Endonura dichaeta, 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 : 54-56

Taxon classification Animalia Collembola Neanuridae

Endonura dichaeta sp. n. Figs 1-4, Table 1

Type material.

Holotype: adult female on slide, Iran, Osmanevand area, near Golestan village (N33°55', E47°06', 1241 m a.s.l.), litter in oak forest, 13.XII.2013, leg. M. Kahrarian. Paratypes: female, two males and two juveniles on slides, same data as holotype.

Other material.

Two females and male on slide, Iran, Osmanevand area, near Chelkooshk village (N34°03', E47°12', 1516 m a.s.l.), litter in oak forest, 31.I.2014, leg. M. Kahrarian; three juveniles on slide, Iran, Paveh county, near Shabankereh village (N34°52.978', E46°30.760', 1632 m a.s.l.), litter in oak forest, 20.I.2014, leg. M. Kahrarian; two females and juvenile, Iran, Kermanshah county, near Chahar zebra-e-oliya village (N34°13', E46°40', 1592 m a.s.l.), litter in oak forest, 24.I.2014, leg. M. Kahrarian.

Etymology.

The species name refers to rare feature within the genus - only two chaetae Di on each side of tubercle (Di+Di) of abdomen V.

Diagnosis.

Habitus typical of the genus Endonura . Dorsal tubercles present and well developed, except tubercles Di on th. I. 2+2 unpigmented eyes. Buccal cone long, labrum ogival. Head with chaetae A, B, C, D, F and G. Chaetae O and E absent. Tubercles Cl and Af separate. Tubercle Cl with chaetae D. Tubercles Dl and (L+So) on head with five and eight chaetae respectively. Tubercles De on th. II and III with three and four chaetae respectively. Tubercles L on abd. III and IV with three and six 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): 0.75-1.55 mm (holotype 1.30 mm). Colour of the body white. 2+2 medium unpigmented eyes (Fig. 1).

Types of dorsal ordinary chaetae. Macrochaetae Ml relatively long, strongly thickened, almost cylindrical, arc-like or straight, narrowly sheathed, feebly serrated, apical ly pointed (Figs 1, 3-4); macrochaetae Mc and Mcc thickened, straight and pointed; mesochaetae and microchaetae short, thin, feebly serrated and pointed.

Head. Labrum ogival, with ventral sclerifications as in Fig. 2. Labrum chaetotaxy 2/2, 4. Labium with four basal, three distal and four lateral chaetae, papillae x absent. Maxilla styliform, mandible thin tridentate. Chaetotaxy of antennae as in Table 1c. Apical vesicle distinct, trilobed. S–chaetae of ant.IV long and moderately thickened. Chaetotaxy of head as in Table 1a, b, and Fig. 1. Chaeta D connected with tubercle Cl. Tubercle Af on head longer than tubercles Oc. Tubercle Dl with five chaetae, chaeta Dl3 absent, chaeta Dl6 as minute microchaeta and hard to detect (Fig. 1). Tubercle (L+So) with eight chaetae, chaetae So2 and L3 absent, chaeta So6 as Mc (Fig. 1). Elementary tubercles BE and CD present. Chaeta A shorter than B.

Thorax, abdomen, legs. Body s–chaeta thin and smooth, shorter than nearby macrochaetae (Figs 3, 4). Chaetotaxy of th. and abd. as in Table 1d and in Figs 3, 4. Tubercles Di on th.I not differentiated. Chaetae De3 on th. III and abd. I–III as Mcc. Chaetae De2 on th. II–III and De3 on th. III connected with tubercle De. Chaetae De3 on abd. I–III connected with tubercle De (Fig. 4). The line of chaetae De1-chaeta s not perpendicular to the dorsomedian line on abd I–III. Furca rudimentary with 2-4 microchaetae. Tubercles Di on abd. V fused, with chaetae Di2 as Mc or Mcc, chaetae Di3 absent (Fig. 4). Chaetae L’ and Vl on abd. V present. IV abd. with 2+2 chaetae Ag. No cryptopygy. Chaetotaxy of legs as in Table 1d.

Remarks.

In general appearance (shape of dorsal chaetae, chaetotaxy of central area of head and dorsal side of thorax and abdomen, complete absence of pigmentation and absence of cryptopygy), Endonura dichaeta sp. n. strongly resembles Endonura tartaginenis Deharveng, 1980 described from Corsica. Nevertheless, both taxa differ in some essential characters, important from taxonomic point of view: presence/absence of chaetae E on head ( dichaeta sp. n. absent, tartaginenis present), number of chaetae Dl on head ( dichaeta sp. n. five, tartaginenis six), number of chaetae (L+So) ( dichaeta sp. n. eight, tartaginenis nine), presence/absence of elementary tubercle EE on head ( dichaeta sp. n. absent, tartaginenis present), presence/absence of tubercles Di on the first thoracic segment ( dichaeta sp. n. absent, tartaginenis present), number of chaetae Di on abd. V ( dichaeta sp. n. 2+2, tartaginenis 3+3) and presence/absence of tooth on claw ( dichaeta sp. n. absent, tartaginenis present). In addition, the new species is characterized by only 2+2 antegenital chaetae ( tartaginenis 3+3) and ogival labrum (unknown in tartaginenis ), characters rarely observed within the genus.