Plusiocampa (Plusiocampa) tinoamorei Sendra & Nicolosi, 2019

Sendra, Alberto, Nicolosi, Giuseppe & Amore, Elena, 2019, Subterranean Campodeidae fauna from Sicily (Diplura): its biogeographical interest with the description of a new species of Plusiocampa, Zootaxa 4679 (2), pp. 297-317 : 298-301

Plusiocampa (Plusiocampa) tinoamorei Sendra & Nicolosi sp. nov.

Figs. 1–23 ; Tables 1, 2.

Etymology. This species is dedicated to Prof. Concetto Amore (1940–2018), knows as Tino Amore, geologist and associate professor of Sedimentology and Coastal Dynamics at the University of Catania. An expert in karstic processes, he made the census of the Hyblean caves in the province of Syracuse. Prof. Amore was a highly respected authority in the study of erosion phenomena of the coasts and watersheds. As Director of CUTGANA in the period 2007–2010, he worked to protect the Sicilian natural heritage.

Type material. Female holotype labelled ♀ 1from Villasmundo cave,Melilli, Siracusa, Sicily, Italy (15°06'22.3"E, 37°13'17.2"N), 29 th July 2018, Giuseppe Nicolosi leg. One male and two juveniles paratypes labelled ♂ 1, juv1 and juv2, same cave, date and collector. One juvenile paratype labeled juv3, 5 July 2018, same cave and collector. One female and one male paratypes labelled ♀ 2 and ♂ 2 from Scrivilleri cave, Priolo Gargallo, Siracusa, Sicily, Italy (37°08'28.9"N 15°09'34.5"E), 30 June 2018, Giuseppe Nicolosi leg. All type material mounted in Marc André II solution, deposit in first author’s private collection.

Other studied material. Six paratypes from Villasmundo cave, Melilli, Siracusa, Sicily, Italy, 11 th October 2018, Giuseppe Nicolosi leg., mounted on two separates aluminum stages and coated with palladium-gold.

Description. Body length 3.0 and 4.5 mm (males), 3.4 and 4.2 mm (females) and 2.7–3.0 mm (juveniles, n= 3). Epicuticle smooth under optical microscopy but weakly reticulated in high magnifications as roundish polygonal structures of variable size ( Fig. 7 ); body with a small number of thin clothing setae with thin distal barbs.

Antennae with 37 to 41 antennomeres; antennae approximately as long as the body length (1–0.9) with medial antennomeres 1.1–1.3 times longer than wide, apical antennomere 2 times longer than wide. Cupuliform organ occupying 1/5 to 1/4 of the total length of the apical antennomere, with about eight large complex olfactory chemoreceptors, each one a multiperforated fold in a rose-form structure, all tightly packed in the narrow open space of the cupuliform organ ( Figs. 1, 2 ). Distal and central antennomeres with two whorls of smooth or distal barbed macrosetae and scattered smooth setae in addition to a single distal whorl of 8–10 moderately long gouge sensilla 26–28 µm long ( Figs. 1, 3, 4 ) and two very short, grooved bud-like sensilla 5 µm long; bud-like sensilla, more than one, also present in the apical antennomere. Proximal antennomeres with typical trichobothria plus a small sensillum on third antennomere in ventral position.

Very slight protrusion of frontal process with slightly differentiated smooth macrosetae ( Figs. 5, 6 ). The three macrosetae along each side of the line of insertion of antennomere and x setae with thin distal barbs; length ratios of a/i/p/x as 15/20/17/20 ( Fig. 12 ). Suboval labial palps with small latero-external sensillum, two guard setae, up to six setae on anterior border and up to 60 neuroglandular setae.

Thoracic macroseta distribution ( Fig. 9 ): pronotum with 1+1 ma, 4+4 la, 2+2 lp macrosetae and 1+1 slightly differentiated interior ma setae; mesonotum with 1+1 ma, 3+3 la, 2+2 lp 1, 3, 1+1 mp macrosetae; metanotum with 1+1 ma, 1+1 la, 2+2 lp 2, 3, 1+1 mp macrosetae. All macrosetae long with thin barbs along basal half to two-thirds of each seta; thin marginal setae double the length of clothing setae, and both with thin distal barbs ( Figs. 7–9 ). Legs elongated, metathoracic legs reaching abdominal segments IX or X. Tibia slightly longer than femur and tarsus, which are similar in length ( Table 1, Fig. 10 ). Femora I–III each with one long dorsal macrosetae well differentiated with thin long barbs on the distal half ( Fig. 10 ). Calcars with long, thin barbs throughout ( Fig. 15 ). Tibia I–III with two or three well barbed ventral macrosetae (exceptionally four on tibia III) ( Fig. 10 ). Two or three dorsal, lateral and ventral tarsal setae similar to clothing setae but much longer ( Fig. 11, 14 ). Claws: posterior slightly longer (1.08–1.12: ratio posterior/anterior); large lateral crests; ventral side of the claws noticeably ridged and covered with a micro-granulated surface; and posterior claw with large backward overhang ( Figs. 11–14 ).

Distribution of abdominal macrosetae on tergites ( Fig. 16 ): 1+1 post 1 on I–III; 1+1 la, 3+3 lp 1,2,3 on IV; 1+1 la, 5+5 lp1, 2,3,4,5 on V–VII: 6+6 (5+6) lp 1,2,3,4,5,6 on VIII; and 8+8 lp 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 on IX abdominal segment.All tergal abdominal macrosetae long and well differentiated with thin barbs along the distal third to half.

Urosternite I with 7+7 macrosetae ( Fig. 17–18 ); urosternites II to VII with 5+5 macrosetae; urosternite VIII with 2+2 macrosetae; urosternal macrosetae of medium length or longer, with long barbs. Stylus with a long apical seta with two to three thin barbs and with at least one basal tooth; subapical and ventromedial setae with four to six longer barbs ( Fig. 23 ). Cerci almost double the body length, 1.53 and 1.95 times longer than body in the two apparently intact cerci; with six and five primary articles not counting the basal article ( Figs. 19–22 , Table 2). Length of the cerci increasing slightly from the proximal to distal articles; in addition, the number of whorls of macrosetae macroseta number increasing from about six to more than twenty. All primary articles with a distal thin, barbed whorl seta ( Fig. 22 ).

Female urosternite I with short subcylindrical appendages, each bearing up to 10 glandular a 1 setae in a distal field.

Male urosternite I with short, slightly thickened subcylindrical appendages, each bearing about 14 glandular a 1 setae in a distal field; posterior edge of the first urosternite with a glandular field of up to 108 glandular g 1 setae, two to three rows of which overlap the posterior margin of the first urosternite ( Figs. 17, 18 ).

Remarks. Plusiocampa (Plusiocampa) tinoamorei sp. nov. belongs to the group of Plusiocampa s. str. with thoracic medial posterior macrosetae. This group appears to be a monophyletic group well represented in European karstic regions including most of the Mediterranean islands ( Sendra et al. 2003, in press). Focusing on the Western Mediterranean Islands, this group of Plusiocampa species with thoracic mp macrosetae inhabit subterranean habitats in Mallorca ( Plusiocampa (Plusiocampa) fagei Condé 1955 ), Ibiza and Formentera ( Plusiocampa (Plusiocampa) breuili Condé 1955 ) and Sardinia ( Plusiocampa (Plusiocampa) sardiniana Condé 1981 and Plusiocampa (Plusiocampa) socia Condé, 1983 ). They also occur in soil environments of Corsica and the Pontine Islands ( Plusiocampa (Plusiocampa) cyrnensis Condé 1953 and Plusiocampa (Plusiocampa) notabilis Silvestri 1912 ), as well as the deep subterranean ecosystem in karstic regions of southern Sicily ( P. (P.) tinoamorei sp. nov.) ( Condé 1946a, 1947a, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1978, 1983; Sendra et al. in press). In the Western Euro-Mediterranean inland karstic regions, this monophyletic group has a fragmented representation in the Italian Peninsula up to the Rhône Valley ( Plusiocampa (Plusiocampa) bonadonai bonadonai Condé 1948 , Plusiocampa (Plusiocampa) bonadonai lanzai Condé 1961 , Plusiocampa (Plusiocampa) bonadonai pavani Condé & Poivre 1982 , Plusiocampa (Plusiocampa) magdalenae Condé 1957 , Plusiocampa (Plusiocampa) provincialis provincialis Condé 1949 , Plusiocampa (Plusiocampa) provincialis praedita Condé 1949 and Plusiocampa (Plusiocampa) romana Condé 1954 ) and throughout the Baetic Mountains ( Plusiocampa (Plusicampa) lagari Sendra & Condé 1987 and Plusiocampa (Plusiocampa) lucenti Sendra & Condé 1986 ) ( Condé 1954, 1961, 1981; Condé & Poivre 1982; Sendra & Condé 1986, 1987; Sendra et al. 2004). Of these taxa, P. (P.) tinoamorei sp. nov. seems to be most closely related to P. (P.) bonadonai , a species well distributed throughout the Western Alps. Plusiocampa (P.) tinoamorei sp. nov. has 3+3 posterior macrosetae on the fourth urotergite, whereas P. (P.) bonadonai has 5+5. In addition, P. (P.) tinoamorei sp. nov. has larger and more unequal claws (1.08–1.12) than P. (P.) bonadonai (1.05) and more numerous antennomeres (37–41 in P. (P.) tinoamorei sp. nov., 31–37 in P. (P.) bonadonai ).

Figures

FIGURE 16. Plusiocampa (Plusiocampa) tinoamorei sp. nov. Urotergites I–IX, left side, holotype.

FIGURES 1–4. Plusiocampa (Plusiocampa) tinoamorei sp. nov., paratype. 1) Distal antennomeres. 2) Olfactory chemoreceptors within the cupuliform organ. 3) Gouge sensilla from the distal whorl of a medial antennomere. 4) Closeup of portion of gouge sensillum.

FIGURES 5–6. Plusiocampa (Plusiocampa) tinoamorei sp. nov., paratype. 5) Frontal process. 6) Closeup of frontal process.

FIGURES 7–9. Plusiocampa (Plusiocampa) tinoamorei sp. nov. 7) Epicuticle surface on mesonotum, paratype. 8) Epicuticle surfaces on metanotum including the mp macrosetae, paratype. 9) Pro-, meso- and metanotum, right side, holotype.

FIGURES 10–15. Plusiocampa (Plusiocampa) tinoamorei sp. nov. 10) Metathoracic leg, holotype. 11) End of the tarsus and pretarsus, paratype. 12) Detail end of tibia with one calcar indicated with a red arrow, paratype. 13) Claw and lateral processes, lateral side, paratype. 14) Pretarsus, dorsal view, paratype. 15) Detail posterior claw, lateral side, paratype.

FIGURES 17–18. Plusiocampa (Plusiocampa) tinoamorei sp. nov., ♂ paratype. 17. First urosternite of male. 18. Closeup of male first urosternite with g1-glandular.

FIGURES 19–23. Plusiocampa (Plusiocampa) tinoamorei sp. nov. male paratype. 19. Posterior end of abdomen, ventral view, including proximal parts of cerci. 20. Fourth primary cercal article. 21. Apical cercal article. 22. Distal portion of the fourth primary article. 23. Stylus of the sixth urosternite.