Globopactes falconensis, Schmidt, 2007

Schmidt, Christian, 2007, Revision of the Neotropical Scleropactidae (Crustacea: Oniscidea), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 151, pp. 1-339 : 55-56

GLOBOPACTES FALCONENSIS SP. NOV.

Scleropactes especie 1 – Schmidt (2001).

Scleropactes sp. – Schmidt (2003).

Material examined

Types: Holotype ♂ ( Venezuela, Falcón, near Cueva Acurite , 11°10′25″ N, 69°37′45″ W, forest/banana plantation, under leaf litter, stones and decaying wood, leg. C. Schmidt, 21 March 1998, UCV) . Paratypes: seven ♀ /immature ♀, five immature ♂, one adult ♂ (same data, UCV) ; one juvenile ♂, one juvenile and one adult ♀ (same data, MNRJ 19253 ) ; one immature ♂, two ♀ (same data, SMNS) ; two ♂, one immature ♂, one ♀, one ♀ m (same data, cCS 199b) .

Other samples: One juvenile ♂, one juvenile ♀ ( Venezuela, Trujillo, Vega de Guaramacal, Sector Agua Fria, Cueva del Burro , leg. H. Escalona, 24 December 1998, UCV) .

Description ( Figs 154–159 )

Male 8.8 × 3.6 mm to 9.2 × 3.6 mm (cephalothorax width 2.07 mm); adult female 11.7 × 5.0 mm (cephalothorax width 2.62 mm).

Dorsum dark brown, with a row of pale patches at the base of the coxal plates and some additional irregular pale patches. Apical 0.4–0.3 of fifth peduncular article of second antenna and basal flagellar article pale. Pleopod 4 and 5 exopodites slightly pigmented.

Cephalothorax with frontal shield bearing slight excavations for second antennae. Upper margin of frontal shield in frontal view slightly, evenly curved, in dorsal view approximately straight. Distance from eyes to posterior margin of frontal shield approximately equal to diameter of one ommatidium; distinct lateral lobes and median lobe not present. Transverse furrow deep behind frontal shield, but rather shallow in the lateral portions, which do not reach the posterior ends of the eyes. Linea supraantennalis present, medially strongly bent upwards. Eyes composed of 21 or 22 ommatidia. Tergites nearly smooth, with small scale setae. Noduli inconspicuous on the entire specimens. Lateral margins of coxal plate 2 concave, those of coxal plate 3 deeply concave, forming a cleft in which following coxal plates fit when conglobating.

First antenna three-jointed, apical article longer than basal and medial articles, and provided with aesthetascs that are irregularly arranged on medial face. One large aesthetasc on the tip.

Mandibles with left two and right one penicil on the ‘hairy lobe’ basal to lacinia mobilis, on each mandible one penicil between lobe and pars molaris which is represented by a tuft of numerous hairy setae. First maxilla mesal endite with two penicils of equal size and laterodistal corner rounded. Lateral endite on distal margin with lateral group of four stout teeth, a triangular lobe and a slender stalk on caudal surface, and mesal group of six slender hardly cleft teeth. Near inner group, on the caudal face, there is a very small subapical seta (or two setae). Second maxilla bilobate, mesal lobe with sensory setae and both lobes with hair-like scales. Maxilliped with large base with some scale setae, epipodite, endite, and palp. Endite distally truncate-rounded, hairy, with one (two?) small setae on the caudal face between hairs, and penicil near mesodistal corner on frontal face. Maxilliped palp three-jointed, proximal article with one large seta in mesal position, second article mesal margin with proximal tuft of at least five setae, and distal tuft of more than ten unequal setae on a common socket, lateral margin with one broad seta. Distal article with four or five single setae on the lateral margin and a tuft of unequal setae on the tip. Frontal face of distal article without longitudinal crest.

Male pereiopod 1–3 merus, carpus and propodus with ventrofrontal scale-fields. Ventral setae arranged in a single row along scale fields. Pereiopod 6 ischium ventrally hirsute. Pereiopod 7 ischium ventral margin concave, merus with proximal ventrocaudal protrusion covered with spines. Dactyli with slender inner claw that may reach length of outer claw. Ungual seta abruptly constricted to a very fine tip. Dactylar seta feathery. Dorsal margin of dactylus with some aesthetasc-like setae.

Pleopod exopodites 1 and 2 with respiratory fields; lateral margins with row of setae. Exopodite 5 on dorsal face with multiple row of pectinate scales. Male pleopod 1 endopodite with a straight distal portion, 30 small setae along the dorsal spermatic furrow. Male pleopod 1 exopodite wider than long, with four very small marginal setae on the distal margin. Male pleopod 2 endopodite somewhat longer than exopodite. Pleopod 4 with pectinate scales on the sympodite. Male pleopod 5 exopodite with a hairy groove along the mesal margin.

The scale-fields and increased number of ventral setae on pereiopods 1–3 are not present in a juvenile male of width 2.05 mm (cephalothorax width 1.12 mm), but already distinctly visible in an immature male of width 2.5 mm (cephalothorax width 1.36 mm). The characteristic shape of the adult male pleopod 1 exopodites is also not yet present in younger stages.

Affinities

The male pleopods show hardly any differences from Globopactes talamancensis and from G. granulatus . A common character of the new species, G. senex and G. granulatus , is the shape of coxal plates 2 and 3.

Habitat

Near the entrance of a cave and in the surrounding forest; under stones and wood, and beneath leaf litter.

Derivation of the name

The species is named after the State Falcón.

Figures

Figure 154. Globopactes falconensis sp. nov.: paratype ♂, 9.2 × 3.9 mm, cephalothorax 2.07 mm wide, habitus lateral, pleon dorsal; ♀, 11.7 × 5.0 mm, cephalothorax 2.62 mm wide, cephalothorax (Venezuela, near Cueva Acurite, 11°10′25″ N, 69°37′45″ W, leg. C. Schmidt, 21 March 1998, UCV).

Figure 155. Globopactes falconensis sp. nov.: holotype ♂, 8.8 × 3.6 mm, mouthparts, first antenna (Venezuela, near Cueva Acurite, 11°10′25″ N, 69°37′45″ W, leg. C. Schmidt, 21 March 1998, UCV).

Figure 156. Globopactes falconensis sp. nov.: holotype ♂, 8.8 × 3.6 mm, pereiopods 1–3 (Venezuela, near Cueva Acurite, 11°10′25″ N, 69°37′45″ W, leg. C. Schmidt, 21 March 1998, UCV).

Figure 157. Globopactes falconensis sp. nov.: holotype ♂, 8.8 × 3.6 mm, pereiopods 4–6 (Venezuela, near Cueva Acurite, 11°10′25″ N, 69°37′45″ W, leg. C. Schmidt, 21 March 1998, UCV).

Figure 158. Globopactes falconensis sp. nov.: holotype ♂, 8.8 × 3.6 mm, pereiopod 7, second antenna, uropods (Venezuela, near Cueva Acurite, 11°10′25″ N, 69°37′45″ W, leg. C. Schmidt, 21 March 1998, UCV).

Figure 159. Globopactes falconensis sp. nov.: holotype ♂, 8.8 × 3.6 mm, pleopods 1–5 (Venezuela, near Cueva Acurite, 11°10′25″ N, 69°37′45″ W, leg. C. Schmidt, 21 March 1998, UCV).