Neobisium (Blothrus) latellai, Gardini, 2018

Gardini, Giulio, 2018, Subterranean Neobisium (Pseudoscorpiones: Neobisiidae) from Albania, Revue suisse de Zoologie 125 (1), pp. 189-200 : 192-193

Neobisium (Blothrus) latellai n. sp.

Figs 11-18

Holotype: MSNV; female; Albania, Kukes County, Tropoië Municipality, Valbonë, slope S Mt Mali i Thatë , Shpella ë Haxhise (42°28’N, 19°51’E), 1720 m a.s.l.; 8.VII.1993; A. Gobetti & L. Latella leg.

Paratypes: CGG; 2 males 5 females; same data as for holotype .

Diagnosis (male, female): A subterranean troglomorphic Neobisium that differs from other Dinaric species of the genus in the following combination of characters: no eyes or eye-spots; carapace with 4 setae in posterior row, epistome triangular; standard chaetotaxy of tergites I-II 4:6; pedipalps smooth; chelal fingers homodentate, teeth small and contiguous; pedipalpal femur and hand of chela with pedicel each longer than movable finger; ratio between club and pedicel of patella 2.55-3.0 (male, female); chela with pedicel length 3.95-4.30 mm, and 5.35-5.9 (male, female) times as long as broad; trichobothrium ist slightly distal to middle of fixed finger; trichobothrium st mostly halfway between t and sb; anterolateral process of coxa I squat, apically obtuse.

Etymology: Named in honour of Dr Leonardo Latella, entomologist and biospeleologist of the Museo civico di Storia naturale, Verona.

Description of adults (male, female): Carapace, chelicera, pedipalps and palpal coxae red-brown; pedipalps smooth, pleural membrane granular. Carapace ( Fig. 11 ) 1.2-1.4 times as long as broad, without eyes or eye-spots, anterior margin with prominent triangular epistome; 19-21 macrosetae, 4 in anterior and 4 in posterior row, 1 or no “preocular” seta on each side. Chaetotaxy of tergites I-XI 4:6:6:5- 7:7:7:7:7-10:8-10:7-10:6-8; tergite I of a male and a female with 5, II-III of two females with 4 setae. Chaetotaxy of sternites II-XI (male): 16-20:37-40(12- 14 of them along posterior margin of genital opening): 18-19:15:14:12:13:14:11:10; genital chamber with 2(3) + 2 setae, median sac short and wide; chaetotaxy of sternites II-XI (female) 12-14:26-35:17-18:13-17:13- 14:12-14:12-14:12-14:10-14:8-10; sternites III and IV (male, female) with 3 (rarely 2) and 2 (rarely 3) microsetae, respectively, in front of each stigma; anal cone with 2 + 2 setae. Chelicera ( Fig. 12 ) 1.95-2.05 (male, female) times as long as broad, palm with 6 setae; fixed finger with 10-12 subequal teeth proximally decreasing in size; movable finger with 9-12 teeth, 5-6 of them prominent and together at level of gs; gs ratio 0.68-0.71, spinneret absent or slightly prominent, with 6-8 silk ducts; rallum with 8 blades, the two distal ones dentate; serrulae interior and exterior with 25 and 34-35 blades, respectively. Manducatory process with 5 setae. Coxal setae: pedipalp 8 (rarely 9 or 10), I 6 (rarely 5 or 7), II 6-9, III 6, IV 10-13; anterolateral process of coxa I squat, apically obtuse. Pedipalp ( Figs 13-16 ): trochanter 2.5-2.7 (male, female) times as long as broad, with three or four weak button-like tubercles on antiaxial face; femur 7.27-8.2 (male) or 6.7-7.2 (female) times as long as broad, smooth, weakly and gradually enlarged distally; patella 5.65-5.9 (male) or 5.15-5.5 (female) times as long as broad, club-shaped, ratio between club and pedicel 2.85-3.0 (male) or 2.55- 2.7 (female); chela with pedicel 5.45-5.9 (male) or 5.35- 5.5 (female) times as long as broad; hand of chela with pedicel 2.95-3.35 (male) or 3.1-3.15 (female) times as long as broad, elongate oval, gradually narrowing towards pedicel; fixed chelal finger with 98-105 (male, female) small contiguous teeth with dental canals ( Figs 15-16 ), venom duct short, nodus ramosus subterminal ( Fig. 16 ); movable chelal finger with 96-103 (male, female) small contiguous teeth with dental canals ( Figs 15-16 ) reaching back beyond sb; trichobothria as in Figs 14-15 , ist slightly distal to middle of fixed finger, st mostly halfway between t and sb; relative position of trichobothria along chelal axis: it 0.15-0.17/ et 0.17-0.19/ est 0.25-0.28/ ist 0.40-0.45/ isb 0.76-0.77/ ib 0.78-0.85/ esb 0.91-0.93/ eb 0.92-0.94/ t 0.24-0.26/ st 0.42-0.46/ sb 0.67-0.70/ b 0.86-0.88; ratio between movable finger and hand of chela with pedicel 0.85-0.91 (male) or 0.79-0.83 (female); ratio between pedipalpal femur and movable finger 1.52-1.55 (male) or 1.54-1.59 (female); ratio between pedipalpal femur and carapace 2.03- 2.10 (male, female). Leg I (male, female): trochanter 1.55-1.65 times as long as deep, femur 6.4-7.3 times as long as deep and 1.4-1.5 times longer than patella, the latter 5.2-6.0 times as long as deep, tibia 6.8-7.8 times, basitarsus 4.25-5.1, telotarsus 5.45-6.8 times as long as deep, ratio between basitarsus and telotarsus 0.75- 0.85, subterminal seta dentate, claws with small dorsal tooth; leg IV (male, female) ( Figs 17-18 ): trochanter 2.65-2.95 times as long as deep, femur + patella 9.3-9.8 times as long as deep, ratio between femur and patella 0.75-0.9, tibia 11.3-12.6 times, basitarsus 5.6-6.15 times, telotarsus 7.7-8.15 as long as deep, ratio between basitarsus and telotarsus 0.79-0.82, subterminal seta dentate, claws with small dorsal tooth ( Fig. 18 ).

Measurements: Body length 4.3-4.4 (male) or 5.2-5.7 (female). Carapace 1.43-1.48 × 1.05-1.15 (0.88-0.93 anteriorly) (male) or 1.48-1.55 × 1.24-1.27 (0.96-1.05 anteriorly) (female). Chelicera 0.86 × 0.44 (male) or 0.89-0.96 × 0.455-0.47 (female); movable finger length 0.56-0.63 (male, female). Pedipalp: trochanter 1.03-1.06 × 0.40-0.42 (male) or 1.05-1.20 × 0.41-0.44 (female); femur 2.90-3.11 × 0.38-0.40 (male) or 3.02-3.20 × 0.43- 0.46 (female); patella 2.55-2.70 × 0.45-0.46 (male) or 2.57-2.75 × 0.47-0.51 (female); chela with pedicel 3.95-4.04 × 0.67-0.74 (male) or 4.04-4.30 × 0.74-0.80 (female); hand with pedicel length 2.18-2.24 (male) or 2.28-2.54 (female); movable finger length 1.9-2.0 (male) or 1.90-2.02 (female). Leg I: trochanter 0.45 x 0.27 (male) or 0.45-0.50 x 0.29-0.32 (female); femur 1.32 × 0.18 (male) or 1.39-1.43 × 0.20-0.22 (female); patella 0.95 × 0.17 (male) or 0.94-0.98 × 0.16-0.18 (female); tibia 0.92 × 0.135 (male) or 1.0-1.06 × 0.135 (female); basitarsus 0.51 × 0.12 (male) or 0.56-0.59 × 0.11-0.13 (female); telotarsus 0.60 × 0.11 (male) or 0.71-0.75 × 0.11-0.125 (female). Leg IV: trochanter 0.69 x 0.26 (male) or 0.71- 0.83 x 0.25-0.28 (female); femur + patella 2.23 × 0.24 (male) or 2.25-2.36 × 0.23-0.25 (female); tibia 1.83 × 0.16 (male) or 1.92-2.02 × 0.16-0.17 (female); basitarsus 0.76 × 0.135 (male) or 0.76-0.85 × 0.125-0.14 (female); telotarsus 0.96 × 0.125 (male) or 0.96-1.04 × 0.12-0.13 (female).

Remarks: Among the subterranean species of Neobisium , subgen. Blothrus , from the Dinaric Alps, N. latellai n. sp. is probably most closely related to Neobisium (Blothrus) peruni Ćurčić, 1988 and Neobisium (Blothrus) perunoides Ćurčić & Rađa in Ćurčić et al., 2006a, both from caves on Mt Biokovo, Dalmatia, Croatia, with which it shares chiefly the shape of the pedipalpal chela, i.e. with elongate oval hand and short fingers. The main differences among N. peruni , N. perunoides and N. latellai are presented in Table 1 .

Figures

Figs 11-18. Neobisium (Blothrus) latellai n. sp., female holotype. (11) Carapace. (12) Right chelicera, dorsal view. (13) Trochanter, femur and patella of right pedipalp, dorsal view. (14) Right pedipalpal chela, dorsal view. (15) Same (teeth omitted), antiaxial view, with details of teeth. (16) Apex of chelal fingers, antiaxial view. (17) Right leg IV, antiaxial view. (18)Apex of telotarsus of leg IV, antiaxial view. Scale lines: 0.2 mm (12, 16, 18); 0.5 mm (11, 13-15, 17).