Newportia (Newportia) spelaea, Ázara, Ludson Neves De & Ferreira, Rodrigo Lopes, 2014

Ázara, Ludson Neves De & Ferreira, Rodrigo Lopes, 2014, Two new troglobitic Newportia (Newportia) from Brazil (Chilopoda: Scolopendromorpha), Zootaxa 3881 (3), pp. 267-278 : 268-272

Newportia (Newportia) spelaea sp. n.

( Figures 1–2 , 3 D)

Type material. Holotype: ISLA 4992 from Toca do Gonçalo Cave (10º30'41"S, 40º53'39.8"W), Campo Formoso, Bahia, Brazil, 08/I/2014, leg. Ferreira, R. L. WWF Ecoregion NT1304 Caatinga.

Etymology. The Latin word spelaea , meaning “cave”.

Diagnosis. Cephalic plate covering half of tergite 1; antennae reaching the end of tergite 8; pretergites visible; prefemur of ultimate leg with 5–7 ventral spinous processes and femur with 2 medial spinous processes.

Description. Body length 19 mm, maximum width of tergites 0.8 mm, mid-body legs with maximum length 2 mm and the ultimate legs 10 mm. Body, antennal articles, legs whitish yellow, head and the first two tergites a darker yellow.

Antennae with 17 elongated articles, reaching the end of tergite 8 ( Figure 1 A); articles 1–8 increasing in length and reducing in width with subsequent articles about same length; articles 4–12 showing dorsal and ventral concavities, which give them a dorso-ventral "flattened" aspect ( Figure 1 B–C). This condition is more developed in articles 4–5, which feature large concavities; articles 1–4 with a high density of lanceolate setae; articles 3–17 densely pilose; a row of long bristles surrounding the proximal part of all antennal articles.

Cephalic plate: 1.3 times longer than wide, reaching middle of the first tergite with rounded posterior corners, convex sides, anterior apex slightly indented; paramedian sutures reaching middle of cephalic plate ( Figure 1 F).

Forcipular segment: coxosternite with short chitin-lines; anterior margin convex; with two convex chitinous lobes; trochanteroprefemoral process absent ( Figure 1 G).

Tergites: tergite 1 with an anterior transverse convex suture hidden by cephalic plate ( Figure 1 D); tergites 5–7 with pretergites; tergites 1–22 with complete paramedian sutures; tergites 4–22 with lateral longitudinal sutures; tergites 1–22 without lateral margination with reduced and scattered setae ( Figure 1 E); tergite of ultimate legbearing segment without sutures, posterior margin convex ( Figure 2 A).

Sternites: sternites 2–21 with a longitudinal sulcus and two incomplete lateral depressions; setae distributed more dense on the lateral, anterior and posterior edges; sternite of ultimate leg-bearing segment, trapeziform, with the posterior margin straight.

Legs: long and thin, on average 3 times as long as the corresponding tergites (2–4 times), increasing in relative length posteriorly; ventral surface of prefemur, femur, tibia and tarsus with long setae, dorsal surface with small setae; legs 2–22 with a lateral and ventral spurs on the tibia and one ventral spur on the tarsus; pretarsus of legs 1–22 with a pair of accessory spines 3/4 the size of the claws; legs 1–22 with indistinct division between tarsus 1 and 2.

Coxopleuron: covered by pores of the same size; coxopleural process shorter than tergite of ultimate legbearing segment, with a small terminal spine. Coxopleural surface without setae; posterior margin of ultimate pleuron forming an obtuse angle forming a low process ( Figure 2 B).

Ultimate legs: elongated, 10 mm long, width of prefemur 0.2 mm ( Figure 2 C); right ultimate leg with 7 ventral spinous processes on prefemur (IIIiIII) and 2 ventro-medial on femur (Ii), left ultimate leg with 5 ventro-medial spinous processes on prefemur (IIIII) and 2 ventral basal on femur (iI) ( Figure 2 D); tibia the same length as the prefemur and femur; tarsus divided; tarsus 1 3 times shorter than the tibia, and tarsus 2 not divided into distinct articles ( Figure 2 C); tarsus 1 and 2 with long setae; pretarsus absent.

Natural history and threats. The Toca do Gonçalo cave occurs in limestone of the Caatinga group (of Quaternary age) ( Figure 3A –C). For more information on natural history, see Ázara & Ferreira 2014. Coincidently, in the same visit to the cave, a single specimen of another troglobitic centipede recently described, Cryptops (C.) spelaeoraptor , was also found ( Ázara & Ferreira, 2014). Our team has visited the cave several times (since 1998) and only one specimen was found ( Figure 3 D), which indicates its extreme rarity.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Newportia (N.) spelaea sp. n. (ISLA 4992): A) cephalic plate, antenna and anterior segments; B – C) antenna right and left, respectively, in detail showing the flattened antennal articles; D) posterior margin of head and tergites 1 – 3; E) tergites 9 – 10; F) cephalic plate; G) head and forcipular segment, ventral view.

FIGURE 2. Newportia (N.) spelaea sp. n. (ISLA 4992): A) ultimate tergite; B) coxopleuron and ultimate sternite; C) ultimate pair of legs, ventral view; D) prefemur and femur of ultmate pair of legs, ventral view.

FIGURE 3. A) Entrance of the Toca do Gonçalo Cave; B) inner conduit of the cave; C) artificial well; D) Newportia (N.) spelaea sp. n., living specimen.