Ephippiochthonius mariolae (Carabajal Márquez, García Carrillo & Rodríguez Fernández, 2001) Carabajal Marquez, Garcia Carrillo & Rodriguez Fernandez, 2001

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 : 92

Ephippiochthonius mariolae (Carabajal Márquez, García Carrillo & Rodríguez Fernández, 2001) , n. comb.

Chthonius (Ephippiochthonius) mariolae Carabajal Márquez, García Carrillo & Rodríguez Fernández 2001b: 170 –173, figs 1‒5, table I.

Chthonius (Ephippiochthonius) mariolae: Zaragoza 2007: 17 –18.

Type locality. Spain, Andalusia , Granada province, Salobreña, Lobres, Cueva del Barranco Iñate (36°47′01″N, 03°32′57″W; 140 m a.s.l.) .

Distribution. Spain: Andalusia.

Diagnosis (♀). A moderately large, hypogean Ephippiochthonius species tentatively assigned to the tetrachelatus -group. Movable cheliceral finger without isolated subapical tooth (di) and spinneret small in female, unknown for male; no eyes or eye-spots, 1 preocular microseta on each side, posterior margin of carapace with 2 macrosetae; coxa II with 7–9 coxal spines; chelal hand weakly depressed at level of ib / isb, with long and low hump distad of ib / isb and an abrupt slope between trichobothria ib / isb and eb; fixed chelal finger with 23–27 teeth; movable chelal finger with 10–11 teeth, without marginal lamina; pedipalpal femur (♀) 7.0–7.3 times longer than broad, length 0.94–1.02 mm; chela (♀) 5.8–5.9 times longer than deep, length 1.41–1.50 mm; ratio movable chelal finger/chelal hand (♀) 1.6.

Material. None available for this study.

Description (♀; ♂ unknown). Large, hypogean species. Integument depigmented, troglomorphic.

Carapace slightly longer than broad and posteriorly constricted; medial part of anterior margin strongly dentate; without eyes or eye-spots. Chaetotaxy: 18 macrosetae and 1 preocular microseta on each side, formula m 4m:6:4:2:2.

Pedipalpal coxa with 3 setae (setae on manducatory process not included); II 4 + 7–9 bipinnate coxal spines, III 5 + 5–7 bipinnate coxal spines and IV 5–6. Chaetotaxy of tergites I–IX: 4:4:4:4:6:6:6:6:6.

Cheliceral fixed finger with 7 teeth decreasing in size proximally, 1–2 distal teeth distinctly larger than others. Movable finger without an isolated subapical tooth (di), with 5 teeth decreasing in size proximally, the distal tooth larger than others; spinneret small in female, unknown for male.

Chelal hand weakly depressed at level of ib / isb, with long and low hump distad of ib / isb and an abrupt slope between trichobothria ib / isb and eb. Fixed finger with 23–27 teeth Movable finger with 10–11 teeth, without marginal lamina, subdistally teeth are absent up to level of the 6th distal tooth of fixed finger, dental row reaching level of trichobothrium sb. Trichobothrium ist slightly distad of esb.

Measurements and ratios. Female holotype, followed, when different, by female paratype in square brackets: Body 1.86 [2.20]. Carapace 0.57/0.55 (1.0). Pedipalp: femur 1.02/0.15 (7.0)[0.94/0.13 (7.3)], patella 0.41/0.16 (2.5) [0.39/0.17 (2.3)], chela 1.50/0.26 (5.8) [1.41/0.24 (5.9)], hand 0.57 (2.2) [0.54 (2.3)], movable finger 0.93 [0.88]; ratio movable finger/hand 1.6, femur/movable finger 1.1, femur/carapace 1.8 [1.6], chela/carapace 2.6 [2.5], chela/femur 1.5.

Remarks. Within the tetrachelatus -group, E. mariolae shares with E. bolivari the following combination of characteristics: anophthalmic, hypogean, with 1–2 preocular microsetae on each side, only 2 setae in posterior row of carapace, without isolated subapical tooth on movable cheliceral finger and reduced number of teeth (9–11) with dental canals on the movable chelal finger. E. mariolae is easily distinguishable from E. bolivari by the presence of only 7–9 coxal spines on coxa II when compared with 16–19 in the latter. Although no material of any of the species has been available for this study, it is tentatively assigned to the tetrachelatus -group. The above description is based in that of Carabajal et al. (2001b).