Neobisium (Blothrus) valsuanii, Gardini, 2018

Gardini, Giulio, 2018, Subterranean Neobisium (Pseudoscorpiones: Neobisiidae) from Albania, Revue suisse de Zoologie 125 (1), pp. 189-200 : 194-197

Neobisium (Blothrus) valsuanii n. sp.

Figs 19-26

Holotype: MHNG; male; Albania, Dibër County, Mat, Burrel, Macukull , Shpella Haruska (5 km SSE of Valgjini) (41°39’53”N, 20°07’54”E), 1480 m a.s.l.; 28.VI.2015; A. Valsuani leg.

Paratypes: CGG; 1 female; same data as for holotype. ‒ CGG; 1 male; Albania, Dibër County, Mat, Burrel, Macukull , Shpella Bushiti (near Valgjini ) (41°25’44”N, 20°03’58”E), 1131 m a.s.l.; IV.2014; A. Valsuani leg. ‒ CGG; 1 female; Albania, Dibër County, Mat, Burrel, Macukull , Shpella Linozi-Leftari , 1868 m a.s.l.; 10.VII.2015; A. Valsuani leg.

Diagnosis (male, female): A large subterranean troglomorphic Neobisium that differs from other Dinaric species of the genus in the following combination of characters: no eyes or eye-spots; carapace with 6 setae in posterior row, epistome triangular; standard chaetotaxy of tergites I-II 6:6; pedipalps smooth; chelal fingers homodentate, teeth small and contiguous; pedipalpal femur slightly longer than movable finger, the latter longer than hand of chela with pedicel; ratio between club and pedicel of patella 1.65- 1.95 (male, female); chela with pedicel length 5.8- 6.35 mm, 4.75-5.6 (male, female) times as long as broad; trichobothrium ist near middle of fixed finger; trichobothrium st closer to t than to sb; anterolateral process of coxa I squat, apically obtuse.

Etymology: Named in honour of Alessandro Valsuani, who first collected the species during speleological research in Albania coordinated by A. Gobetti (Gruppo Speleologico Piemontese CAI-UGET, Torino).

Description of adults (male, female): Carapace, chelicera, pedipalps and palpal coxae red-brown; pedipalps smooth, pleural membrane granular. Carapace ( Fig. 19 ) 1.1-1.2 times as long as broad, without eyes or eye-spots, anterior margin with prominent triangular epistome, apically rounded, rarely acuminate; 22-24 macrosetae, 4 in anterior and (5) 6 in posterior row, besides 2 or 3 “preocular” setae on each side. Chaetotaxy of tergites I-XI 5-7:6- 7:6-7:6-8:7-10:7-10:8-10:9-11:10-11:8-11:10; tergite I of a male and a female with 6, of a male with 5, of a female with 7 setae; sternite II of a female with 7 setae. Chaetotaxy of sternites II-XI (male): 26-29:52- 53(29-30 of them along posterior margin of genital opening):19-20:15-20:18:17-18:18:17-18:17:13, setae of genital atrium and median genital sac not seen; chaetotaxy of sternites II-XI (female) 12:24-27:20- 22:17-18:17-20:16-22:16-20:17-21:16-20:14-16; sternites III and IV (male, female) with 4-5 (rarely 3 or 6) and 4-5 (rarely 3) microsetae in front of each stigma, respectively; anal cone with 2 + 2 setae. Chelicera ( Fig. 20 ) 1.95-2.1 (male, female) times as long as broad, palm with 6 (rarely 7) setae; fixed finger with 11-13 subequal teeth proximally decreasing in size; movable finger with 7-11 teeth, most of them prominent and situated together at level of gs; gs ratio 0.68-0.71, spinneret absent or slightly prominent, with 10-12 silk ducts; rallum with 13-17 blades, the two distal ones dentate; serrulae interior and exterior with 37-40 and 40-42 blades, respectively. Manducatory process with 5-7 (mostly 5) setae. Coxal setae: pedipalp 9-12 (mostly 9), I 5-9 (mostly 8), II 6-10, III 7-9 (mostly 8), IV 14-19 (mostly 19); anterolateral process of coxa I squat, apically obtuse. Pedipalp ( Figs 21-24 ): trochanter 2.4-2.6 (male, female) times as long as broad, with a weak button-like tubercle on antiaxial face; femur 6.5-6.8 (male) or 6.15-6.5 (female) times as long as broad, smooth, weakly enlarged distally; patella 4.3- 5.0 (male) or 4.45-4.5 (female) times as long as broad, club-shaped, ratio between club and pedicel 1.7-1.85 (male) or 1.65-1.95 (female); chela with pedicel 5.25- 5.6 (male) or 4.7-4.75 (female) times as long as broad; hand of chela with pedicel 2.45-2.6 (male) or 2.25- 2.4 (female) times as long as broad, oval, abruptly narrowed towards pedicel; fixed chelal finger with 120- 140 (male, female) small contiguous teeth with dental canals ( Figs 23-24 ), venom duct short, nodus ramosus subterminal ( Fig. 24 ); movable chelal finger with 118- 140 (male, female) small contiguous teeth with dental canals ( Figs 23-24 ) reaching back near b; trichobothria as in Figs 22-23 , ist near middle of fixed finger, st closer to t than to sb; relative position of trichobothria along chelal axis: it 0.125 -0.145 / et 0.14-0.155/ est 0.17-0.19/ ist 0.45-0.50/ isb 0.75-0.85/ ib 0.85-0.90/ esb 0.90-1.0/ eb 0.95-1.0/ t 0.15-0.19/ st 0.325 -0.395 / sb 0.68-0.79/ b 0.88- 0.935; ratio between movable finger and hand of chela with pedicel 1.26-1.32 (male) or 1.11-1.26 (female); ratio between pedipalpal femur and movable finger 1.08 (male) or 1.11-1.12 (female); ratio between pedipalpal femur and carapace 1.85-2.15 (male, female). Leg I (male, female): trochanter 1.48-1.55 times as long as deep, femur 5.9-6.4 times as long as deep and 1.4-1.5 times longer than patella, the latter 4.35-4.8 times as long as deep, tibia 6.8-7.85 times, basitarsus 4.75-5.2, telotarsus 6.2-6.8 times as long as deep, ratio between basitarsus and telotarsus 0.75-0.83, subterminal seta dentate, claws with small dorsal tooth; leg IV (male, female) ( Figs 25-26 ): trochanter 2.7-3.1 times as long as deep, femur + patella 8.0-9.7 times as long as deep, ratio between femur and patella 0.79-0.83, tibia 12.5- 13.0 times, basitarsus 5.0-5.6 times, telotarsus 7.05-8.45 as long as deep, ratio between basitarsus and telotarsus 0.73-0.77, subterminal seta dentate, claws with small dorsal tooth ( Fig. 26 ).

Measurements: Body length 6.7 (male) or 7.3-8.1 (female). Carapace 1.87-1.98 × 1.60-1.61 (1.37-1.41 anteriorly) (male) or 1.96-1.98 × 1.70-1.79 (1.47-1.57 anteriorly) (female). Chelicera 1.36-1.48 × 0.70-0.705 (male) or 1.43-1.60 × 0.69-0.81 (female); movable finger length 0.92-1.0 (male) or 0.96-1.1 (female). Pedipalp: trochanter 1.50 × 0.58-0.59 (male) or 1.53-1.58 × 0.61- 0.65 (female); femur 3.70-4.01 × 0.57-0.59 (male) or 3.90-3.99 × 0.60-0.65 (female); patella 2.90-3.22 × 0.64- 0.67 (male) or 3.10-3.35 × 0.69-0.75 (female); chela with pedicel 5.8-6.0 × 1.07-1.10 (male) or 5.83-6.35 × 1.23- 1.33 (female); hand with pedicel length 2.7-2.8 (male) or 2.78-3.20 (female); movable finger length 3.41-3.70 (male) or 3.50-3.55 (female). Leg I: trochanter 0.61-0.66 x 0.41-0.43 (male) or 0.62 x 0.40 (female); femur 1.98- 2.06 × 0.31-0.34 (male) or 1.90 × 0.32 (female); patella 1.39 × 0.29-0.32 (male) or 1.38 × 0.31 (female); tibia 1.57-1.59 × 0.20-0.23 (male) or 1.56 × 0.23 (female); basitarsus 0.87-0.94 × 0.17-0.18 (male) or 0.86 × 0.18 (female); telotarsus 1.13-1.16 × 0.17-0.18 (male) or 1.12 × 0.18 (female). Leg IV: trochanter 1.05-1.12 x 0.36-0.39 (male) or 1.07 x 0.38 (female); femur + patella 3.40- 3.49 × 0.36-0.38 (male) or 3.22 × 0.40 (female); tibia 3.25-3.39 × 0.25-0.27 (male) or 3.11 × 0.30 (female); basitarsus 1.12-1.15 × 0.20-0.23 (male) or 1.09 × 0.22 (female); telotarsus 1.48-1.52 × 0.18-0.21 (male) or 1.36 × 0.21 (female).

Remarks: Among the subterranean species of Neobisium , subgen. Blothrus , from the Dinaric Alps, N. valsuanii n. sp. is probably most closely related to Neobisium (Blothrus) carnae carnae Beier, 1938 , Neobisium (Blothrus) carnae fraternum Beier, 1939 and Neobisium (Blothrus) anaisae Ćurčić & Lemaire in Ćurčić et al., 2009, the two former species from caves of Radoš Planina ( Bosnia-Herzegovina), the latter from Krapa ( Macedonia). The main differences between these species and subspecies are presented in Table 2 .

Figures

Figs 19-26. Neobisium (Blothrus) valsuanii n. sp., male holotype (unless otherwise stated). (19) Carapace. (20) Left chelicera, dorsal view. (21) Trochanter, femur and patella of left pedipalp, dorsal view. (22) male paratype from Shpella Bushiti: right pedipalpal chela (setae omitted), dorsal view. (23) Left pedipalpal chela (teeth omitted), paraxial view, with details of teeth. (24) Apex of chelal fingers, paraxial view. (25) Right leg IV, paraxial view. (26) Apex of telotarsus of leg IV, paraxial view. Scale lines: 0.2 mm (20, 24, 26); 0.5 mm (19, 21-23, 25).