Scoterpes alabama, Shear, 2010

Shear, William A., 2010, 2385, Zootaxa 2385, pp. 1-62 : 56-58

Scoterpes alabama , n. sp.

Fig. 83, Map 6

Types: Male holotype and male and female paratypes ( VMNH) from Shelta Cave, Huntsville , Madison Co., Alabama, collected 25 September 1966 by L. Hubricht .

Diagnosis: The gonopods of this species can be confused with no other; both angiocoxite branches are long and linear, and the colopocoxite, instead of being fimbriate as it is in all other species, is in the form of a long, prominent, apically serrate lamella.

Etymology: The species epithet, a noun in apposition, refers to the state of Alabama.

Description of male from Shelta Cave, Alabama: Length, 7.5 mm, width, 0.7 mm. Nonsexual characters as described for genus. Gonopods ( Fig. 83) with completely fused coxosternum; angiocoxal setal groups well-separated, distal group of 3 setae. Mesal angiocoxal branch longer or equal to lateral, flat, bladelike, slightly twisted, acuminate. Lateral branch more cylindrical, slightly decurved or knobbed apically. Fimbriate branch prominent, thin, lamellate, seemingly made of fused linear fibers, marginally and apically serrate. Ninth legs typical of genus.

Female from Shelta Cave: Length, 7.8 mm, width 0.75 mm. Nonexual characters as in male.

Distribution: See Map 6 for selected records. All records supported by at least one male specimen; all FSCA unless noted otherwise. ALABAMA: Madison Co. Burwell Cave, 22 August 1965, S. Peck; Byrd Spring Cave, 21 June 1967; Oakwood Cave, 13, 21 March 1966, S. Peck; Shelta Cave, numerous collections from 1965–1969 by several collectors (some VMNH); Alladin Cave, numerous collections from 1951–1965 by several collectors (some VMNH). Morgan Co. Talucah Cave, 16 July 1965, S. Peck. Limestone Co. Indian Cave, 11 July 1971, W. Varnedoe, 19 August 1965, S. Peck.

Notes: Madison, Morgan and Limestone Cos. are partially or wholly in the Highland Rim physiographic province of Alabama, while Jackson Co. is entirely in the Cumberland Plateau province. Shelta Cave, the type locality, is located directly beneath the National Speleological Society national headquarters in Huntsville, Alabama. Approximately 2500 feet (700 m) long, Shelta Cave serves as the NSS laboratory for cave biology. The cave has one of the most diverse underground faunas in the world ( Culver and Sket 2000), with twelve species of troglobionts (terrestrial) and twelve species of stygobionts (aquatic). That the community was dependent for energy input on bat guano was tragically demonstrated when a “bat-unfriendly” gate was placed over the entrance; with the depletion of the bat population, the populations of cave-adapted invertebrate species also declined significantly and at least one species may have become locally extinct (Culver and Sket 200). Remarkably, the Shelta Cave Scoterpes has gone unnamed and undescribed until now. Causey had recognized this species, but I found it labeled under three different names in her collection: “facundus,” “honoratus,” and “haackeri;” these labels may have represented new thoughts about the names rather than implying the presence of three species. In my opinion only a single species, with some variability, is present.