiniform, thick, slightly curved, barbed, blunt apically; bv " shorter, spiniform, smooth, pointed apically ( Fig. 7a). Seta l ' on genu I absent; v " long (56 µm), broad, phylliform, barbed; v " on genu II short, smooth, spiniform ( Fig. 7b). Solenidion φ 1 on tibia I 141 µm long; φ 2 19 µm long, both emerging from prominent apophysis ( Fig. 7a). Dorsal surface of tarsus I strongly concave with large domed protuberance bearing solenidion ω (31 µm long), eupathidium Ɛ (22 µm long); and seta ft " (40 µm long). Ventral setae on femora, genua and tibiae of legs III and IV shaped differently from those of legs I and II: long, stout, pointed and barbed apically. Formula: Leg I 1-6-4(1)-4(2)-24(1); Leg II 1-4-4(1)-5(1)-17(1); Leg III 2-3-4(1)-4(1)-14; Leg IV 1-3-4-4(1)-14.

Material examined. Holotype female, seven paratype females, two paratype males, MJC 10-003. Moss on soil, Eucalyptus and Banksia woodland with Pinus radiata , junction of Walls Cave Road and Evans Lookout Road, Blackheath, Blue Mountains, New South Wales, 33°39'1.22"S 150°18'21.19"E, 1025 m., coll. M.J. Colloff, 14.i.2010. Holotype and paratypes deposited in the Australian National Insect Collection, CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, Canberra.

Etymology. This species is named in honour and in memory of my friend, the late Colin Crawford-Smith, who loved the Blue Mountains of New South Wales.

Remarks. Phyllhermannia colini can be differentiated from other member of the genus based on the following combination of characters: 1) the acute rostrum; 2) the barbed, stout lamellar setae; 3) the absence of a lateral ridge between the base of the lamellar seta and the acetabulum of leg I; 4) the phylliform, broad, strongly curved, barbed interlamellar and notogastral setae; 5) the notogaster with a network of lines of minute tubercles between the files of setae; 6) the strongly tuberculate lateral margins of the rostrum and epimeres; 7) with epimeral seta 4a considerably longer than 4b; 8) the smooth perigenital region; 9) with genital seta g 4 longer than the others in the lateral file; 10) seta d of femur I curved, flattened, phylliform, barbed, pointed, l " markedly shorter than d, curved, spiniform, barbed, blunt apically.

Phyllhermannia colini is morphologically most similar to P. sauli sp. nov. (cf. below) in the shape of the interlamellar, lamellar and notogastral setae, the line of small tubercles between the median prodorsal condyles and the smooth perigenital region in the female, the network of notogastral tubercles, the lengths of the epimeral setae and the rough, rounded apex of the bothridial seta. They differ in the shapes of the setae on femur I, the genital plate of the female of P. colini is smooth rather than crenellated, apodeme III is smooth rather than tuberculate and the lateral ridge between the base of the lamellar seta, the acetabulum of leg I is absent rather than present, and the female prodorsum posterior of the lamellar setae is smooth rather than mildly tuberculate.