Vejdovskybathynella edelweiss, Camacho, 2007

Camacho, A. I., 2007, The first record of the genus Vejdovskybathynella Serban and Leclerc, 1984 (Syncarida, Bathynellacea, Bathynellidae) in the Iberian Peninsula: three new species, Journal of Natural History 41 (45 - 48), pp. 2817-2841 : 2823-2829

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.1080/00222930701770760
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03C687DE-5949-1D17-FE0D-C418D1D1A5C0
treatment provided by	Carolina
scientific name	Vejdovskybathynella edelweiss
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Vejdovskybathynella edelweiss n. sp.

( Figures 1–4 View Figure 1 View Figure 2 View Figure 3 View Figure 4 )

Material examined

Type locality. Ojo Guareña Cave , Cornejo (Burgos, Spain); coordinates X: 448875, Y: 4764802, Z: 673; sampling point OG-09: 22 November 2002, one male collected; 16 February 2002, eight males and 14 females; 1 June 2002, two males and six females collected. The holotype is a male and the allotype is a female and the type series contains 10 males and 19 females ( MNCN 20.04 About MNCN /7791). Additional populations include two in the same cave, Ojo Guareña, sampling point OG-01 (30 October 2002, five females and two males; 8 March 2003, six females and four males collected) and sampling point OG-16 (16 February 2002, one male; 22 November 2002, four males and five females; 8 February 2003, one female collected); one population in Fuente Cubio (spring), Ahedo de Linares (Burgos) (coordinates X: 446427 Y; 4763821 Z: 755) (23 November 2002, one male collected); one in Sima Jaime Cave, Cornejo (Burgos) (coordinates X: 449768, Y: 4764276, Z: 636) (26 January 2003, one female collected) and one in Cueva Racino (cave), Villamartín de Sotoscueva (Burgos) (coordinates X: 444103, Y: 4763559, Z: 832) (21 November 2002, eight females and three males collected) .

The details of the locality type and the chemical and physical nature of the sampling points can be obtained from Camacho et al. (2006).

Description

Body. Total length of holotype (male) 0.81 mm and paratype (female) 0.76 mm. The sizes of the specimens in the different populations found are shown in Table IV. The greatest male found measured 0.90 mm and the smallest 0.58 mm; the largest female measured 1.3 mm and the smallest 0.81 mm. Body form can be observed in Figure 1 View Figure 1 . All drawings are of the holotype (male) and the allotype (female, Th. VIII and Md.) .

Antennule (A. I) ( Figure 2A View Figure 2 ). Seven segments; length of first three segments similar to the first of the other four segments; segments 4 and 5 smaller than the others; setation as in Figure 2A View Figure 2 ; two aesthetascs on each of segments 6 and 7. A. I slightly longer than the antenna.

Antenna (A. II) ( Figure 2B View Figure 2 ). Slightly shorter than the antennule; seven segments; the two terminal segments longer than the others and similar; setal formula: 0/2+exp/2+0/1+0/0+0/ 2+2/4; ventromedial seta of exopod present and with two apical setae, one of these bifurcated sensory seta.

Paragnath ( Figure 2E View Figure 2 ). Lengthened and with a projection in the distal part and thin setation.

Mandible (Md.) ( Figure 2C, K View Figure 2 ). Palp with three segments, terminal segment with one plumose claw and another smooth and expanded in the top (see Figure 2C View Figure 2 ) and segment 2 with a special form expanded at the distal end; in the females segment 2 is more or less cylindrical, without expansions, and claws of segment 3 are equal and smooth ( Figure 2D View Figure 2 ). Masticatory part ( Figure 2K View Figure 2 ): pars molaris with two main teeth, the first (the nearest to processus incisivus accessorius) simple, the second tooth with one small tooth on inner side and one small tooth in the outer side (secondary formatons); incisor process (pars incisiva) of two teeth.

Maxillule (Mx. I) ( Figure 2F View Figure 2 ). Proximal endite with four setae; distal endite with six teeth, four with spines (denticles) and two smooth, and with three plumose setae on the outer margin.

Maxille (Mx. II) ( Figure 2G View Figure 2 ). Four segments; setal formula 5, 4, 6, 5.

Thoracopods I–VII (Th. I–VII) ( Figure 3A–G View Figure 3 ). Th. I ( Figure 3A View Figure 3 ) smaller than others; Th. II ( Figure 3B View Figure 3 ) to V ( Figure 3E View Figure 3 ) similar in size and Th. VI ( Figure 3F View Figure 3 ) to VII ( Figure 3G View Figure 3 ) longer than others. Th. I without epipod; coxa with a long plumose seta; basipod with two plumose setae. Basipod of Th. II–IV with two setae and with one seta on the rest of thoracopods. Exopod with one segment on all thoracopods, shorter than the endopod in all cases; with five barbed setae. Endopod with four segments in all thoracopods, setal formulae: Th. I: 3+0/1+1/2+0/4; Th. II: 2+0/2+1/2+0/4; Th. III: 2+0/2+1/2+0/4; Th. IV: 1+0/1+1/1+0/4; Th. V: 1+0/1+1/1+0/4; Th. VI: 1+0/0+1/0+0/2; Th. VII: 1+0/0+1/0+0/2.

Male thoracopod VIII (Th. VIII) ( Figure 3A–C View Figure 3 ). Outer lobe (O. lb.) (‘‘lobe externe’’), shorter than the frontal projection (‘‘prolongament rostral’’), similar to outer protuberance (O. prt.) (‘‘proéminence externe’’); frontal projection (Fr. prj.) very large with transverse circular section; vertical rectangular basipod (Bsp.); frontal crest (Fr. crt.) (‘‘crête rostral’’) of basipod not very prominent and with a very evident spur (S. fr. crt.) (‘‘éperon de la crête

rostral’’); exopod with a lateral seta and in the distal end four more setae. Endopod small, one-third the size of the exopod, with two terminal setae.

Female thoracopod VIII (Th. VIII) ( Figure 2J View Figure 2 ). Coxa with one smooth lateral seta; large epipod, longer than the basipod; endopod with single segment with two apical setae, one of these longer and thicker than the other; exopod slightly more slender than endopod, of similar length and with two apical smooth setae of different lengths.

First pleopods ( Figure 4D View Figure 4 ). Two segments, segment 1 with one very long seta; segment 2 with five setae.

Uropods ( Figure 4F View Figure 4 ). Sympod slightly longer than endopod, twice longer than broad and with four equal spines; endopod almost twice as long as the exopod, with three strong claws, the most distal is the longest (twice the length of the second), terminally with two setae (one of these very long) and with two shorter ones located dorsolaterally; exopod with two terminal and two medial setae.

Furcal rami ( Figure 4E View Figure 4 ). Almost square, bearing five spines; long dorsal spine, almost twothirds the length of second spine, which is 2.5 times longer than the other three spines, which are all almost of the same size.

Etymology

The species name is derived from the Edelweiss Speleological Club from Burgos, which has been working in the karst of Ojo Guareña for over 50 years. The name is in gratitude to their members for finding this new species.

Remarks

This new species is one of the largest of the genus, together with V. leclerci . The setal formula of A. II is unique to the genus (see Table VI) and the presence of medial setae on the exopod occurs only in V. balazuci and not in the other two Spanish species. The form of one of the claws of the mandibular palp of the male ( Figure 2C View Figure 2 ) is shown to be a new unique character for the genus. The combination of setae in the segments of the endopod of Th. I is unique (see Table V), as well as the combination of setae in the basipod of all the thoracopods and the presence of one seta on the first segment of the endopod in Th. VI and VII ( Table V); only V. pascalis n. sp. has two setae as in V. edelweiss in the basipod of Th. I, but V. pascalis has only one seta on each of Th. III and IV whereas V. edelweiss n. sp. has two, as in the French species. It is the only species that has the exopod and endopod of the female Th. VIII of equal size, whereas all other species known from this genus have the exopod longer than the endopod. The size and the proportion among the different lobes of the male Th. VIII is unique; the exopod is twice as long as wide, as in V. caroloi and the frontal crest of the basipod is small, whereas in the rest of the species it is very developed. Nevertheless, the spur of the frontal crest is very developed in this new species; the endopod is large, as in the majority of species of this genus. The second segment of the pleopod has five setae as in V. caroloi n. sp. The spines of the sympod of the uropod are similar in size, as in the French species; nevertheless, it has three claws on the endopod as in the Spanish species V. caroloi n. sp., unlike the French species that have only two claws, as in V. pascalis n. sp., the other new Spanish species. The second spine of the furcal rami is only 2.5 times larger than the first spine, and is another unique character of this species; the dorsal spine is longer than the first spine as occurs only in V. pascalis n. sp.; in the other species the two spines are of a similar size. This is the largest species of the genus in Spain, jointly with V. leclerci .