Occidenchthonius bullonorum ( Carabajal Márquez, García Carrillo & Rodríguez Fernández, 2012 ) Carabajal Marquez, Garcia Carrillo & Rodriguez Fernandez, 2012

Zaragoza, Juan A., 2017, Revision of the Ephippiochthonius complex in the Iberian Peninsula, Balearic Islands and Macaronesia, with proposed changes to the status of the Chthonius subgenera (Pseudoscorpiones, Chthoniidae), Zootaxa 4246 (1), pp. 1-221 : 137-139

Occidenchthonius bullonorum ( Carabajal Márquez, García Carrillo & Rodríguez Fernández, 2012) , n. comb.

( Fig. 65 , 216)

Chthonius (Ephippiochthonius) bullonorum Carabajal Márquez, García Carrillo & Rodríguez Fernández 2012: 92 –93, figs 6– 10, table II.

Type locality. Spain, Andalusia, Málaga province , Benaojan, Cueva de la Pileta (36°41′33″N, 05°16′08″W; 773 m a.s.l.).

Distribution. Spain: Andalusia.

Diagnosis (♂ ♀). A large, hypogean, strongly troglomorphic Occidenchthonius species. Chelicera with 7–8 setae on hand, movable cheliceral finger with isolated subapical tooth (di) and with weak spinneret in both sexes, lyrifissure ldb absent; without eyes or eye-spots, anterior margin of carapace without preocular microsetae, posterior margin with 2 macrosetae; chelal hand strongly depressed at level of ib / isb, with a short hump distad of ib / isb and gentle slope between trichobothria ib / isb and eb; trichobothrium ist distad of lyrifissure fb; fixed chelal finger with 25–28 teeth; distal two-thirds of movable chelal finger with 23–27 pointed teeth with dental canals, basal third with 2–8 rounded, scarcely fused, vestigial teeth on weakly raised and short lamina; pedipalpal femur (♂) 6.7–7.1, (♀) 6.6–7.4 times longer than broad, length (♂) 0.88–0.93 mm, (♀) 0.93–1.02 mm; chela (♂) 6.2–6.9, (♀) 6.3–6.8 times longer than deep, length (♂) 1.32–1.34 mm, (♀) 1.31–1.47 mm; ratio movable chelal finger/ chelal hand (♂) 1.5–1.7, (♀) 1.5–1.6; lacking lyrifissures ma1 and ma2, all other chelal lyrifissure patterns present with their standard complements.

Non-type material examined. Spain, Andalusia, Málaga province, 3 ♂, 3 ♀ ( DEUA), Benaojan , Cueva de la Pileta (36°41′33″N, 05°16′08″W; 773 m a.s.l.), 06.VIII.2014, leg. T. Pérez & T. Bullón ; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, same locality, 23.VI.2011, leg. F. Fadrique .

Description (♂ ♀). Large, hypogean, strongly troglomorphic species ( Fig. 65 ). Integument depigmented; very weak hispid granulation on lateral surfaces of carapace, on cheliceral hand and on bases of chelal fingers.

Carapace as long as or slightly longer than broad, constricted posteriorly; medial part of anterior margin strongly prominent, without a well-defined epistome, and strongly dentate. Without eyes or eye-spots. Chaetotaxy: 18 setae, without preocular microsetae, 2 setae in posterior row, formula 4:6:4:2:2, anteromedial setae 0.13–0.16 mm long, sublateral ocular setae 0.10–0.11 mm; 4 lyrifissures anteriorly and 2 posteriorly.

Cheliceral hand usually with 7 setae, rarely 8, and 1 lateral microseta, seta vb short (length 0.05–0.06 mm), microseta 0.03 mm; hand with 4 dorsal and 1 ventral lyrifissure, lyrifissure ldb absent. Fixed finger with 12 teeth decreasing in size proximally, the distal tooth distinctly larger than others, 3–4 proximal microtubercles. Movable finger with an isolated subapical tooth (di), with 10–12 teeth decreasing in size proximally and 2 proximal microtubercles, the distal tooth larger than others; spinneret weakly prominent in female, more reduced in male; seta gl 0.55–0.56 from base of movable finger. Rallum with 11 blades. Serrula exterior with 20 blades, serrula interior 14 blades.

Chaetotaxy of tergites 4:4:4:4:6:6:6:6:1T2T1:4:1T2T1:0, tergites IX and XI each with 2 sublateral tactile setae (0.24 and 0.30 mm long, respectively). Chaetotaxy of sternites 9–10:(3)8(3):(2)6–7(2):7–10:6:6:6:6:2T1T2:0:2, lateral setae on sternite III macrosetal in size, sternite X with 2 submedial tactile setae; in addition, genital notch of male flanked by 7–9 setae on each side and 4+4 internal glandular setae.

Pedipalpal coxa with 5 setae (including 2 on manducatory process), distal marginal seta of disk 0.12–0.14 mm long; coxa I 3 + 3 marginal microsetae, distal marginal seta 0.08–0.11 mm long; II 4 + 12–14 bipinnate coxal spines, III 5 + 5–8 bipinnate coxal spines and IV 6; intercoxal tubercle bisetose.

Pedipalp with femoral chaetotaxy 3:6:3:5–6:1. Chela ( Fig. 216) with hand strongly depressed at level of ib / isb, with a short hump distad of ib / isb and gentle slope between trichobothria ib / isb and eb; distinct hollow before base of movable finger with thicker cuticle; width slightly shorter than depth, maximum width proximad of ib / isb; chaetotaxy 4:5:4 (one female with 4:6:4 on one chela), seta ph3 present; distal end of hand and bases of chelal fingers with sclerotized condylar complex. Fixed finger with 25–28 pointed teeth and with dental canals, first two distal teeth small, third tooth of normal row (mt) of fixed finger distinctly modified in shape and deviated in orientation with respect to the others, dental row reaching up to halfway between sensilla pc and trichobothrium sb or level with sensilla pc; about 11–21 proximal microtubercles; tip of fixed finger with an accessory tooth (td) on antiaxial face; tip of fixed chelal finger of male with a weak hollow on paraxial face, without subdistal protuberance (sp); one pair of long antiaxial sensory setae (as) at the base, both distad of lyrifissure fb, 0.050–0.070 mm long, distance between them 0.070–0.095 mm, fixed finger depth at the base 0.070–0.080 mm; 4–5 teeth at level of est / it occupying 0.1 mm, distance between successive apices 0.021–0.028 mm. Distal distal two-thirds of movable finger with 23–27 pointed teeth with dental canals that more or less reach up to trichobothrium sb, distal tooth tiny and sometimes absent, subdistal tooth small; basal third of movable chelal finger with only 2–8 rounded, scarcely fused, vestigial teeth, some still retaining dental canals, on weakly raised and short lamina; dental row reaching up to level of sensilla pc, 0–3 microtubercles at base; basal apodeme long and apically indented; coupled sensilla pc halfway between sb and b, slightly closer to sb. Trichobothria as in Fig. 216; trichobothrium ist well distad of esb and also of lyrifissure fb; distance between ib / isb and base of hand 1.1 longer than that between ib / isb and esb; distance between st and sb 1.8–2.5 times longer than that between sb and b; lacking lyrifissures ma1 and ma2, all other chelal lyrifissure patterns present with their standard complements, one female with duplicated lyrifissure hd on one chela.

Measurements and ratios. Female holotype, followed by female paratypes and topotypes in square brackets: Body 2.03 [1.72–2.10]. Carapace 0.59/0.59 (1.0) [0.55–0.62/0.55–0.61 (0.9–1.1)]. Chelicera [0.60–0.63/0.23–0.28 (2.2–2.3)], movable finger [0.33–0.34]. Pedipalp: femur 1.00/0.14 (7.4) [0.93–1.02/0.13–0.16 (6.6–7.2)], patella 0.36/0.17 (2.2) [0.37–0.41/0.16–0.19 (2.1–2.4), chela 1.40/0.23 (6.8) [1.31–1.47/0.21–0.23 (6.3–6.4), hand 0.55 (2.4) [0.52–0.57 (2.5–2.6)], movable finger 0.87 [0.80–0.89]; ratio movable finger/hand 1.5 [1.5–1.6], femur/ movable finger 1.2 [1.1–1.2], femur/carapace 1.7 [1.6], chela/carapace 2.4 [2.3–2.4], chela/femur 1.4 [1.4–1.5]. Male paratypes and topotypes: Body 1.40–1.85. Carapace 0.50–0.55/0.50–0.55 (0.9–1.0). Pedipalp: femur 0.88– 0.93/0.13–0.17 (6.7–7.1), patella 0.34–0.36/0.16–0.17 (2.1–2.2), chela 1.32–1.34/0.20 (6.2–6.9), hand 0.46–0.53 (2.3–2.7), movable finger 0.78–0.82; ratio movable finger/hand 1.5–1.7, femur/movable finger 1.1, femur/carapace 1.7–1.8, chela/carapace 2.4–2.6, chela/femur 1.4–1.5.

Remarks. Occidenchthonius bullonorum does not belong to either of the recognized species-groups within the genus. It resembles the species O. ambrosiae , O. felgueraorum n. sp. and O. villacarrillo in the absence of eyes, presence of an isolated subapical tooth, absence of preocular microsetae, presence of chelal hand lyrifissure hp and the position of trichobothrium ist, well distad of both esb and lyrifissure fb. It differs from those species in bearing 7–8 macrosetae on the cheliceral hand, rather than 6. In addition, it differs from O. ambrosiae in having 4 setae on tergite I, the latter having only 2. It is almost twice as large as O. villacarrillo and has a more slender pedipalp. O. bullonorum is more closely related to O. felgueraorum n. sp., from which it differs in the number of coxal spines on coxa II (12–14 in O. bullonorum , versus 7–9 in O. felgueraorum n. sp.) and the form of the pedipalpal femur, which is more slender in O. felgueraorum n. sp. than in O. bullonorum . The above description incorporates in part that of Carabajal Márquez, García Carrillo & Rodríguez Fernández (2012).

Figures

FIGURES 64 – 67. Habitus of living specimens of Ephippiochthonius and Occidenchthonius species from Spain. 64, Ephippiochthonius mahnerti (Zaragoza, 1984) n. comb., Cova del Bolumini, Beniarbeig, Alicante province; 65, Occidenchthonius bullonorum (Carabajal Márquez, García Carrillo & Rodríguez Fernández, 2012) n. comb., Cueva de la Pileta, Benaojan, Málaga province; 66, Occidenchthonius ventalloi (Beier, 1939) n. comb., Cova de les Gralles, Tous, Valencia province; 67, Occidenchthonius cazorlensis (Carabajal Márquez, García Carrillo & Rodríguez Fernández, 2012) n. comb., Cueva Secreta del Sagreo, La Iruela, Jaén province. Photographs: Ximo Baixeras (Fig. 64), Adrià Miralles (Figs 65, 67), Sergio Montagud (Fig. 66).