Endonura ceratolabralis, Smolis, Adrian, Kahrarian, Morteza, Piwnik, Agata & Skarzynski, Dariusz, 2016

Smolis, Adrian, Kahrarian, Morteza, Piwnik, Agata & Skarzynski, Dariusz, 2016, Endonura Cassagnau in Iran, with a key to species of the genus (Collembola, Neanuridae, Neanurinae), ZooKeys 553, pp. 53-71 : 57-59

Taxon classification Animalia Collembola Neanuridae

Endonura ceratolabralis sp. n. Figs 5-9, Table 2

Type material.

Holotype: adult female on slide, Iran, Osmanevand area, near Markhor village (N33°53', E47°05', 1389 m a.s.l.), litter in oak forest, 13.XII.2013, leg. M. Kahrarian. Paratypes: 3 females on slide, same data as holotype.

Other material.

Three females on slide, Iran, Osmanevand area, near Ghader marz village (N34°01.030', E47°12.415', 1682 m a.s.l.), litter in oak forest, 31.I.2014, leg. M. Kahrarian.

Etymology.

The species name refers to sharp labral apex which looks like a horn ( “cera” in latin).

Diagnosis.

Habitus typical of the genus Endonura . Dorsal tubercles present and well developed. 2+2 eyes darkly pigmented. Buccal cone long. Head with chaetae A, B, C, D, E, F and G. Chaeta O absent. Tubercles Cl and Af separate. Tubercles Dl and (L+So) on head with six and nine chaetae respectively. Tuberles Di and De on th. I fused. Tubercles De on th. II and III with three and four chaetae respectively. Tubercles L on abd. III and IV with three and 6-7 chaetae respectively. Abd. IV and V with eight and three tubercles respectively. Claw without inner tooth. Tibiotarsi with chaetae B4 and B5 short.

Description.

Habitus typical of the genus. Body length (without antennae): 2.25-2.55 mm (holotype: 2.55 mm). Colour of the body bluish grey. 2+2 medium dark-pigmented eyes (Fig. 5).

Types of dorsal ordinary chaetae. Macrochaetae Ml thickened, relatively long, arc-like or straight, narrowly sheathed, feebly serrated, apically pointed or rarely rounded (Figs 5, 7-9); macrochaetae Mc and Mcc thickened, straight, pointed or apically rounded; mesochaetae and microchaetae short, thin and pointed.

Head. Buccal cone very long. Labrum ogival, with ventral sclerifications as in Fig. 6. Labrum chaetotaxy 0/2, 2. Labium with four basal, three distal and four lateral chaetae, papillae x absent. Maxilla styliform, mandible thin with two basal and two apical teeth. Chaetotaxy of antennae as in Table 2c. Apical vesicle distinct, trilobed. S–chaetae of ant.IV of medium length and moderately thickened. Chaetotaxy of head as in Table 2a, b, and Fig. 5. Tubercles Cl and Af separate. Tubercle Af on head longer than tubercles Oc. Chaeta O absent. Chaeta D free. Tubercle Dl with six chaetae, chaeta Dl3 present. Tubercle (L+So) with nine chaetae, chaeta So2 absent and chaeta So3 as Mc (Fig. 5). Elementary tubercles BE and CD present. Chaeta A shorter than B.

Thorax, abdomen, legs. Body s–chaetae thin and smooth, shorter than nearby macrochaetae (Figs 7-9). Chaetotaxy of th. and abd. as in Table 2d and in Figs 7-9. Tubercles Di on th.I differentiated and fused with De (Fig. 7). Dorsal side of th. and abd. without free chaetae De. The line of chaetae De1-chaeta s perpendicular to the dorsomedian line on abd I–III. Furca rudimentary with two or without microchaetae. Tubercles Di on abd. V fused, with chaetae Di2 and Di3 as Mc (Fig. 9). Chaetae L’ and Vl on abd. V present. No cryptopygy. Chaetotaxy of legs as in Table 2d.

Remarks.

Because of the very characteristic long and pointed labrum, Endonura ceratolabralis sp. n. seems to be most similar to Endonura cretensis (Ellis, 1976) (Crete) and Endonura gracilirostris Smolis et al. 2007 (Crimea). Nevertheless, the new species can be easily distinguished from these two taxa by the following combination of characters: maximum length of the body without antennae ( ceratolabralis sp. n. 2.55 mm; gracilirostris 1.45 mm; cretensis 0.8 mm), labral formula ( ceratolabralis sp. n. 0/2, 2; gracilirostris 0/2, 4; cretensis 2/2, 4), presence/absence of chaeta O on head ( ceratolabralis sp. n. absent, in others present), number of chaetae Dl on head ( cretensis three, in others six), number of chaetae (L+So) on head ( cretensis seven, in others nine), fusion/separation of tubercles Di and de on th. I ( gracilirostris separate, in others fused), number of ordinary chaetae De on th. III ( cretensis two, others three), presence/absence of free chaetae on thorax ( ceratolabralis sp. n. absent, in others present) and number of chaetae Di on abd. V ( cretensis 1-2, others three).