Pygmarrhopalites kaprusi, Vargovitsh, Robert S., 2009

Vargovitsh, Robert S., 2009, New Cave Arrhopalitidae (Collembola: Symphypleona) from the Crimea (Ukraine), Zootaxa 2047, pp. 1-47 : 26-31

Pygmarrhopalites kaprusi sp. nov.

Figs 91–117, Table 3

Diagnosis. Body slightly reddish or white with long dorsal setae in hind part; 1 + 1 unpigmented eyes; trichobothria ABC placed in close to linear pattern and AB equidistant with BC; antennae about 2.5 times as long as head; Ant IV with 7 subsegments; cephalic setae simple; all claws without tunica and with small inner tooth; empodia with corner tooth and apical filament not exceeding tip of claw; tenaculum with 2 setulae; manubrium with 6 + 6 setae; dens with 1 distinct spine, 2 thickened setae and without IIIpi–IVpi setae; tip of mucro spoon-like; small abdomen with somewhat thickened circumanal setae and rod-like apically serrated appendices anales.

Material examined. Holotype on slide (C-232-9): female, Ukraine, Crimea, Karabi Massif, Kastere Cave (- 70 m), 4.08.1998. Paratypes on slides: male, 8 females, juv., together with holotype; female, same cave, 10.08.1993. Holotype and 8 paratypes are preserved in SIZNAS, 2 paratypes in SNHML.

Other material (on slides). Chatyr-Dag Massif: 2 males, female, Emine-Bair-Coba Cave (- 100 m), 13.vii.1997; 3 females, Gorshenina Cave (- 80 m), 14.vii.1997; female, Koshina Cave, 19.vii.1997; Karabi Massif: 2 males, 2 females, 200 Let Simferopolya Cave (- 60 m), 8.vii.1994; 4 females, same cave, 5.viii.1998; 5 males, 2 females, 2 juv., Skazka Cave, (- 20 m), 4.viii.2003; female, male, Suvorovskaya Cave (- 140 m), 7.viii.2003; Dolgorukovsky Massif: 3 males, 4 females, 2 juv., Kizil-Coba Cave, 12.viii.1998; juv., Lu-Khosar Cave, 10.viii.1998. Besides slides, part of material is preserved in alcohol.

Description. Female: body 1–1.3 mm length, slightly reddish or white in alcohol (Fig. 91).

Head (Fig. 92): eyes 1 + 1, unpigmented. Clypeal area with axial seta in row a. Interantennal area with axial seta in row β. Frontal area with 3 axial setae in rows A, B and C; paired setae of rows C and D longer and thicker than others (Fig 101); no spiny setae.

Antennae 2.3–2.8 times as long as head. Ant I: II: III: IV = 1: 2.1–2.6: 3.7–4.2: 10.6–11.8. Ant I with 7 setae; Ant II with 15 setae, one of them in subbasal part longer than others ( Fig. 105 ). Ant III ( Fig. 106 ): without swelling, with 18 setae and 2 sense rods; seta Aai short, setae Api and Ape shorter and thinner than others. Ant IV ( Figs 107, 108 ) distinctly subdivided into 7 subsegments. Subsegmental formula: 1 + 5 + 1 = (A + M1) + (M2–M6) + (B). Median subsegments elongated, each of them 2.5–3 times as long as wide. Basal subsegment of Ant IV 2 –2.4 times as long as apical subsegment and subequal to Ant III (1: 0.9–1.1). 13–14 whorls of setae are on Ant IV: 4 on apical subsegment, 5 on median subsegments and 4–5 on basal subsegment, whorl BM2 usually missing.

Foreleg: precoxae and coxa with 1, 0, 1 setae (Fig. 93). Trochanter with 3 anterior and 1 posterior setae; femur with 11–12 setae ( Fig. 111 ) among which 2 very thin posterior setulae; seta a4 turned perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the segment. Tibiotarsus ( Fig. 112 ): 3 setae FP and seta FSa present; whorl I with 9 setae, each of whorls II–V with 8 setae. Claw with small inner tooth; empodium with small corner tooth and apical filament approximately reaching claws tip ( Fig. 112 ). Claw 4.6–5.7 times shorter than tibiotarsus.

Mid leg: precoxae and coxa with 1, 1, 3 setae (Fig. 93). Trochanter with anterior trochanteral organ, 2 anterior and 1 posterior simple setae; femur with 13 setae: subapical posterior one is very small ( Fig. 114 ). Tibiotarsus ( Fig. 113 ): 3 setae FP and seta FSa present; whorl I with 9 setae, each of whorls II–IV with 8 setae, whorl V with 7–8 setae. Claw as in foreleg; empodium broader than in foreleg, with small corner tooth, shorter than claw ( Fig. 113 ). Claw 5.2–6.4 times shorter than tibiotarsus.

Hind leg: precoxae and coxa with 1, 1, 3 setae (Fig. 93). Trochanter with anterior trochanteral organ, 3 anterior and 1 posterior setae; femur with 12 setae: 2 posterior ones are very small ( Fig. 116 ). Chaetotaxy of tibiotarsus as in mid leg, whorl V with 7 setae ( Fig. 115 ). Claw slightly shorter than fore and mid claw, with small inner tooth; empodium broader than in mid leg, shorter than claw, with minute corner tooth ( Fig. 115 ). Claw 6.6–8 times shorter than tibiotarsus.

Length ratio of tibiotarsi I: II: III = 1: 1–1.1: 1.2–1.3.

Ventral tube with 2 small slightly curved subapical setulae. Tenaculum (Fig. 104): ramus 3-dentate, with basal appendage; anterior lobe with 2 apical setulae; tip of posterior lobe exceeding tip of anterior lobe.

Furca ( Fig. 117 ): manubrium with 6 + 6 posterior setae. Posterior and anterior dens chaetotaxy as in Fig. 117 and Table 3: one outer spine Ie present (Fig. 102); setae Ii and IIpe somewhat thickened; setae IIIpi and IVpi missing. Mucro with serrated edges; tip spoon-like broadened (Fig. 103). Dens 1.5–1.8 times as long as mucro.

Great abdomen: Anterior part of body with short simple setae (Fig. 96). Trichobothria ABC form an angle about 170o (trichobothrium B is only slightly out of line AC or in line with AC). AB and BC equidistant (AB≤BC). Single seta of p-row of Abd I is located below the level of trichobothrium B anteriorly to the Pygmarrhopalites kaprusi : 91, outline of habitus; 92, chaetotaxy of head, frontal view; 93, chaetotaxy of great abdomen, lateral view; 94–102, shape of setae: (dI-1) of great abdomen (94), posterior dorsal seta of great abdomen (95), anterior dorsal seta of abdomen (96), (mps2) of Abd VI (97), (ms1) of Abd VI (98), appendices anales, dorsal view (99) and lateral view (100), seta of head vertex (101), (Ie) of dens (102); 103, apex of mucro; 104, tenaculum.

trichobothrial complex (marked with arrow); seta b1 lies approximately in the middle of the line between trichobothria B and C; seta c1 of thichobothrial complex lies on the level of trichobothrium C or lower. Posterior lateral complex with 7 setae; furca base complex with 9 setae; ventral complex with 2 setae. Posterior dorsal complex with 3 rows of long setae, 1.7–2 times as long as hind claw (Figs 94–95).

Fifth abdominal segment with trichobothrium D and 4 setae.

Sixth abdominal segment ( Fig. 109 ): setae mps2-mps3 of dorsal anal valve and mpi1-mpi2 of ventrolateral anal valves broader than others (Fig. 97). Appendices anales inserted in a special shaped papilla, rod-like, with the tip a little broadened and serrated (Figs 99, 100); 1.4–1.7 times shorter than hind claw.

Male: maximum body length 0.9 mm. Small abdomen with lesser than in female number of setae and none of setae is broadened ( Fig. 110 ). Body proportions similar to females.

Variability. Four or three axial setae on head dorsum: axial seta of row B sometimes missing and in this case axial seta of row A is shifted posteriorly. Subsegments of Ant IV usually 7, but pseudosubsegmentation and unusual separation between subsegments ( Fig. 108 ) in single specimens have been observed. In 28% of specimens basal or next to the basal subsegment has from slightly to completely separated small intercalar (pseudo)subsegment without setae ( Fig. 107 : under whorl M6). Femur of foreleg with 11 or 12 setae. Specimens from caves of Chatyr-Dag Massif show unusual mid tibiotarsal chaetotaxy of whorl V: 8 setae present (normally 7) because of duplicating of Vai seta ( Fig. 113 ). Empodium of hind leg sometimes without corner tooth. Seta mps2 of dorsal anal valve sometimes forked.

Bionomy and distribution. All specimens were collected in deep parts of caves from water surface of lakes and pools. All examined females were with two symmetrical packets of eggs in the genital abdominal segment, each with about 20– 30 eggs, and all males respectively with sperm ductus towards genital opening. The species inhabits caves of adjacent Karabi and Dolgorukovsky and somewhat detached Chatyr-Dag massifs of Eastern biospeleological region of Mountainous Crimea. It is sympatric with P. tauricus sp. nov. within these three massifs, with described below P. pseudoprincipalis sp. nov. within Karabi and Dolgorukovsky massifs and occurs together with A. karabiensis within Karabi Massif ( Table 1 ). I consider P. kaprusi as troglomorphic troglobiont, even if it inhabits different split massifs. The question of troglobitism can not be restricted to the modern possibilities of dispertion. We can suppose that massifs with modern erosion net is geologically young and apart – troglobite species in constant environment could be old. So, closely situated massifs can be younger (originally one massif splitted by water erosion) than some of studied collembolan species. And not only collembolan. Some Crimean massifs share the same troglobitic species of Coleoptera , Pseudoscorpiones , Isopoda , etc. Another possibility is through MSS––this type of cavernicolous environment has never been studied in the Crimea.

Etymology. This species is named in honour of my colleague collembologist Dr. Ighor Kaprus’.

Remarks. P. kaprusi sp. nov. belongs to the group of species with only one (Ie) spine on dens, although 2 somewhat thickened setae are present ( Fig. 117 ; Table 3). This character together with absence of dens setae IIIpi and IVpi resemble P. boneti ( Stach, 1945) from Spanish caves. From P. boneti described species differs by: 7 subsegments on Ant IV; basal subsegment of Ant IV more than twice as long as apical (subequal in P. boneti ); empodial tip of foreleg not overtoping claws tip; empodium of hind leg with a corner tooth usually present; dens: mucro = 1.5–1.8 (1.3 in P. boneti ).

Figures

FIGURES 105 – 110. Pygmarrhopalites kaprusi sp. nov.: 105 – 107, chaetotaxy of antennal segments: Ant I – II (105) and Ant III (106), anterior view, Ant IV, posterior view (107); 108, outline of antennal segment IV with swelled separations between subsegments; 109 – 110, chaetotaxy of Abd VI: female (109) and male (110).

FIGURES 111 – 117. Pygmarrhopalites kaprusi sp. nov.: 111 – 112, chaetotaxy of foreleg, anterior view: trochanter and femur (111), tibiotarsus and foot complex (112); 113 – 114, chaetotaxy of mid leg, anterior view: tibiotarsus and foot complex (113), trochanter and femur (114); 115 – 116, chaetotaxy of hind leg, anterior view: tibiotarsus and foot complex (115), trochanter and femur (116); 117, chaetotaxy of furca, posterior view.