Cryptopygus antarcticus complex

Potapov, Mikhail B., Janion-Scheepers, Charlene & Deharveng, Louis, 2020, Taxonomy of the Cryptopygus complex. III. The revision of South African species of Cryptopygus and Isotominella (Collembola, Isotomidae), ZooKeys 945, pp. 99-127 : 99

Cryptopygus antarcticus complex

Material.

South Africa • Western Cape, Kogelberg Nature Reserve; 34.331833S, 18.952467E; 04 Oct. 2011, C. Janion-Scheepers leg.; litter ( Mimetes sp.), Tullgren extraction; RSAII_KOG010 • Western Cape, Orangekloof, Table Mountain National Park; 33.983883S, 18.403050E; 24 Oct. 2011, C. Janion-Scheepers leg.; indigenous vegetation litter, Tullgren extraction; RSAII_OK026 • Western Cape, Orangekloof, Table Mountain National Park; 33.975917S, 18.407667E; 24 Oct.2011; C. Janion-Scheepers leg.; indigenous vegetation litter, Tullgren extraction; RSAII_OK029 • South Africa, Western Cape, Table Mountain National Park, Cape Point, Platboom; 34.336017S, 18.447633E; 06 Aug. 2009; Tullgren extraction; RSA09_PEN008) • South Africa, Western Cape, Outeniqua, 33.887583S, 22.424067E, Afromontane Forest leaf litter Tullgren extraction (OUTF38), 14.ii.2013, A. Liu leg.; SAF-627 • Prince Albert: Swartberg South: Swartberg south slope; 12 March 2019; L. Deharveng & A. Bedos leg.; moss, moss on rock, Berlese; SAF-614, • Prince Albert, Swartberg North: Swartberg crest, 12 March 2019; L. Deharveng, C. Janion-Scheepers & A. Bedos leg.; moss, moss on rock, Berlese; SAF-401 • Constantia: Orange Kloof; 09 Jan. 2012; L. Deharveng & A. Bedos leg.; restio, litter, litter and humus, Berlese.

Diagnosis of the " antarcticus complex".

4+4 to 6+6 ocelli. Manubrium with 1+1 chaetae on anterior side. Dens stout, not crenulated, with 4-6 anterior and 3-4 posterior chaetae. Mucro bidentate. Clavate tibiotarsal hairs present.

Distribution and ecology.

Currently known from the indigenous vegetation from the larger Table Mountain National park area, and the Outeniqua (George) area.

Discussion.

So far several subspecies and species resemble typical antarctic species C. antarcticus Willem, 1902 ( C. antarcticus maximus Deharveng, 1981, C. antarcticus travei Deharveng, 1981, C. antarcticus reagens (Enderlein, 1909), C. quinqueoculatus Izarra, 1970, C. hirsutus Denis, 1931, C. badasa Greenslade, 1995, C. araucanus Massoud & Rapoport, 1968) and combine a group which is named " antarcticus complex" by us. In fact, they all almost fit to the strict diagnosis of the genus Cryptopygus proposed by Rusek (2002). This complex, often recorded just under the name ' C. antarcticus ', is widely distributed in the sub-Antarctic ( Deharveng 1981, Stevens et al. 2006) and less in temperate zones of the Southern Hemisphere (South America: Mari Mutt and Bellinger 1990; Australia: Greenslade, 1994; New Zealand: Babenko and Minor 2015), with C. hirsutus extending into Costa Rica. In South Africa, we have also found the forms with clavate tenent hairs on the tibiotarsi and the characteristic ' antarcticus - like’ furca and so then belonging to ' C. antarcticus ' complex. They differ from typical C. antarcticus at least by having fewer ocelli (three anterior and one or two posterior) and lighter pigmentation. So far, the following forms were found:

micro s-chaetae 10\000, 4+4 ocelli Kogelberg (RSAII_KOG010), Table Mountain (RSAII_OKO26), and Cape Point (RSA09_PEN008).

micro s-chaetae 10\100, 4+4 ocelli RSAII_OKO29 (Table Mountain)

micro s-chaetae 10\100, 5+5 ocelli. This form fits descriptions of C. quinqueoculatus (Patagonia) well. OUT_F_38 (Outeniqua)

micro s-chaetae 11\111, 4+4 ocelli SAF-401 (Table Mountain), SAF-614; SAF-627.

Reliable taxonomical decision on their status cannot be made at present and preliminary study of all known and unknown forms is underway.