Spelaeochthonius tuoliangensis, Hou & Zhang, 2024

Hou, Yanmeng & Zhang, Feng, 2024, Three new species of dragon pseudoscorpions (Pseudoscorpiones, Pseudotyrannochthoniidae) from China, ZooKeys 1204, pp. 135-154 : 135-154

Spelaeochthonius tuoliangensis sp. nov.

Figs 1 , 9 , 10 , 11

Chinese name.

驼梁穴伪蝎.

Type material.

Holotype: China • ♀; Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang City, Pingshan County, Tuoliang National Nature Reserve ; 38 ° 43.233 ′ N, 113 ° 46.800 ′ E; 1620 m a. s. l.; 13 May. 2018; Xiangbo Guo and Zhaoyi Li leg. (Fig. 1 ); Ps. - MHBU - HB 2018.05.13-01-01 . Paratype: • 1 ♀; same data as for holotype; Ps. - MHBU - HB 2018.05.13-01-02 .

Diagnosis

(♀). Spelaeochthonius tuoliangensis sp. nov. can be separated from its congeners by its visible eyespots. It is most similar to S. huanglaoensis sp. nov. but differs from it in having shorter pedipalps (e. g. chela 5.48–5.71 × vs 6.14 × longer than broad, length 1.15–1.20 mm vs 1.72 mm; palpal femur 5.00–5.13 × vs 6.00 × longer than broad, length 0.77–0.80 mm vs 1.20 mm) and more setae on tergite I (4 vs 2). It differs from the two congeners from China, S. wulibeiensis and S. yinae , in having more setae on tergite I (four vs two) and shorter pedipalps (e. g. chela length 1.15–1.20 mm vs 1.76 / 1.89 mm; palpal femur 5.00–5.13 × vs 6.40 / 7.26 × longer than broad, length 0.77–0.80 mm vs 1.28 / 1.30 mm).

Etymology.

This species is named after its type locality, Tuoliang National Nature Reserve.

Description.

Adult females (male unknown) (Figs 9 – 11 ). Colour: generally pale yellow; chelicerae, pedipalps, and tergites slightly darker; soft parts pale. Cephalothorax (Figs 9 B, C , 10 A , 11 A, B, D, E ): carapace inverted-trapezoid, 0.98–1.02 × longer than broad, gently narrowed posteriorly; surface mostly with fine reticulations, without furrows but with four anterior lyrifissures and two posterior lyrifissures; with two pairs of eyespots and eye region bulging and convex in dorsal view; epistome present and with some tiny spinules; with 16 setae arranged s 4 s: 4: 2: 2: 2, most setae heavy, long, and gently curved. Chaetotaxy of coxae: P 3, I 5, II 4, III 4, IV 4; manducatory process with two acuminate distal setae, anterior seta more than 1 / 2 length of medial seta (Fig. 11 D ); coxal spines present on coxa I only, comprising a transverse, contiguous series of seven or eight tridentate blades, which arise from a lightly sclerotized or translucent hillock, the central ramus of each blade (except the basal one) sharply acumino-spatulate and extending beyond the lateral rami (Fig. 11 A, B ); a small, bisetose intercoxal tubercle present between coxae III and IV (Fig. 11 E ). Chelicera (Figs 9 D , 10 B, C , 11 C, F ): large, approximately as long as carapace, 2.12–2.19 × longer than broad; six setae and two lyrifissures (exterior condylar lyrifissure and exterior lyrifissure) present on hand, movable finger with one medial seta, all setae acuminate, ventrobasal seta shorter than others. Cheliceral palm with moderate hispid granulation on both ventral and dorsal sides. Both fingers with well-developed teeth, fixed finger with 12 or 13 acute teeth, distal one largest; movable finger with 14–16 retrorse contiguous teeth of equal length; galea absent. Serrula exterior with 19 blades and serrula interior with 15–17 blades (Fig. 11 F ). Rallum in two rows and composed of 11 finely pinnate blades (Figs 10 C , 11 C ). Pedipalp (Figs 9 E , 10 D – F ): surfaces mostly with fine reticulations; long and slender, trochanter 1.53–1.73, femur 5.00–5.13, patella 2.25–2.40, chela 5.48–5.71, hand 2.05–2.10 × longer than broad; femur 2.14–2.22 × longer than patella; movable chelal finger 1.70–1.77 × longer than hand and 0.63–0.65 × longer than chela. Setae generally long and acuminate; two distal lyrifissures present on patella (Fig. 10 E ). Chelal palm slightly constricted towards fingers. Fixed chelal finger and hand with eight trichobothria plus duplex trichobothrium (dt), movable chelal finger with four trichobothria, ib, isb, eb, esb, and ist clustered at the base of fixed finger, ist slightly distal to esb; it slightly distal to est, situated subdistally and forming a pair; et situated subdistally, very close to chelal teeth; dt situated distal to et, near the tip of fixed finger; sb distinctly closer to b than to st (Fig. 10 D ). Microsetae (chemosensory setae) absent on hand and both palpal fingers. Sensilla absent. Both chelal fingers with a row of teeth, homodentate, spaced regularly along the margin, larger and well-spaced teeth present in the middle of the row, becoming smaller and closer distally and proximally: fixed chelal finger with 21 teeth, slightly retrorse and pointed; movable chelal finger with 13 teeth (slightly smaller than teeth on fixed chelal finger) (Figs 9 E , 10 D ). Chelal fingers straight in dorsal view (Fig. 10 F ). Opisthosoma: generally typical, ovate, pleural membrane finely granulated. Tergites and sternites undivided; setae uniseriate and acuminate. Tergal chaetotaxy I – XII: 4: 5–6: 6: 6: 6: 7: 7: 7: 5–6: 4: TT: 0. Sternal chaetotaxy IV – XII: 12–13: 11–12: 11–12: 9–10: 9–11: 8–9: 8–9: 0: 2. Anterior genital operculum with six setae plus 13 or 14 setae on posterior margin, 19 or 20 in total (Fig. 9 F ). Legs (Fig. 10 G, H ): generally typical, long, and slender. Fine granulation present on anterodorsal faces of femur IV and patella IV. Femur of leg I 1.58–1.71 × longer than patella and with one lyrifissure at the base of femur; tarsus 2.09–2.27 × longer than tibia. Femoropatella of leg IV 2.76–2.77 × longer than deep; tibia 4.90–5.22 × longer than deep; with a long tactile seta on both tarsal segments: basitarsus 3.00–3.14 × longer than deep (TS = 0.32–0.38), telotarsus 9.20–9.60 × longer than deep and 2.09–2.29 × longer than basitarsus (TS = 0.35). Arolium slightly shorter than the claws, not divided; claws simple. Dimensions of adult females (length / breadth or, in the case of the legs, length / depth in mm). Body length 1.71–1.88. Pedipalps: trochanter 0.23–0.26 / 0.15, femur 0.77–0.80 / 0.15 – 0.16, patella 0.336 / 0.15–0.16, chela 1.15–1.20 / 0.21, hand 0.43–0.44 / 0.21, movable finger length 0.73–0.78. Chelicera 0.55–0.57 / 0.26, movable finger length 0.29. Carapace 0.57 / 0.56–0.58. Leg I: trochanter 0.16 / 0.13–0.14, femur 0.41 / 0.08–0.09, patella 0.24–0.26 / 0.07, tibia 0.22 / 0.06, tarsus 0.46–0.50 / 0.05. Leg IV: trochanter 0.25 / 0.14–0.15, femoropatella 0.58–0.61 / 0.21 – 0.22, tibia 0.47–0.49 / 0.09 – 0.10, basitarsus 0.21–0.22 / 0.07, telotarsus 0.46–0.48 / 0.05.

Distribution.

China (Hebei).

Figures

Figure 1. Distribution of all Pseudotyrannochthoniidae species in China. 1 Allochthonius liaoningensis Hu & Zhang, 2012 2 A. exornatus Gao & Zhang, 2013 3 A. wui Hu & Zhang, 2011 4 A. jingyuanus Zhang & Zhang, 2014 5 A. brevitus 6 A. sichuanensis (Schawaller, 1995) 7 A. hispidus sp. nov. 8 A. lini Li, 2023 9 A. xuae Li, 2023 10 A. bainiensis 11 A. pandus 12 A. xinqiaoensis 13 A. fanjingshan Gao, Zhang & Zhang, 2016 14 A. trigonus Hu & Zhang, 2011 15 A. fuscus Hu & Zhang, 2011 16 Centrochthonius kozlovi (Redikorzev, 1918) 17 C. cheni (Gao, Zhang & Zhang, 2016) 18 Spelaeochthonius huanglaoensis sp. nov. 19 S. tuoliangensis sp. nov. 20 S. yinae 21 S. wulibeiensis.

Figure 9. Spelaeochthonius tuoliangensis sp. nov., holotype female A habitus (dorsal view) B carapace (dorsal view) C carapace (lateral view), indicate eyespots (red arrows) D left chelicera (dorsal view) E left chela (lateral view) F female genital area (ventral view). Scale bars: 0.50 mm (A); 0.20 mm (E); 0.10 mm (B – D, F).

Figure 10. Spelaeochthonius tuoliangensis sp. nov., holotype female A carapace (dorsal view) B left chelicera (dorsal view), with details of teeth C rallum D left chela (lateral view), with details of trichobothrial pattern E left pedipalp (minus chela, dorsal view) F left chela (dorsal view) G leg I (lateral view) H leg IV (lateral view). Scale bars: 0.20 mm.

Figure 11. Spelaeochthonius tuoliangensis sp. nov. scanning electron micrographs, paratype female A left coxal spines B right coxal spines, with details of tips C rallum D manducatory process E intercoxal tubercle F serrula exterior. Scale bars: 20 μm (C, D, F); 10 μm (A, B, E).