Acanthocreagris heurtaultae, Gardini, 2022

Gardini, Giulio, 2022, Two new species of Acanthocreagris from Corsica and mainland France, and notes on some congeneric species (Pseudoscorpiones: Neobisiidae), Fragmenta entomologica (Frag. Entomol., Roma) 54 (1), pp. 119-132 : 124-126

Acanthocreagris heurtaultae sp. n.

Type material. FRANCE: Var : Holotype ♂, Toulon , Évenos, Grotte de l’Homme Fère (= Baume Fère) n. 2053046 (43°11’30.42”N 5°54’56.34”E), 605 m, 11 Apr 1993, R. Sciaky leg. ( MNHN).

Diagnosis (♂). A subterranean troglomorphic Acanthocreagris from south-eastern France that differs from other French and Italian species of the genus in the following combination of characters: no eyes or eye-spots; galea apically with three branches, not reaching the apex of the cheliceral movable finger; trochanter with 5 spiniform setae with simple and acuminate tips; pedipalpal femur length 1.16 mm, 5.15 times as long as broad; patella 1.04 mm, 4.0 ×, ratio between club and pedicel 2.3; chela with pedicel 1.89 mm, 4.90 ×; disto-antiaxial and disto-paraxial sides of chelal hand with one and seven prominent subcylindrical sensilla, respectively; movable chelal finger 1.07 mm; ratio between movable finger and hand with pedicel 1.16, ratio between femur and movable finger 1.08, ratio between pedipalpal femur and carapace 1.34; fixed and movable chelal fingers with 95 and 83 teeth, respectively.

Etymology. Dedicated to the late Jacqueline Heurtault (1936 – 2000), Professor at Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle of Paris, in memory of her competence, helpfullness and courtesy.

Description of adult (♂). Carapace, chelicera, pedipalps and palpal coxae red-brown pale. Carapace 1.53 times as long as broad, without eyes or eye-spots, anterior margin slightly prominent, without epistome (Fig. 18); 24 macrosetae, anterior and posterior rows with 4 and 6 macrosetae, respectively, besides 1 “preocular” seta on each side. Chaetotaxy of tergites I–XI: 6:7:9:10:9:12:13:12:11:9:8. Chaetotaxy of sternites II–XI: 15:6:6:13:16:16:17:15:12:8, genital atrium with 2+2 setae; median genital sac not seen; sternites III and IV each with 3 microsetae in front on each stigma, sternites VI–VIII with 2 discal setae; anal cone with 2+2 setae. Chelicera 1.91 times as long as broad, palm with 6 setae; fixed finger with 19–21, movable finger with 17– 19 subequal teeth; gs ratio 0.72, galea apically with three branches, not reaching the apex of the cheliceral movable finger (Fig. 19); rallum with 8 blades, the three distal ones laterally pinnate, followed by two blades briefly pinnate, one apparently smooth, one serrate and the proximal one apically briefly pinnate, the latter shorter; serrula exterior with about 27 blades. Manducatory process with 3 setae. Coxal setae: pedipalp 6, I 5, II 7, III 5, IV 7–8; anterolateral process of coxa I sharp, apically pointed (Fig. 20). Pedipalp (Figs 21–25): trochanter with granular surface, 3.15 times as long as broad, without tubercles on paraxial face, with 5 spiniform setae with simple and acuminate tips; femur gradually widened in the proximal third, then parallel in the distal two thirds, 5.15 times as long as broad, with granular surface as in fig. 21; patella 4.0 times as long as broad, club elongate and granular on paraxial face, pedicel granular, ratio between club and pedicel 2.3, ratio X/Y = 0.24; chela with pedicel 4.9 times as long as broad; hand of chela with pedicel 2.38 times as long as broad, elongated oval in dorsal view with a slightly convex paraxial profile, with granular surface as in figs 22–23; disto-antiaxial and disto-paraxial sides of chelal hand with one and seven prominent subcylindrical sensilla, respectively (Figs 22–23, 25); fixed chelal finger with 95 contiguous teeth with dental canals (Figs 23–24), venom duct short, nodus ramosus subterminal, subterminal sensillum as in fig. 23; movable chelal finger with 83 contiguous teeth with dental canals (Figs 23–24) reaching back near b; movable chelal finger with four sensilla, two of which subterminal (Fig. 23), the others distad sb, at the level of the 28th and 30th tooth; trichobothria as in figs 22–23, relative position of trichobothria along chelal axis: et 0.11/ it 0.22/ est 0.29/ ist 0.36/ isb 0.70/ ib 0.83/ esb 0.91/ eb 0.95/ t 0.24/ st 0.41/ sb 0.67/ b 0.86; ratio between movable finger and hand of chela with pedicel 1.16; ratio between pedipalpal femur and movable finger 1.08; ratio between pedipalpal femur and carapace 1.34. Leg IV (Fig. 26): trochanter 2.68 times as long as deep, femur + patella 3.58 times as long as deep, tibia 5.76 times, basitarsus 2.94 times, telotarsus 6.0 times as long as deep, tactile seta in the proximal half (TS = 0.28), ratio between basitarsus and telotarsus 0.62, subterminal seta furcate, claws with a small dorsal tooth.

Measurements (mm). Body length 2.5 (weakly contracted). Carapace 0.86 × 0.56 anteriorly. Chelicera 0.46 × 0.24, movable finger length 0.315. Pedipalp: trochanter 0.63 × 0.20; femur 1.16 × 0.225; patella 1.04 × 0.26; chela with pedicel 1.89 × 0.385 (depth 0.36); hand with pedicel length 0.92; movable finger length 1.07. Leg IV: trochant- er 0.39 × 0.145; femur + patella 0.86 × 0.24; tibia 0.75 × 0.13; basitarsus 0.28 × 0.095; telotarsus 0.45 × 0.075.

Remarks. Two species of the genus Acanthocreagris are currently known from southeastern France, A. lucifuga (Simon, 1879) and A. myops (Simon, 1881) . Acanthocreagris lucifuga was described from the “grotte d’Esparron près Hyères” (probably Grotte du Bourg d’Esparron, Esparron-de-Verdon, Alpes de Haute-Provence) and subsequently recorded from epigean environments near Nice by Gardini (1998) and from the underground galleries of the Prince’s Palace in Monaco by Lemaire & Raffaldi (2016). Acanthocreagris myops was described from Sospel (Alpes-Maritimes) and subsequently recorded from localities from western Liguria and Lombardy ( Gardini 1998; see below under A. myops ). Both species differ from A. heurtaultae sp. n., as well as for evident adaptive characters (presence of eyes, smaller dimensions and stubby appendages), in the shape of cheliceral galea (elongate galea with simple and acute tip in A. lucifuga , widely rounded galea in A. myops , elongate galea with branched tip in A. heurtaultae sp. n.) and for the sensillar structures on the chelal hand (without prominent subcylindrical sensilla both in A. lucifuga and in A. myops , with one and seven prominent subcylindrical sensilla on disto-antiaxial and disto-paraxial sides of chelal hand, respectively, in A. heurtaultae sp. n.). Moreover, A. myops has the spiniform setae of palpal trochanter with shortly bifide tips, while A. lucifuga and A. heurtaultae sp. n. have the spiniform setae with simple and acuminate tips.

The affinities of Acanthocreagris heurtaultae sp. n. are currently not conceivable, as indeed are not even those of A. lucifuga and A. myops , undoubtedly all well characterized species within the genus Acanthocreagris and probable endemites of western Alps.