Neobisium (Neobisium) ischyrum ischyrum (Navás, 1918), Navas, 1918

Zaragoza, Juan A. & Pérez, Toni, 2013, Hypogean pseudoscorpions (Arachnida) from Jaén province (Andalusia, Spain), with descriptions of four new species and a new synonymy, Zootaxa 3700 (2), pp. 201-225 : 216

Neobisium (Neobisium) ischyrum ischyrum (Navás, 1918)

Material. Spain, Andalusia, Jaén province, Siles, Cueva del Nacimiento del Arroyo de San Blas (38º23′15.00″N, 2º32′2.95″W; 1000 m.a.s.l.), 23.XII.2007, 1 ♂, lgt. G.E.V. (DEUA).

Description. Epigean species, cuticle sclerotized, without troglomorphic adaptations. Carapace as long as broad; two pairs of well developed eyes with lens and reflective tapeta, anterior eyes separated by 0.7 their diameter from anterior margin and 0.5 from posterior eyes; epistome large, triangular and apically acute; 23 setae, formula 4:6:6:7. Tergal chaetotaxy I–VI: 6:8:11:12:12:13. Chelicera with 7 setae on palm; spinneret rounded and prominent; movable finger with teeth regular in size. Pedipalps smooth, femur with one tiny tubercle at middle and other basal of antiaxial face; patella ratio X/Y (diameter of distal opening/length of inner margin of patella) (Gabbutt & Vachon 1965) 0.8; fixed finger with 70 pointed teeth reaching to base; movable finger with 52 teeth, dental row reaching halfway between trichobothria sb and b, 12 pointed distal teeth, 10 rounded teeth up to level of t, followed by 11 extremely flattened teeth and 21 rudimentary teeth only recognizable by their dental canals. Trichobothrium ist closer to apex of finger than to ib (0.9); it distad et; ratio st – sb / sb – b 1.5.

Measurements and ratios. Body 2.44. Carapace 0.66/0.64 (1.0). Pedipalp: femur 0.96/0.21 (4.6); patella 0.63/ 0.25 (2.6); chela+ 1.63/0.4 (4.0); chela - 1.53 (3.8); hand+ 0.72 (1.8); hand - 0.62 (1.5); movable finger 0.93; ratio movable finger/hand+ (1.3); ratio chela+/carapace 2.5; femur/carapace 1.5; femur/movable finger 1.0; femur/patella 1.5; patella/ hand+ 0.9.

Remarks. The specimen has a more slender pedipalp femur than indicated in Beier’s redescriptions (1939, 1952, 1963), even allowing for the wide range for the species reported by Mahnert (1985), but it coincides in all other respects, included the strong reduction of the teeth of the movable chelal finger. The species has been recorded under stones, in moss, in grass and in leaf-litter (Zaragoza 2007); this is the first record from a cave and can be considered as accidental.

Distribution. Iberian endemic, widespread (Zaragoza 2007), with a subspecies, N. (N.) ischyrum balearicum Beier, 1939, restricted to the Balearic Islands. New for Jaén; previously recorded for several provinces of Andalusia: Cádiz, Granada, Málaga and Sevilla.