Ephippiochthonius nudipes ( Mahnert, 1982 ) Mahnert, 1982

Zaragoza, Juan A., 2017, Revision of the Ephippiochthonius complex in the Iberian Peninsula, Balearic Islands and Macaronesia, with proposed changes to the status of the Chthonius subgenera (Pseudoscorpiones, Chthoniidae), Zootaxa 4246 (1), pp. 1-221 : 99-100

Ephippiochthonius nudipes ( Mahnert, 1982) , n. comb.

( Fig. 166 )

Chthonius (Ephippiochthonius) nudipes Mahnert 1982: 301 –303, figs 11–16. Chthonius (Ephippiochthonius) nudipes: Zaragoza 2007: 18 .

Type locality. Spain, Andalusia , Granada province, Gualchos, Cueva de las Campanas (36°43′36″N, 03°23′15″W; 513 m a.s.l.) .

Distribution. Spain: Andalusia.

Diagnosis (♂ ♀). A large, hypogean highly troglomorphic, Ephippiochthonius species of the tetrachelatus - group. Movable cheliceral finger without isolated subapical tooth (di) and with small spinneret in female, absent in male, lyrifissure ldb present; no eyes or eye-spots, without preocular microsetae, posterior margin of carapace with 2 macrosetae; chelal hand weakly depressed at level of ib / isb, with long and extremely low hump distad of ib / isb and very gentle slope between trichobothria ib / isb and eb; fixed chelal finger with 34–38 teeth; movable chelal finger with 18–23 teeth, without marginal lamina; pedipalpal femur (♂) 10.4–10.5, (♀) 8.9–9.6 times longer than broad, length (♂) 1.63–1.72 mm, (♀) 1.79–1.95 mm; chela (♂) 7.7–8.0, (♀) 6.7–7.3 times longer than deep, length (♂) 2.19–2.29 mm, (♀) 2.42–2.60 mm; ratio movable chelal finger/chelal hand (♂) 1.5–1.6, (♀) 1.5; all chelal lyrifissure patterns present with their standard complements.

Non-type material examined. 1 ♂, 1 ♀ ( DEUA), Spain, Andalusia, Granada province, Gualchos , Cueva de las Campanas (36°43′36″N, 03°23′15″W; 513 m a.s.l.), 01.XI.2009, leg. A. Tinaut .

Description (♂ ♀). Large, hypogean species, highly troglomorphic. Integument depigmented; weakly hispid granulation on lateral surfaces of carapace, on cheliceral hand and on bases of chelal fingers.

Carapace as long as broad or weakly longer than broad and posteriorly constricted; medial part of anterior margin very weakly prominent and strongly dentate; without eyes or eye-spots. Chaetotaxy: 18 macrosetae, without preocular microsetae, formula 4:6:4:2:2, anteromedial setae 0.16–0.18 mm long, sublateral ocular setae 0.14 mm long; 4 lyrifissures anteriorly and 2 posteriorly.

Cheliceral hand with 6 setae and 2 lateral microsetae, seta vb medium length (0.12–0.13 mm), microsetae 0.070–0.085 mm long; hand with 5 dorsal and 1 ventral lyrifissure, lyrifissure ldb present. Fixed finger with 12–13 teeth decreasing in size proximally, two distal teeth distinctly larger than others, 5–6 proximal microtubercles. Movable finger without an isolated subapical tooth (di), with 10–12 teeth decreasing in size proximally and 4 proximal microtubercles, the distal tooth larger than others; spinneret extremely reduced or absent in male, weak or absent in female; seta gl 0.65 from base of movable finger. Rallum with 11 blades. Serrula exterior with 19–21 blades, serrula interior 17 blades.

Chaetotaxy of tergites 4:4:4:4:6:6:6:6:1T2T1:4:1T2T1:0; tergites IX and XI each with 2 sublateral tactile setae. Chaetotaxy of sternites 9–10:(3)7–9(3):(2)7–8(2):7–8:6:6:6:6:2T1T2:0:2, lateral microsetae on sternite III apparently absent, sternite X with 2 submedial tactile; in addition, genital notch of male flanked by 10–14 setae on each side and 4+4 internal glandular setae.

Pedipalpal coxa with 5 setae (including 2 on manducatory process), distal marginal seta of disk 0.18–0.19 mm long; coxa I 3–4 + 3 marginal microsetae, distal marginal seta 0.11 mm long; II 4 + 9–16 bipinnate coxal spines, III 5 +6–9 bipinnate coxal spines and IV 6; intercoxal tubercle bisetose.

Pedipalp with femoral chaetotaxy 3:6:2:6:1. Chela ( Fig. 166 ) with hand weakly depressed at level of ib / isb, with long and extremely low hump distad of ib / isb and very gentle slope between trichobothria ib / isb and eb; dorsal-antiaxial surface of the chelal hand between the hump and trichobothria eb / esb flattened, limited by a marked edge; ventral intercondylar bow-like protuberance (ip) present; width equal to depth; chaetotaxy 4:5:3, seta ph3 lacking, setae ih1, ih3 and ih4 approximately level with trichobothria ib / isb, seta ph2 well distad of ph1 and ph4; distal end of hand and bases of chelal fingers with sclerotized condylar complex. Fixed finger with 34–38 teeth with dental canals, mostly pointed, the distal one tiny, of these the 8 more proximal teeth progressively decreasing in size, dental row reaching up to slightly proximad of halfway between trichobothria sb and b, 4 proximal microtubercles; tip of finger with an accessory tooth (td) on antiaxial face; tip of fixed chelal finger of male with a deep hollow on paraxial face and subdistal protuberance (sp); one pair of long antiaxial sensory setae (as) at the finger base, 0.05–0.08 mm long, far separated, distance between them 0.11–0.12 mm, finger depth at the base 0.11 mm; 3–4 teeth at level of est / it occupying 0.1 mm, distance between successive apices 0.025–0.035 mm. Movable finger with 18–23 teeth, most pointed and with dental canals, the distal one small or tiny, of these the 2–4 more proximal teeth progressively decreasing in size and becoming rounded, dental row reaching up to proximad of halfway between st and sb, markedly shorter than the fixed finger row, 4–8 proximal extremely low undulations, without dental canals, up to sensilla pc; basal apodeme long and apically indented; coupled sensilla pc halfway between trichobothria sb and b or slightly closer to sb. Trichobothria as in Fig. 166 ; trichobothrium ist slightly distad, level with or proximad of esb and well proximad of lyrifissure fb; distance between ib / isb and esb 1.2 times longer than between ib / isb and the base of the hand; distance between st and sb 2.1–2.3 times longer than that between sb and b. All chelal lyrifissure patterns present with their standard complements, one female with 4 fd lyrifissures on one chela and 3 on the other.

Measurements and ratios. Males: Body 2.37–2.70. Carapace 0.71–0.76/0.71 (1.0–1.1). Pedipalp: femur 1.63– 1.72/0.16–0.17 (10.4–10.5), patella 0.68–0.72/0.22–0.23 (3.1–3.2), chela 2.19–2.29/0.27–0.30 (7.7–8.0), hand 0.86–0.92 (3.1), movable finger 1.35–1.36; ratio movable finger/hand 1.5–1.6, femur/movable finger 1.2–1.3, femur/carapace 2.1–2.4, chela/carapace 2.9–3.2, chela/femur 1.3. Females: Body 2.44–3.01. Carapace 0.82–0.97/ 0.79–0.84 (1.0–1.1). Pedipalp: femur 1.79–1.95/0.19–0.22 (8.9–9.6), patella 0.73–0.80/0.25–0.27 (2.9–3.0), chela 2.42–2.60/0.34–0.39 (6.7–7.3), hand 0.96–1.07 (2.7–2.9), movable finger 1.43–1.60; ratio movable finger/hand 1.5, femur/movable finger 1.1–1.3, femur/carapace 1.9–2.2, chela/carapace 2.7–3.0, chela/femur 1.3–1.4.

Remarks. Within the tetrachelatus -group, E. nudipes has the following combination of characteristics: anophthalmic, without preocular microsetae, only 2 setae in posterior row of carapace and without isolated subapical tooth on movable cheliceral finger, which shares with E. aini n. sp. and E. riberai n. sp. The species E. nudipes is markedly slender and larger than E. aini n. sp. and E. riberai n. sp. (comparison is given in the key) and have pedipalpal femur chaetotaxy 3:6:2:6:1 versus 3:6:3:5: 1 in the latter two. The above description incorporates in part that of Mahnert (1982).

Figures

FIGURE 166. Ephippiochthonius nudipes (Mahnert, 1982) n. comb., male, Cueva de las Campanas, Gualchos, Granada province, Spain, left chela, antiaxial view.