Pseudachorutes palmiensis Börner, 1903

Kaprus’, Ighor J. & Weiner, Wanda M., 2009, The genus Pseudachorutes Tullberg, 1871 (Collembola, Neanuridae) in the Ukraine with descriptions of new species, Zootaxa 2166, pp. 1-23 : 11-13

Pseudachorutes palmiensis Börner, 1903

Figs 42–51 , 82

Redescription. Body length without antennae 1.40–1.95 mm. Colour in alcohol bluish-grey, ocular plate bluish-black. Tegumental granulation fine.

Antennae approximately as long as the head. Ant. I with 7 setae, Ant. II with 13 setae and Ant. III with 23–24 ordinary setae. Ant. III and IV fused dorsally, ventral separation well marked. Sensory organ of Ant. III consisting of two small, strongly bent internal sensilla, two subcylindrical guard sensilla (ventral sensillum as long as dorsal one) and two guard setae between them; ventral microsensillum present. Ant. IV with about forty five ordinary setae, 40–45 modified setae in ventral part and 6 distinct subcylindrical sensilla; dorsoexternal microsensillum and subapical organite present; apical vesicle divided on three lobes ( Figs 43–44 ).

PAO oval, with 15–20 vesicles, 1.7–2.0 times larger than ocellus B ( Fig. 46 ). 8+8 eyes. Buccal cone short. Mandible with five teeth, styliform maxilla with two lamellae (one of them has 2 denticles, another 3 denticles) ( Fig. 47–48 ). Labral formula: 4/3,3,4 ( Fig. 82 ). Labium with 2+2 organites x and papillate setae L, with 12+12 ordinary setae ( Fig. 45 ). Perilabial area with 5+5 subequal setae.

Dorsal chaetotaxy as in Fig. 42 , with mesosetae and long sensory setae s. Formula per half tergum as: 022/ 11111. On Th. II, III and Abd. I-IV ratio s/a1 = 4.1–4.4, on Abd. V ratio s/a1 = 5.2. Microsensilla on Th. II present. Head with paired seta d1 (rarely with unpaired d1 seta) and without a0 seta. Th. I with 4+4 setae. Th. II and III with 11+11 setae (a2 setae present and a5, m4 setae absent). Abd. I–III with 9+9 setae (a3 setae present and m4 setae absent), Abd. IV with 12+12 setae (a2, a4, m1 setae present), seta s = p5. Abd. V with a2 and without p2 setae, seta s = p3.

Ventral chaetotaxy: thoracic sterna without setae, VT with 4+4 setae, Abds. II–VI as in Fig. 51 . Abds. I without setae, Abds. II with 4+4 setae, Abds. III with 8–9+8–9 setae.

Dens with six setae ( Fig. 50 b). Mucro straight with narrow and long lamella ( Figs 50 a, b). Manubrium with 12+12 posterior setae. Tenaculum with 3+3 teeth. Each anal valve with three setae hr ( Fig. 51 ).

Tibiotarsi I, II and III with 19, 19 and 18 setae, respectively, seta B7 absent on tibiotarsus III ( Fig. 49 ). Femora I, II and III with 13, 12 and 11 setae, trochanters I, II and III with 6, 6 and 6 setae, coxae I, II and III with 3, 7 and 7 setae, subcoxae 2 of legs I, II and III with 0, 3 and 3 setae, subcoxae 1 of legs I, II and III with 1, 2 and 2 setae, respectively. Claw with inner tooth and with lateral teeth ( Fig. 49 ). Empodial appendage absent.

Material examined. 3 females, 2 males (subadults) and 4 juveniles (on slides), Ukraine, Ivano- Frankivs’k district, near Mykulychyn village, Gorgany ridge, 600 m alt., Fagus and Abies forest, moss, 25.VI.1991, leg. I. Kaprus’; 1 female and 3 juveniles (on slides), Ukraine, Ivano-Frankivs’k district, Gorgany Reservation, Gorgany ridge, 700 m alt., Fagus forest, leaf litter, 2.VIII.2008, leg. J. Shrubovych; 3 juveniles (on slides), Ukraine, L’viv district, Skole town, Skolivs’ki Beskydy ridge, 600 m alt., Picea forest, leaf litter, 22.V.1991, leg. I. Kaprus’; 2 juveniles (on slide), Ukraine, L’viv district, near Mykolaiv town, Quercus floodplain forest, leaf litter, 29.IV.2002, leg. I. Kaprus’. Stach’s collection: one specimen (in alcohol), Ukraine, “Truskawiec, Pomiarki, in mouldy timber lying in the forest on the ground, 10.VIII.1928, leg. Fudakowski”, det. by Stach as P. c o n j u g e n s.

Biology. Pseudachorutes palmiensis is connected only with humid soil, litter and moss of Carpathian forests and adjoining territories. Bisexual.

Remarks. Modern morphological description of P. palmiensis from Spain was published by Jordana et al. (1997). Morphological characters of the Ukrainian specimens are identical to this description (J. Arbea pers. comm.). Among Ukrainian Pseudachorutes species P. palmiensis , P. dubius Krausbauer, 1898 and P. scythicus sp. nov. have 4+4 setae on Th. I. Only P. palmiensis possess m1 setae and 6 setae in a-row on Abd. IV (four a setae in P. dubius and P. scythicus ), 2+2 organites x and papillate setae L on labium (these morphological structures are absent in P. dubius and P. scythicus ) (Table 1). The three species differ in shape of mucro, maxilla and mandible also (see descriptions of P. dubius and P. scythicus below).

Figures

FIGURES 42 – 51. Pseudachorutes palmiensis Börner, 1903. 42, dorsal chaetotaxy of body; 43, Ant. III and IV dorsally; 44, Ant. III and IV ventrally; 45, labial chaetotaxy; 46, PAO and eyes; 47, maxilla; 48, mandible; 49, distal part of leg III; 50 a, mucro; 50 b, dens and mucro; 51, chaetotaxy of Abds. I – VI.

FIGURES 76 – 84. Shape and chaetotaxy of labrum: 76, Pseudachorutes corticicolus (Schäffer, 1896); 77, Pseudachorutes parvulus Börner, 1901; 78, Pseudachorutes subcrassus Tullberg, 1871; 79, Pseudachorutes pratensis Rusek, 1973; 80, Pseudachorutes scythicus sp. nov.; 81, Pseudachorutes janstachi sp. nov.; 82, Pseudachorutes palmiensis Börner, 1903; 83, Pseudachorutes vasylii sp. nov.; 84, Pseudachorutes vitalii sp. nov.