Occidenchthonius lencinai, Zaragoza, Juan A., 2017

Zaragoza, Juan A., 2017, Revision of the Ephippiochthonius complex in the Iberian Peninsula, Balearic Islands and Macaronesia, with proposed changes to the status of the Chthonius subgenera (Pseudoscorpiones, Chthoniidae), Zootaxa 4246 (1), pp. 1-221 : 163-166

Occidenchthonius lencinai n. sp. ( Figs 257–261 )

Type locality. Spain, Castilla-La Mancha, Albacete province, Alcaraz, Sierra del Relumbrar (38°37′29″N, 02°42′50″W; 1031 m a.s.l.).

Distribution. Spain: Castilla-La Mancha.

Etymology. Named after Dr José Luis Lencina (University of Murcia ) in recognition of his contribution to the knowledge of the subterranean fauna, particularly that of southeastern Spain.

Diagnosis (♂). A small endogean or recent hypogean, Occidenchthonius species of the verai -group. Movable cheliceral finger without isolated subapical tooth (di) and without spinneret in male, unknown for female, lyrifissure ldb present; without eyes or eye-spots, anterior margin of carapace without preocular microsetae, posterior margin with 2 macrosetae; chelal hand strongly depressed at level of ib / isb, with a short hump distad of ib / isb and very gentle slope between trichobothria ib / isb and eb; fixed chelal finger with 19 teeth; distal half of movable chelal finger with 10 pointed teeth with dental canals, basal half of movable chelal finger with 8 rounded, partially fused, vestigial teeth, without canals, on raised lamina; pedipalpal femur (♂) 6.0 times longer than broad, length 0.54 mm; chela (♂) 5.7 times longer than deep, length 0.71 mm; ratio movable chelal finger/chelal hand (♂) 1.4; lacking lyrifissures ma1, ma2 and hp, all other chelal lyrifissure patterns present, most with their standard complements.

Type material examined. ♂ holotype ( DEUA), Spain, Castilla-La Mancha, Albacete province, Alcaraz, Sierra del Relumbrar (38°37′29″N, 02°42′50″W; 1031 m a.s.l.), 11.V.2002, leg. J.L. Lencina & V. Ortuño, Berlese extraction from soil sample.

Description (♂; ♀ unknown). Small, endogean or hypogean species. Integument depigmented; hispid granulation on lateral surfaces of carapace, on cheliceral hand and more weakly on bases of chelal fingers.

Carapace ( Fig. 258 ) slightly longer than broad, constricted posteriorly; medial part of anterior margin strongly prominent, with epistome and strongly dentate ( Fig. 257 ). Without eyes or eye-spots. Chaetotaxy: 19 setae, without preocular microsetae, 5 setae on anterior margin and 2 setae in posterior row, formula 5:6:4:2:2, anteromedial setae 0.10 mm long, sublateral ocular setae 0.06 mm; 4 lyrifissures anteriorly and 2 posteriorly.

Chelicera ( Figs 259, 260 ) with 6 setae and 1 lateral microseta on hand, seta vb short (0.023 mm long), microsetae 0.018 mm; hand with 5 dorsal and 1 ventral lyrifissure, lyrifissure ldb present. Fixed finger with 6 teeth decreasing in size proximally, two distal teeth distinctly larger than others, 2 proximal microtubercles. Movable finger without an isolated subapical tooth (di), with 6 teeth decreasing in size proximally, the distal tooth larger than others; spinneret absent in male ( Fig. 260 ), unknown for female; seta gl 0.60 from base of movable finger. Rallum with 11 blades. Serrula exterior with 14 blades, serrula interior 12 blades.

Chaetotaxy of tergites 4:4:4:4:6:6:6:6:1T2T1:4:1T2T1:0, tergites IX and XI each with 2 sublateral tactile setae. Chaetotaxy of sternites 9:(3)8(3):(2)7(2):8:6:6:6:6:2T1T2:0:2, lateral setae on sternite III macrosetal in size, sternite X with 2 submedial tactile setae (0.10 mm long); in addition, genital notch of male flanked by 6 setae on each side and 4+4 internal glandular setae.

Pedipalpal coxa with 5 setae (including 2 on manducatory process), distal marginal seta of disk 0.07 mm long; coxa I 3 + 3 marginal microsetae, distal marginal seta 0.04 mm long; II 4 + 6 bipinnate coxal spines, III 5 + 3 bipinnate coxal spines and IV 6; intercoxal tubercle bisetose.

Pedipalp with femoral chaetotaxy 3:6:3:5:1. Chela ( Fig. 261 ) with hand strongly depressed at level of ib / isb, with a short hump distad of ib / isb and very gentle slope between trichobothria ib / isb and eb; weak hollow before base of movable finger with thicker cuticle; width slightly shorter than depth, maximum width proximad of ib / isb; chaetotaxy 4:5:4, seta ph3 present, seta dh3 displaced to an intermediate setal position; distal end of hand and bases of chelal fingers with sclerotized condylar complex. Fixed finger with 19 pointed teeth and with dental canals, first two distal teeth small, third tooth of normal row (mt) distinctly modified in shape and deviated in orientation with respect to the others, dental row reaching to slightly proximad of trichobothrium sb, 8 proximal microtubercles; tip of fixed finger with an accessory tooth (td) on antiaxial face, rounded in shape and weakly sclerotized; tip of fixed chelal finger of male with a weak hollow on paraxial face, without subdistal protuberance (sp); one pair of long antiaxial sensory setae (as) at the base, one level with and other distinctly distad of lyrifissure fb, 0.023–0.025 mm long, distance between them 0.030 mm, fixed finger depth at the base 0.045 mm; 6 teeth at level of est / it occupying 0.1 mm, distance between successive apices 0.018 mm. Distal half of movable finger with 10 pointed teeth with dental canals that reach up to proximad of trichobothrium st, the distal tooth very tiny and on low tubercle; basal half of movable chelal finger with only 8 rounded, partially fused, vestigial teeth, without canals, on raised lamina; dental row reaching up to sb, 3 proximal microtubercles; basal apodeme long and apically indented; coupled sensilla pc halfway between sb and b. Trichobothria as in Fig. 261 ; trichobothrium ist well distad of esb and slightly proximad of lyrifissure fb; distance between ib / isb and esb 1.2 longer than that between ib / isb and the base of the hand; distance between st and sb 2.5 times longer than that between sb and b; lacking lyrifissures ma1, ma2 and hp, all other patterns present, with their standard complements.

Measurements and ratios. Male holotype: Body 1.19. Carapace 0.40/0.35 (1.1). Chelicera 0.34/0.15 (2.2), movable finger 0.17. Pedipalp: femur 0.54/0.09 (6.0), patella 0.22/0.10 (2.1), chela 0.71/0.13 (5.7), hand 0.29 (2.3), movable finger 0.41; ratio movable finger/hand 1.4, femur/movable finger 1.3, femur/carapace 1.4, chela/carapace 1.8, chela/femur 1.3.

Remarks. Within the verai -group, O. lencinai n. sp. is comparable to O. giennensis and O. montagudi n. sp. by its small size, with a chela length less than 1.0 mm. It is easily distinguishable from O. giennensis in having trichobothrium ist level with esb and 4–5 lateral microsetae on the cheliceral hand. The new species is more similar to O. montagudi n. sp. in terms of the number of teeth on the movable chelal finger and the position of ist (distinctly distad of esb), but differs from that species in the higher number of teeth on the fixed chelal finger (19, versus 14–15) and by the more slender and longer pedipalp [femur (♂) 6.0 times longer than broad, length 0.54 mm, versus 4.8–5.0 times longer than broad, length 0.39–0.42; chela (♂) 5.7 times longer than broad, length 0.71 mm, versus 4.8–5.0 times longer than broad, length 0.58–0.60].

Figures

FIGURES 257 – 261. Occidenchthonius lencinai n. sp., male holotype. 257, anterior margin of carapace, partial view; 258, carapace; 259, left chelicera; 260, fingers of left chelicera, partial view; 261, left chela, antiaxial view.