Hadzinia ferrani, Novak & Kozel, 2014

Novak, Tone & Kozel, Peter, 2014, Hadzinia ferrani, sp. n. (Opiliones: Nemastomatidae), a highly specialized troglobiotic harvestman from Slovenia, Zootaxa 3841 (1), pp. 135-145 : 136-137

Hadzinia ferrani sp. n.

Figs 1–25.

Material examined. Holotype: ♂, the Ferranova buža cave, the Cave Cadastre No. 8085, N 45°58´35˝, E 14°15´07˝, Mt. Ulovka (801 m), Zaplana , Vrhnika , Slovenia, 29.XII.2012, the cave section of Hamex , - 75 m, on a flowstone concretion named Animal Planet, M. Ferran leg.: 1 ♂ and a ♂ chitinous remains−exuvium? (TN 1/2013; TN = Coll. T. Novak, finally in the Nat. Hist. Mus. of Slovenia, Ljubljana); 06.VIII.2005, the cave section of Stotka, - 100 m, on a wet wall, M. Ferran leg.: 1 juvenile (paratype) (TN 67/2013); 26.I.2013, Stotka, on a wet wall: 1 ♀ (allotype) (TN 2/2013), T. Novak leg.; 16.II.2013, Stotka: 1 ♀ (TN 2/2013) and Animal Planet: 1 ♀ (paratypes) (TN 68/2013), T. Novak, N. Matijević leg.; 11.IV.2014, Hodnik, - 170m, T. Delić, T. Šuštar, F. Gabrovšek leg.: 1 ♂ (in present courtesy of T. Delić). In addition, two observations are available: 30.IV.2005, Animal Planet, M. Ferran (photo): 1 ex., and 21.−22.IV.2012, - 170 m, A. Bizjak, M. Staut (observation): 1 ex.

Diagnosis. Very small (1.1−1.4), highly specialized eyeless troglobiotic Hadzinia , characterized by its low ocular tubercle and long, thin appendages: basal cheliceral article 2/3 as long, and pedipalp 6-times as long as body. Pedipalp tarsus strongly bent ventrally. Glans with sparse, long, rod-like minute spines and a few conical minute spines. As far as has been established, H. ferrani sp. n. is endemic to the karst of Mt. Ulovka (801 m) in central Slovenia.

Etymology. The species name ferrani is dedicated in honor of Milan Ferran (Ljubljana), who started the investigations within the Ferranova buža cave, and who discovered and collected the first specimen of this species.

Description. Male, holotype: Body length 1.11, body tender, with scutum magnum. Color of body light beige (Figs 1, 2). Dorsum weakly sclerotized, with dense, short (up to 5 µm) mucronate, cuticular microtubercles (microtrichia) covering most of the cephalothorax and abdomen, gradually changing from microtrichia at the cephalothorax edges into dense tuberculate microgranula (Fig. 3). Ocular tubercle low but well pronounced, wider than long, starting half its length behind the anterior edge of the dorsal scutum. Cuticle of cephalothorax thicker in the center and thinner towards the edges, with scattered oval and irregularly shaped spots of thiner parts (Fig. 4). Eyes completely reduced, but former position indicated by round cuticular spots, where probably the reduced optical nerves emerged (seen under fluorescence; Fig. 4). Supracheliceral lamellae large, with straight frontal margin and mammillary tubercles, similar to those in female (Fig. 20) and H. karamani ( Karaman, 2013, fig. 15). Coxae and ventral side of the body with sparse long setae in a transverse row close to the posterior border of each sternite (Figs 2, 21). Setae longest on pedipalp coxae.

Chelicerae intense reddish-brown, long and slender (Figs 7, 9, 10), without apophysis and gland openings, resembling those of Nemaspela species. Lengths of basal article, distal article and movable finger, 0.78, 0.92 and 0.37, respectively. Basal segment basally and terminally widened, without apophysis and glandular pores, with an antero-superior group of three long bristles. Distal segment slender, elongated, frontally evenly set with long bristles, the longest ones as long as the article diameter. Fixed finger with two large black teeth and a series of 14 diaphanous teeth at the base; movable finger with six large teeth, becoming lower and longer towards the apex of the finger, and a series of 13 diaphanous teeth.

Pedipalps light reddish-brown, without secondary sexual differences (Figs 6, 12), very long, slender, with scattered, very densely set clavate glandular setae on all articles, except trochanter, diminishing in size from femur till tarsus, and giving a voluminous appearance in living animals. Femur subterminally crooked ventrally, with a few dense short setae disto-dorsally. Patella as long as femur, distally slightly bent, with a group of short setae proximally and one long bristle distally. Tibia distally gradually narrowing. Tarsus long, slightly club-like and ventrally conspicuously bent at an angle of ca. 45°, with two long bristles. For lengths of articles, see Table 1 .

Legs (Fig. 5; Table 1 ) beige with darker article endings, very long and thin (L body: L leg II = 1: 22.7), with up to 22 pseudoarticulations (in metatarsus II). Claws simple, straight in preserved specimens (Fig. 5). Leg articles cylindrical, with dense cover of fine bristles, interspersed by few long ones (Fig. 5).

Penis (Figs 8, 11; 21, here pay attention to protruding glans) longer than body (possibly caused by body shrinkage in alcohol), 1.22 long, glans 0.13, basis 0.20. Truncus dorsally bent, with nearly parallel margins, narrowest in the middle, slightly dorso-ventrally flattened. Basis straight, oval elongated, incised for about half its length. Glans brownish, elongated barrel-like and slightly wider than truncus, terminally truncated with a pair of conspicuous lateral humps encompassing medial furrow, with sparse long rod-like minute spines and few conical minute spines. Stylus emerging subapically, on the ventral side in the middle of terminal glans furrow between lateral humps (dorsal view).

Female: Body length 1.40, whitish to slightly reddish-brown (Figs 14, 15, 22, 23, 24).

Chelicerae as in male, somewhat more robust (Figs 16, 17). Lengths of basal article, distal article and movable finger 0.80, 0.98 and 0.42, respectively.

Pedipalps (Fig. 13) as in male, lengths of articles see Table 1 .

Legs ( Table 1 ; Figs 23, 24, distal tarsomerae Fig. 18) as in male, but relatively shorter. Claws as in male.

Ovipositor (Fig. 19) ca. 0.45 long, receptacula seminis apparently monovesicular, less than 10 µm, either undeveloped in examined specimens (n=2) or very difficult to see.

Relationships. Presently, H. ferrani sp. n. is the only other species described from the genus Hadzinia . Hadzinia ferrani sp. n. can be distinguished from H. karamani especially by its overall slender segments: relatively very long and slender chelicerae in H. ferrani sp. n. vs. relatively short and robust in H. karamani , straight and subterminally crooked vs. sinusoidally curved pedipalp femur, slender vs. thick patella, elongated barrel-shaped vs. truncated cone-like glans, and by long rod-like minute spines besides a few conical ones in H. ferrani sp. n. vs. only conical spines in H. karamani .

Distribution. Hadzinia ferrani sp. n. has been found only in the Ferranova buža cave. The species is thus likely endemic to the western Dinaric karst, and probably restricted to the karstic region of Mt. Ulovka (801 m) in central Slovenia.

Ecology. In the Ferranova buža cave, all records were taken from a depth of over 70 m beneath the surface where temperatures yielded 7.6 to over 10°C. Individuals were found on bare wet limestone walls beside trickling and seeping water, sometimes showered by water droplets, and on wet flowstone concretions and walls. Their relatively long appendages suggest adaptation to spacious habitats, while their movable, pointed claws enable efficient clinging in slippery and water-drenched sites. This indicates that H. ferrani sp. n. probably prefers terrestrial phreatic habitat sensu Jeannel (1926), i. e., habitats consisting of tiny water trickles in aerated channels inaccessible to humans. These channels originate in the epikarst and pass into the deep karstic massifs ( Novak et al. 2012).