Neosanfilippia zoiai, MANICASTRI, 1991

Schmidt, Christian, 2007, Revision of the Neotropical Scleropactidae (Crustacea: Oniscidea), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 151, pp. 1-339 : 21-22

NEOSANFILIPPIA ZOIAI MANICASTRI, 1991

Neosanfilippia zoiai – Leistikow & Wägele (1999 *); Schmalfuss (2003 *).

Material examined

Types: One ♂, one ♀ (paratypes, Ecuador, Esmeraldas district, Borbon, Valdez, at sea level, leg. S. Zoia, 28 July 1984, MZUF 2740 ) .

Description ( Fig. 32 )

4.1–4.5 mm long, 1.9 mm wide, cephalothorax 1.21 mm (N = 2).

Animals devoid of any pigment and eyes, with endoantennal conglobation ability. Cephalothorax with a weak ridge parallel to the upper margin and a strong transverse ridge at some distance below the upper margin of the frontal shield. Tergites smooth, with only small scale setae. Noduli laterales not discernible on entire specimens. Coxal plate 1 with a slight concavity near the hind corner, coxal plate 5 with distinctly concave lateral margin. Coxal plates 6 and 7, pleon epimera 3–5 and uropod sympodites with a strong ventral ridge at some distance from the lateral margin. This ridge seems to fit with structures on the cephalothorax (and anterior part of the body) and thus enforces the stability of the enrolled animal.

Geographical distribution

Known only from the type locality (Map Fig. 31 ).

Remarks

This species was separated from N. venezuelana on the basis of the following characters: (1) pleotelson with sinuous margins (straight margins); (2) frontal line straight (frontal line folding to the back, narrower in the middle); (3) shape of male pleopod 1; and (4) morphology of the distal process of the male pereiopod 7 ischium. Characters 1 and 2 are dependent on the angle under which the specimen is seen, and are therefore not reliable. The shape of the male pleopod shows variation relative to the body size that is greater than the differences said to distinguish N. zoiai and N. venezuelana . The distal process of male pereiopod 7 ischium is smaller in N. zoiai . Examination of numerous specimens of N. venezuelana showed considerable variation, which seems to be due to the fact that the process is an outgrowth of the articulation membrane, which is soft and does not have a stable shape.

However, both species are separated by very distinct characters that can be seen in males and females (and most probably also in immature specimens). These are a concave lateral margin of coxal plate 5, a transverse ridge on the frons, with some distance to the upper margin of the frontal shield, and a ridge on the inner face of coxal plates 6 and 7, pleon epimera 3–5, and uropod sympodites. The first two of these were drawn in the illustrations of the original description, but not mentioned in the text, and the conspicuous marginal ridge on the posterior half of the body was entirely overlooked.

In contrast to the information in the original description, there are no paratype specimens in SMNS .

Figures

Figure 31. Geographical distribution of Neosanfilippia venezuelana (1) and N. zoiai (2): circles, material examined; squares, literature data.

Figure 32. Neosanfilippia zoiai Manicastri, 1991: ♀, 4.5 × 1.9 mm, cephalothorax 1.21 mm wide, habitus lateral; ♂, 4.1 × 1.9 mm, cephalothorax 1.21 mm wide, ventral view, cephalothorax and pleon dorsal, both paratypes (Ecuador, Esmeraldas District, Borbon, Valdez, at sea level, leg. S. Zoia, 28 July 1984, MZUF 2740).