Globopactes meridae, Schmidt, 2007

Schmidt, Christian, 2007, Revision of the Neotropical Scleropactidae (Crustacea: Oniscidea), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 151, pp. 1-339 : 52-53

GLOBOPACTES MERIDAE SP. NOV.

Material examined

Types: Holotype ♀ ( Venezuela, Andes, Estado Mérida, 8°43′07″ N, 70°46′02″ W, short grazed meadow beside a small brook, at lower border of the Páramo region , under stones and Espeletia , leg. C. Schmidt, 24 March 1998, UCV); paratypes – two ♀ with empty marsupium and one juvenile ♀ (same data).

Other samples: One ♂ [ Venezuela, Mérida, Páramo La Negra, 8°16′ N, 71°52′ W, altitude 980 m (?), leg. G. Lozano, 22 March 1959, MNRJ 9688 , labelled as Scleropactes colombiensis ] .

Description ( Figs 142–147 )

Male 7.0 × 3.0 mm, cephalothorax width 1.64 mm, 19/ 17 ommatidia. Adult females (with marsupium) 9.4 × 4.0 mm, cephalothorax width 2.08 mm, 19/19 ommatidia; 10.8 × 4.6 mm, cephalothorax width 2.36 mm, 20/20 ommatidia. Juvenile female 4.8 × 2.3 mm, cephalothorax width 1.23 mm, 15/15 ommatidia.

Dorsum dark brown, with pale muscle insertions and a row of pale patches at the base of the coxal plates. One female with orange patches on the posterior margin of the tergites and orange uropod endopodites, the other female with the basal third of the uropod endopodites orange. Pereiopods also with dark brown pigment.

Lateral lobes about half as long as the eyes, not distinctly delimited. Frontal shield convex between the antennae, in dorsal view slightly arcuate. In frontal view, linea frontalis weakly convex, corners of lateral lobes forming almost right angles. In frontal view, two cavities above the insertions of the second antennae are delimited by elevated areas along the upper margin and between them. This suggests an endoantennal conglobation ability. Noduli laterales small and inconspicuous, all at the posterior margins and at the same distance to the lateral margin.

Females with one cotyledon per sternite.

First antenna triarticulate, second article the shortest. Distal article with sharp, acute tip, two large, subapical aesthetascs and approx. five slightly smaller aesthetascs on the frontal face. Second antenna with triarticulate flagellum; apical cone 1.5 times as long as the distal article, with one small lateral sensillum. Second and third articles with a transverse row of two (?) aesthetascs.

Left mandible with pars incisiva of four cusps, large lacinia mobilis with three large and two small cusps, hairy lobe with one (?) hairy seta, one single hairy seta immediately adjacent to the hairy lobe. Pars molaris represented by a tuft of hairy setae. Right mandible with pars incisiva of four blunt cusps and smaller, conical lacinia mobilis, hairy lobe with one hairy seta, one single hairy seta between hairy lobe and pars molaris. The latter is represented by a tuft of hairy setae. Both mandibles on the outer face with some setae and scales. First maxilla lateral endite on distal margin with lateral group of four strong, simple tooth setae, a triangular lobe, which is about half as long as the adjacent tooth seta, a slender seta, and a mesal group of six more slender teeth, five of them distally cleft. (At low magnification, the inner group may appear to be composed of five teeth only.). A single very small subapical seta on the caudal face beside the inner group. Distal third of lateral margin densely fringed with hairs (pectinate scales). Mesal endite bearing two slender penicils; there is no distinct corner lateral to the penicils. Lateral margin distally with only few minute hairs. Second maxilla distally bilobate, the lobes subequal. Both lobes hairy, the mesal lobe with group of sensilla on the frontal face, near the margin, and two small setae between the lobes (in the specimen from which the illustration was drawn, the inner lobe has lost many hairs). Maxilliped base distinctly scaly in the basal and lateral parts, epipodite without (?) hairs. Endite approximately rectangular, longer than wide, distal part covered with acute scales; one penicil near the mediodistal corner, on frontal face. A very small knob (probably homologous with a seta) in a more proximal position, also on frontal face. One seta on caudal face of endite, difficult to see among the hairs (scales). Maxilliped palp proximal article bearing one large seta, in a mesal position. Second article with proximal tuft of two or three small setae, distal tuft of equal setae on a long socket, two equally sized setae beside the socket. On lateral margin of medial article, one broad seta and one slender seta. Distal article with apical tuft of> 20 equal setae and four setae on the lateral margin. A longitudinal ridge on the frontal face is not present.

Pereiopod 1 carpus with transverse brush of long, hair-like scales. Distal margin formed by a transverse row of tongue-shaped, hyaline scales. Propodus only with large scale-field. Male pereiopods with frontoventral scale-fields on ischium, merus and carpus of pereiopods 1 and 2, on merus and carpus of pereiopod 3, and ventral scale-fields on ischium of pereiopods 6 and 7. Carpus 1 and 2 strongly enlarged (more than 0.6 times as high as long), carpus 3 weakly enlarged. Male pereiopod 7 ischium with very weakly concave, almost straight, ventral margin fringed with scales. Merus 7 with ventrocaudal, scaly tubercle in a proximal position. Distally of this tubercle, a small scale-field. Basis of pereiopod 7 with only very indistinct vestiges of a water-conducting structure. Pereiopod dactyli with large outer claw, long inner claw, dactylar seta apically double-fringed, curved ungual seta with smaller seta beside it, one small seta on frontal face and on caudal face, and some scales. Proximally of dactylar seta there are two aesthetasc-like setae.

Male pleopod 1 exopodite rounded-triangular, wider than long, without any marginal setae. Endopodite 1 with straight distal part and a row of 36 (in the holotype) small setae along the spermatic furrow on the caudal/dorsal side. Male pleopod 2 expodite with three marginal setae and a hairy area along the mesal margin. Endopodite 2 slightly longer than exopodite. Pleopod 3–5 expodites with some marginal setae, sympodites with long, acute and hairy tip at the mesal margin. Male pleopod 5 exopodite with indistinct angle, bearing one seta on the lateral margin, a furrow along the mesal margin, and a transverse band of several rows of pectinate scales on the caudal face. Indistinct lateral respiratory fields on the dorsal face of pleopod exopodites 1 and 2 only. Uropod sympodite probably with some gland pores on the dorsal face (could not be seen with certainty). Endopodite as long as sympodite; exopodite distally projecting beyond endopodite.

Habitat

At lower border of the Páramo region. The specimens were found in a grazed area near a small brook, under stones and in Espeletia rosettes.

Derivation of the name

The species is named after the state Mérida.

GLOBOPACTES TALAMANCENSIS ( LEISTIKOW, 1997)

Figures

Figure 142. Globopactes meridae sp. nov.: paratype ♀m, 9.4 × 4.0 mm, cephalothorax 2.08 mm wide, habitus lateral, pleon dorsal; holotype ♂, 7.0 × 3.0 mm, cephalothorax 1.64 mm wide, cephalothorax lateral, dorsal and frontal (Venezuela, Andes, Estado Mérida, 8°43′07″ N, 70°46′02″ W, short-grazed meadow beside a small brook, at lower margin of the Paramo region, under stones and Espeletia, leg. C. Schmidt, 24 March 1998, UCV).

Figure 143. Globopactes meridae sp. nov.: holotype ♂, 7.0 × 3.0 mm, cephalothorax 1.64 mm wide, mouthparts and first antenna (Venezuela, Andes, Estado Mérida, 8°43′07″ N, 70°46′02″ W, short-grazed meadow beside a small brook, at lower margin of the Paramo region, under stones and Espeletia, leg. C. Schmidt, 24 March 1998, UCV).

Figure 144. Globopactes meridae sp. nov.: holotype ♂, 7.0 × 3.0 mm, cephalothorax 1.64 mm wide, pereiopods 1–3 frontal, pereiopod 2 dactylus frontal and caudal (Venezuela, Andes, Estado Mérida, 8°43′07″ N, 70°46′02″ W, short-grazed meadow beside a small brook, at lower margin of the Paramo region, under stones and Espeletia, leg. C. Schmidt, 24 March 1998, UCV).

Figure 145. Globopactes meridae sp. nov.: holotype ♂, 7.0 × 3.0 mm, cephalothorax 1.64 mm wide, pereiopods 4–6 frontal (Venezuela, Andes, Estado Mérida, 8°43′07″ N, 70°46′02″ W, short-grazed meadow beside a small brook, at lower margin of the Paramo region, under stones and Espeletia, leg. C. Schmidt, 24 March 1998, UCV).

Figure 146. Globopactes meridae sp. nov.: holotype ♂, 7.0 × 3.0 mm, cephalothorax 1.64 mm wide, pereiopod 7 frontal and caudal, second antenna (Venezuela, Andes, Estado Mérida, 8°43′07″ N, 70°46′02″ W, short-grazed meadow beside a small brook, at lower margin of the Paramo region, under stones and Espeletia, leg. C. Schmidt, 24 March 1998, UCV).

Figure 147. Globopactes meridae sp. nov.: holotype ♂, 7.0 × 3.0 mm, cephalothorax 1.64 mm wide, pleopods 1–5 (Venezuela, Andes, Estado Mérida, 8°43′07″ N, 70°46′02″ W, short-grazed meadow beside a small brook, at lower margin of the Paramo region, under stones and Espeletia, leg. C. Schmidt, 24 March 1998, UCV).