Protaphorura sholai Thunnisa, Arbea & Sanil, 2022

Thunnisa, Abu Muhsina, Arbea, Javier Ignacio, Sumithra, Nallathambi, Mandal, Guru Pada & Sanil, Raveendranathanpillai, 2022, Two new species and two new records of Onychiurinae (Collembola, Onychiuridae) from the Nilgiris, India, Zootaxa 5182 (5), pp. 448-464 : 454

Protaphorura sholai Thunnisa, Arbea & Sanil sp. nov.

Figs 9–16 , Table 2

Diagnosis. Pso formula dorsally as 32/022/33342, ventrally as 10/000/0000. Psx formula as 1/000/11110. AIIIO with 5 guard chaetae and 5 papillae, 2 granulated sensory club and 2 small sensory rods. PAO well developed with 34–38 simple vesicles. Labial palp A type. Ventral tube with 7–9 apical and 2+2 basal chaetae. MVO absent.

Type localities. India, Western Ghats, Tamil Nadu, the Nilgiris: Pykara (11°27’ N, 76°36’ E) , Lovedale (11°22’ N, 76°42’ E) and Nellakottai (11°33’ N, 76°25’ E) .

Type material. Holotype female and 3 paratypes (2 females and 1 male) mounted on slides. India, Western Ghats, Tamil Nadu, the Nilgiris, Pykara , shola soil, 12.03.2019, A.M. Thunnisa leg. 8 paratypes on slides. India, Western Ghats , Tamil Nadu, Nilgiri, Lovedale, shola soil, 21.04.2019 and Nellakottai, bamboo leaf litter, 04.05.2019, A.M. Thunnisa leg. Holotype female, two paratype females, and one paratype male in ZSI (Accession No. holotype 3227/H14 and paratypes 3228/H14); 5 paratypes (2 females and 3 males) in MBL; 3 paratypes (2 females and 1 male) in MNCN.

Etymology. The name of the new species refers to “shola”, the local name for the tropical montane forest found in the higher montane regions of South India.

Description. Color in alcohol white. Length (without antennae) 1.4–2.2 mm in female, 0.8–1.7 in male; holotype 2.15 mm. Cylindrical body, with anal spines on papillae. Granulation distinct and uniform.

Pso formula: 32/022/33342 dorsally, 10/000/0000 ventrally; ventrally with 1/000/1111 psx and 1,1,1 psp in Th I–III; subcoxa 1 of legs I–III with 1,1,1 pso; subcoxa 2 of the legs with 1,1,1 psx, respectively.

Head. Antennae approximately the same length as the head. Well-marked antenna bases. Ant IV with subapical organite and a lateral-external ms located at the level of second proximal row of chaetae. AIIIO with 5 papillae, 5 guard chaetae, 2 small sensory rods, 2 granulated sensory clubs and one lateral ms. Ant I–III with 11,17,16 ordinary chaetae, respectively ( Fig. 11 ). PAO compossed of 34–38 simple vesicles ( Fig. 13 ). Head with 4 + 4 p-chaetae between the postero-internal pso (p1’, P1, p2, P3; Fig. 9 ). Mandible with a strong molar plate and 4 apical teeth. Maxilla with 3 teeth and 6 lamellae. Maxillary palp simple, with 1 basal and 2 sublobals chaetae. Labral chaeta formula 4/342. Labium type A; papillae A to E with 1, 4, 0, 3, 3 guard chaetae, respectively; with 5 proximal, 4 basomedial (E, F, G and f) and 5 basolateral chaetae ( Fig. 12 ). 5 + 5 postlabial chaetae along the ventral groove.

Dorsal body chaetotaxy as in Fig. 9 , is rather symmetrical, well differentiated in micro-, meso- and macrochaetae. Sensory chaetae little different from mesochaetae, with blunt apex. Tergites Th II–III with lateral ms. Th I tergite with 12–14 pairs of chaetae (chaetotaxy type i, 2–3, m). Th II and III with 5+5 axial microchaetae, Abd I–III has 4+4 microchaetae along the axial line. Abd IV without unpaired axial chaetae, Abd V with m0 and p0, and Abd VI with m0 unpaired axial chaeta. Abd I–III and V tergites without chaeta s’ ( Fig. 9 ). Ratio of chaetae M/sp lengths on Abd V 1.3–1.5. Ratio of chaeta M/ AS lengths 0.8–1.1. Lines (straight) passing through the bases of the prespinal chaetae a1 and m1, convergent ( Fig. 9 ). AS long, on well-differentiated papillae, 1.1–1.4 times as long as the inner edge of the claw III.

Ventral body chaetotaxy according to Fig. 10 . Th I–III, between the legs, with 1, 2, 2–3 pairs of chaetae, respectively. VT with 7–9 + 7–9 distal and 2 + 2 basal chaetae. Furca reduced to a cuticular fold with 2 + 2 dental microchaetae: 1 + 1 located on the fold and 1 + 1 clearly located behind; three rows of posterior manubrial chaetae: rows ma, mm and mp with 2 + 2 chaetae, of which the outer ones are macrochaetae ( Fig. 14 ). Female genital plate with 15–20 chaetae plus two posterior microchaetae; male genital plate bears 30–35 chaetae. MVO absent. Anal valves with numerous acuminate chaetae; each lateral valve with chaetae a0, 2a1 and 2a2; posterior valve with a0, 2a1, 2b1, 2b2, c0, 2c1 and 2c2 ( Fig. 15 ).

Legs. Subcoxae 1 of legs I–III with 5–6, 6–7, 5–6 chaetae, subcoxae 2 with 1, 5–6, 5–6, coxae with 4,10–11,13– 14, trochanters with 11, 11, 11–12 and femurs with 19–20, 19–21,18 chaetae, respectively. Tibiotarsi of legs I–III with 21 (11, 8, 2), 21–22 (11, 8, 2-3), 21–22 (11, 8, 2–3) chaetae, respectively, of which 1, 1, 1 are macrochaetae with blunt apex located in the basal row (R chaetae) ( Fig. 16 ). Claw with inner tooth. Unguiculus narrow and pointed, without basal lamella, as long as the inner edge of the claw ( Fig. 16 ).

Discussion. Protaphorura sholai sp. nov. belongs to the group with pso formula as 32/022/33342 dorsally ( Table 2 ). After the most recent key to Protaphorura species ( Parimuchová & Kováč 2016), the new species is the most similar to the species P. subarctica ( Martynova 1976) and P. levantina ( Christiansen 1956) . However, it can be separated easily from them by the position of head chaeta p 2in relation to p1and p3 (at the same level in the new species, compared to above in the other species) and longer anal spines ( AS longer than unguis in the new species, compared to AS shorter than unguis in the other species). A comparison with other species of the group is shown in Table 2 .

Figures

FIGURES 9–11. Protaphorura sholai sp. nov. 9, dorsal view; 10, abdominal ventral view; 11, Antena. Scales: 0.2 mm (9–10), 0.03 mm (11).

FIGURES 12–16. Protaphorura sholai sp. nov. 12, labium (labial papillae chaetae not represented); 13, PAO; 14, furcal area; 15, anal valves; 16, tibiotarsus and claw of leg III. Scales: 0.03 mm (12–14, 16), 0.05 mm (15).