Garypus sanasai Lin, Huang & Chang, 2022

Lin, Hsiang-Yun, Huang, Jun-Xuan, Liu, Hsi-Hsuan & Chang, Chih-Han, 2022, Tubuca paradussumieri, Zoological Studies 61 (24), pp. 1-13 : 6-9

Garypus sanasai Lin, Huang & Chang , sp. nov.

( Figs. 1B , 4C, D , 5 , 6) urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:3617DC34-9275-440B-AB17-B388A6E14F9E

M a t e r i a l s e x a m i n e d: H o l o t y p e: ò; Lüdao Township, Taitung County, Taiwan; 22°38'08.1"N 121°29'55.8"E; coll. Jun-Xuan Huang; 01 Sep. 2020; GenBank: OL514113; NTUM-PSC-0002.

Etymology: The species is named after “sanasai ”, a legendary name of the type locality. In the legends of many Taiwanese indigenous tribes, which are part of the Austronesian peoples, their ancestors arrived Taiwan through a way station called “sanasai ”, which, some tribes believe, is Green Island (Lüdao Township). The specific epithet is a noun in apposition.

Diagnosis: The color pattern on carapace and tergites of the new species is most similar to that of G. schwendingeri Harvey. The new species can be differentiated from G. schwendingeri by the pattern of trichobothria on chela (ist and isb on the same horizontal plane in the new species, but not in G. schwendingeri ). The species shares some common characters with G. necopinus Harvey and G. marmoratus Mahnert , with trichobothrium st midway between sb and t or slightly closer to sb, tooth rows not touching each other when fingers of palps are closed, tergites mostly pale yellow in color with some brown spots. The three species can be differentiated by the color pattern of carapace and the shape of galea and rallum. Compared to G. wilsoni , the color is darker than G. wilsoni and the color pattern of carapace is quite different on both lateral sides, also the color pattern of tergites, G. wilsoni with less brown color, the setae of poseterior genital operculum, G. wilsoni is not in a row, ib is situated between isb and esb in G. sanasai , ib and esb on the same horizontal pane in G. wilsoni .

Description: Color in ethanol ( Fig. 5 ). Mostly pale yellow; pedipalp dark yellow with dark brown chela, anterior, posterolateral, and posteromedial carapace dark brown, legs pale white, tergites mostly light yellow with 4 brown spots at lateral and middle side, and with some brown color at the middle of tergites I‒V.

Chelicera: Hand with 5 setae, movable finger with 1 distal setae; 1 dorsal and 1 ventral lyrifissure on the basal of fixed finger; fixed finger with 3 teeth and 4 smaller teeth, movable finger with 1 apical tooth; galea present ( Fig. 6E), with 4 rami, 3 rami at distal and 1 at lateral; rallum ( Fig. 6D) with 3 blades, each blade with several small lateral spinules; serrula exterior with 33 blades, serrula interior with 21 blades.

Pedipalp ( Fig. 6A): Granulated in whole chela including the pedicel; Femur slender, 4.15 times longer than broad, patella 3.19 longer than broad; 2 lyrifissure situated at basal part of patella; both fingers slightly curved in lateral view ( Fig. 6F), fixed finger more curved than movable; fixed finger with 8 trichobothria, movable finger with 4; isb, ib, esb, eb in a row, ist and ib in a different row, st much closer to sb than to t, est closer to et than isb, ist and isb on the same horizontal plane, ib between isb and esb; et without adjacent patch of microsetae, with 18 microsetae near t, and 7 microsetae between sb and b; venom apparatus present on both fingers; gaps present while fingers closed; Fixed finger with 116 straight round teeth, movable finger with 89 teeth, 37 round and small teeth at the basal part, 52 retrose triangular teeth at the distal part, a gap present between 37th and 38th tooth.

Cephalothorax: Triangular carapace ( Fig. 4C, D ); 2 pairs of eyes; anterior and posterior furrow present, posterior furrow clearer than the anterior; the manducatory process with 5 apical setae, 10 setae on palp coxa; coxa I‒IV setae arranged: 5:8:10:17.

Legs ( Fig. 6B, C): Metatarsi and tarsi not fused together in all legs, metatarsi slightly longer than tarsus in Leg I, but same length in Leg IV, transverse structure present between metatarsi and tarsi.

Abdomen. Tergites I–X and sternites I–X with median structure; setae at the bottom of each tergites; color pattern of tergites related to the presence of the setae; tergites I–XII setae arranged 6: 12: 11: 13: 9: 11: 11: 6: 7: 11: 8: 2, sternite IV–XII setae arranged 9: 10: 11: 12: 14: 12: 12: 4: 2; setae on genitalia (sternite II) smaller than the setae on other sternites, the setae at bottom - middle of sternite largest; Pleural membrane without setae.

Genitalia: Not visible after incubation in Proteinase K for two days, 36 setae and 2 lyrifissure on anterior genital operculum, posterior with 9 setae in a row.

Dimensions (in mm): Body length (excluding chelicerae) 4.71. Chelicera 0.47/0.26; movable finger length 0.38. Pedipalp: trochanter 0.70/0.505; femur 1.66/0.40; patella 1.47/0.46; chela with pedicel 3.21/0.83; chela without pedicel 3.07 long; hand without pedicel 1.22 long; movable finger length 2.02. Carapace 1.36/1.40; anterior eye 0.14; posterior eye 0.12. Leg I: femur 0.80/0.23; patella 0.46/0.23; tibia 0.63/0.17; metatarsus 0.38/0.12; tarsus 0.32/0.10. Leg IV: femur + patella 1.40/0.32; tibia 1.10/0.16; metatarsus 0.45/0.15; tarsus 0.45/0.15.

Remarks: Green Island is a volcanic island located about 33 km east of Taiwan and covers an area of about 16 km 2. The coasts on the island are mostly formed by coral reef and are scattered with stretches of sandy beaches. The specimen of Garypus sanasai was found in Ziping. Located in the southernmost part of the island, Ziping is a tidal pool and the most complete lagoon on Green Island. The beach of the lagoon is formed by finely divided coral reefs, on which are small patches of the low-growing plant “Reef Pemphis ” ( Pemphis acidula JR Forst and G Forst ). The coral reef beach was scattered with stones about 7 cm in radius. The new species was found hiding under one of them. The individual kept its palps and legs close to its body and did not move when the stone was removed, probably to avoid being detected. No other animals were found under the same stone. After searching for other similarsized stones nearby, no other pseudoscorpions were found.

Distribution: Type locality (Green Island, Taitung County, Taiwan).

Figures

Fig. 1. Photos of the holotypes of the two new species of Garypus. The photos were taken when the individuals were still alive. (A) Garypus wilsoni sp. nov. Lin & Chang (Photo by Bo-Xin Guo and Yi-Ting Chung with permission). (B) Garypus sanasai sp. nov. Lin, Huang & Chang.

Fig. 4. Dorsal view of carapace and the comparison of color patterns of the two species. (A, B) Garypus wilsoni Lin & Chang sp. nov.; (C, D) Garypus sanasai Lin, Huang & Chang sp. nov.

Fig. 5. Garypus sanasai Lin, Huang & Chang sp. nov. (A) dorsal view; (B) ventral view. Scale bar = 1 mm.