Phyllhermannia croajingolongensis, Colloff, 2011

Colloff, Matthew J., 2011, 2770, Zootaxa 2770, pp. 1-60 : 18-19

Phyllhermannia croajingolongensis sp. nov.

( Figs. 9, 34e)

Dimensions. Holotype female length 758 µm breadth 428 µm. Paratype females (n = 11) mean length 753 (range 735–773), mean breadth 432 (range 419–476). Paratype males (n = 14) mean length 676 (range 644–708), mean breadth 357 (range 335–381). Ratio of length of prodorsum to total length: 0.34 (holotype).

Female. Prodorsum: rostrum with inverted V-shaped ridge; rostral seta (ro) 24 µm, spiniform, straight ( Fig. 9a). Lamellar seta (le) 29 µm, slightly curved, bladelike, smooth, on squat tubercle on lateral margin of prodorsum. Transverse lamellar ridge absent. Interlamellar setae (in) 62 µm, flattened, smooth, pointed, on well-developed inverted V-shaped interbothridial ridge. Region anterior of interbothridial ridge smooth, porose. Bothridial seta (bs) uniformly thin, elongate, 116 µm, blunt and barbed apically. Exobothridial seta (ex) 12 µm long. Interbothridial region densely and strongly porose, divided medially by less densely porose region. With pair of condyles on posteriomedian prodorsum, joined by sclerotised transverse lath.

Notogaster: ratio of length to breadth 1.18. Notogaster smooth. Setae curved, flattened, smooth, broadened basally, pointed apically; most setae overlapping ( Fig. 9a); p series shorter (32–56 µm) than others (68–105 µm). Setae of c series all directed posteriorly or posteriolaterally, c 2 closer to c 1 than to c 3. Distance between setae c 1 0.8 × that between d 1; distance between d 2 1.3 × that between d 1; distance between e 1 2.1 × that between f 1. Lyrifissurae im acute.

Coxisternum: Lateral margins of rostrum and epimeres sparingly tuberculate; posteriolateral margin of epimere I in the form of an acute spur ( Fig. 9b). Anterior sternal apodeme without tubercles, almost reaching apodeme I. Apodeme II and sejugal apodeme convex, oblique to midline. Posteriomedial margin of epimeral plate I acute, that of plate II rounded. Apodeme III transverse to midline, broader than anterior apodemata, smooth on posterior margin, acute medially, connected posteriomedially by U-shaped ridge. Posterior margin of epimere IV with line of well-developed, posteriorly-directed tubercles, opposed by ridge of anteriorly-directed tubercles anterior of genital plate. Epimere IV lacking blunt, sclerotised projection laterally. Epimeral setal formula 3-1-3-5; setae all relatively short; 1a and 1b sub-equal (26–30 µm), 1c slightly longer (46 µm); 2a, 3a and 3b sub-equal (27–37 µm), 3c slightly longer (56 µm); 4a, 4c–e subequal (40–52 µm), 4b much shorter (21 µm). Setae 3a–c on anterior margin of plate, setae 4a–e on posterior margin.

Anogenital region: Genital, anal and adanal plates surrounded by narrow zone of cuticle more heavily sclerotised than that of ventral plate ( Fig. 9b). Cuticle around genital plates with small tubercles. Each genital plate 100 µm long, 51 µm broad with six short subequal setae (9–13 µm) in median file and three longer setae in lateral file, anteriolateral seta longer (36 µm) and thicker than others (22–28 µm). Aggenital setae subequal in length to median genital setae. Pre-anal organ pointed. Each anal plate 153 µm long, 45 µm broad, with two short (18 µm) setae on central part of plate. Adanal setae ad 1 spiniform, 36 µm, longer than others.

Legs: Femur I 192 µm long, with well-developed lateral projection proximally; medial projection reduced ( Fig. 34e). Cuticle with well-developed alveoli. Setae d and l " straight, stout, short (17–20 µm long), phylliform, barbed, slightly blunt apically. Seta l ' longer (37 µm), phylliform, pointed and barbed apically, broadened and curved basally. Seta v ' longer than others (44 µm).

Material examined. Holotype female, 11 paratype females, 14 paratype males, 15 immatures (not types), CRO-003, litter under shrubs, coastal Angophora and Eucalyptus forest, Quarry Beach, Mallacoota, Croajingolong National Park , Victoria, 37°35'18"S, 149°44'2"E, 20 m, coll. J. Bloszyk & S. Konwerski, 3.viii.2007 . Holotype and paratypes deposited in the Australian National Insect Collection, CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, Canberra .

Etymology. Phyllhermannia croajingolongensis is named for its type locality, Croajingolong National Park.

Remarks. Phyllhermannia croajingolongensis can be differentiated from other member of the genus based on the following combination of characters: 1) the narrow lath connecting the median prodorsal condyles; 2) the tuberculate lateral margins of the rostrum and epimeres; 3) the curved, flattened, smooth, notogastral setae, broadened basally and pointed apically; 4) setae of epimeral plate III are on the anterior margin, those of plate IV are on the posterior margin; 5) the short, sub-equal setae of epimeral plates IV, except for 4b which is much shorter than the others; 6) the strongly tuberculate perigenital region; 7) genital seta g 4 are longer than others in the lateral file; 8) the short, stout phylliform lateral and dorsal setae on femora I.

Phyllhermannia croajingolongensis is morphologically most similar to P. eusetosa Lee, 1985 in the relatively short setae of epimeral plates III and IV; the smooth, pointed, curved, blade-like notogastral setae and in a unique combination of characters relating to their relative positions. Setae c 1, d 1, d 2 and e 1 are in line with each other, the mutual distance is least between c 1, greater between d 1 then d 2 and most between e 2; c 3 are considerably anterior (and lateral) of d 1; e 2 is median (and posterior) of d 3 and posterior (and lateral) of e 1 and the mutual distance between f 1 is half that between e 1; c2 are sub-equidistant between c 1 and c 3 and the distance between c 1 – d 1 and c 2 – d 1 is sub-equal.

Phyllhermannia croajingolongensis differs from P. eusetosa in that the lateral and dorsal setae of femora I are barbed and slightly blunt apically rather than smooth and pointed; the notogastral setae are longer and overlapping, the presence of the lath connecting the median prodorsal condyles, and a prominent inverted V-shaped interbothridial ridge and in the absence of a ridge-like structure on the anterior notogaster between setae of the c series and seta d 1.