Occidenchthonius ambrosiae ( 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 : 129-132

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

( Fig. 215 )

Chthonius (Ephippiochthonius) ambrosiae Carabajal Márquez, García Carrillo & Rodríguez Fernández 2012: 90 –91, figs 1–5, table I.

Type locality. Spain, Andalusia, Cádiz province , Sierra de Grazalema, Villaluenga del Rosario, Cueva del Cacao (VR-3) (36°42′17″N, 05°22′56″W; 1208 m a.s.l.).

Distribution. Spain: Andalusia.

Diagnosis (♂ ♀). A large, hypogean, strongly troglomorphic Occidenchthonius species. Movable cheliceral finger with isolated subapical tooth (di), spinneret prominent in female, reduced in male, lyrifissure ldb present. Without eyes or eye-spots, anterior margin of carapace without preocular microsetae, posterior row with 2 macrosetae. Tergite I with only 2 setae; chelal hand weakly depressed at level of ib / isb, with an insignificant hump distad of ib / isb and an extremely gentle slope between trichobothria ib / isb and eb; trichobothrium ist distad of lyrifissure fb; fixed chelal finger with 24–25 teeth; distal half of movable chelal finger with 19 pointed teeth with dental canals, basal half of movable chelal finger with 9 rounded, partially fused, vestigial teeth, without canals, on raised lamina; pedipalpal femur (♂) 7.8–8.4, (♀) 8.3 times longer than broad, length (♂) 1.14–1.19 mm, (♀) 1.26 mm; chela (♂) 6.9–7.5, (♀) 7.0 times longer than deep, length (♂) 1.56–1.68 mm, (♀) 1.80 mm; ratio movable chelal finger/chelal hand (♂) 1.6–1.7, (♀) 1.8; lyrifissures ma1 and ma2 absent, all other chelal groups present, usually in standard numbers.

Non-type material examined. 1 ♂ (CECOUAL), Spain, Andalusia, Cádiz province , 1 ♂, Sierra de Grazalema, Villaluenga del Rosario, Cueva VR-9 (36°41′56″N, 05°23′53″W; 1357 m a.s.l.), 19.V.2013, leg. G.I.E.X.

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

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

Cheliceral hand with 6 setae and 1 lateral microseta, seta vb short (length 0.06 mm), microsetae 0.05 mm; hand with 5 dorsal and 1 ventral lyrifissure, ldb present. Fixed finger with 9 teeth, decreasing in size proximally, the distal tooth distinctly larger than others, plus 8 proximal microtubercles. Movable finger with an isolated subapical tooth (di), 11 teeth decreasing in size proximally and 3 proximal microtubercles, distal tooth distinctly larger than others; spinneret prominent in female, smaller in male; seta gl 0.57 from base of movable finger. Rallum with 11 blades. Serrula exterior with 18 blades and serrula interior with 16 blades.

Chaetotaxy of tergites 2:4:4:4:6:6:6:6:1T2T1:4:1T2T1:0, tergites IX and XI each with 2 sublateral tactile setae (0.24 and 0.32 mm long, respectively). Chaetotaxy of sternites 9:(3)8(3):(2)7(2):8:6:6:6:6:2T1T2:0:2, lateral setae of sternite III macrosetal in size, sternite X with 2 submedial tactile setae (0.14 mm long). In addition, genital notch of male flanked by 11–12 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 mm long; coxa I 3 + 3 marginal microsetae, distal marginal seta 0.075 mm long; II 4 setae + 8–9 bipinnate coxal spines, III 5 + 5–6 bipinnate coxal spines and IV 6; intercoxal tubercle bisetose.

Pedipalp with femoral chaetotaxy 3:6:3:5:1. Chela ( Fig. 215 ) with hand weakly depressed at level of ib / isb, with an extremely low hump distad of ib / isb them, and a very gentle slope between trichobothria ib / isb and eb; distinct ventral hollow with thicker cuticle before base of movable finger; width slightly longer than depth; chaetotaxy 4:5:4, seta ph3 present, seta dh3 close to the intermediate setal row; distal end of hand and bases of chelal fingers with sclerotized condylar complex. Fixed finger with 24–25 pointed teeth with dental canals, proximal teeth progressively decreasing in size, first two distal teeth small, third tooth of normal row (mt) distinctly modified in shape and deviated in orientation relative to the others, dental row reaching to level of trichobothrium sb, about 20 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 base, one level with and the other distinctly distad of lyrifissure fb, 0.055 mm long, distance between them 0.065 mm, basal depth of fixed finger 0.080 mm; 3–4 teeth at level of est / it occupying 0.1 mm, distance between successive apices 0.030–0.035 mm. Distal half of movable finger with 19 pointed teeth with dental canals that reach slightly proximad of trichobothrium sb, the distal tooth tiny; basal half of movable chelal finger with 9 rounded, partially fused, vestigial teeth, without canals, on raised lamina; dental row reaching slightly distad of sensilla pc, 11 proximal microtubercles; basal apodeme long and apically indented; coupled sensilla pc halfway between sb and b. Trichobothria as in Fig. 215 ; trichobothrium ist well distad of esb and lyrifissure fb; distance between ib / isb and eb approximately equal to that between ib / isb and the base of the hand; distance between st and sb 1.8 times longer than that between sb and b; one chela abnormal, lacking esb. Lyrifissures: ma1 and ma2 absent, all other chelal groups present in most of their standard numbers, examined male with fd4 and duplicated fb on one chela, probably teratological.

Measurements and ratios. Male holotype, followed, when different, by male paratype and the male from Cueva VR- 9 in square brackets: Body 2.20 [1.48–2.19]. Carapace 0.66/0.60 (1.1) [0.57–0.58/0.58–0.60 (1.0)]. Chelicera [0.64/0.26 (2.5), movable finger 0.34]. Pedipalp: femur 1.19/0.15 (8.2) [1.14–1.17/0.14 (7.8–8.4)], patella 0.47/0.19 (2.5) [0.45–0.46/0.16–0.18 (2.5–2.6)], chela 1.68/0.24 (6.9) [1.56–1.64/0.22 (7.0–7.5)], hand 0.63 (2.6) [0.57–0.62 (2.5–2.8)], movable finger 1.06 [0.99–1.00]; ratio movable finger/hand 1.7 [1.6–1.7], femur/ movable finger 1.1 [1.2], femur/carapace 1.8 [2.0–2.1], chela/carapace 2.5 [2.7–2.9], chela/femur 1.4. Female paratype: Body 2.60. Carapace 0.66/0.70 (0.9). Pedipalp: femur 1.26/0.15 (8.3), patella 0.50/0.20 (2.5), chela 1.80/ 0.26 (7.0), hand 0.65 (2.6), movable finger 1.15; ratio movable finger/hand 1.8, femur/movable finger 1.1, femur/ carapace 1.9, chela/carapace 2.7, chela/femur 1.4.

Remarks. Occidenchthonius ambrosiae ( Carabajal Márquez, García Carrillo & Rodríguez Fernández, 2012) does not belong to either of the recognized species-groups within the genus. It shares with the species O. bullonorum , O. felgueraorum n. sp. and O. villacarrillo the lack 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 esb and even slightly or distinctly distad of lyrifissure fb. O. ambrosiae differs from all of them by the presence of only two setae on tergite I, as opposed to four in the other species, as well as by the larger and more slender pedipalp, which implies a stronger troglomorphism with respect to the others. The above description incorporates in part that of Carabajal Márquez, García Carrillo & Rodríguez Fernández (2012).

Figures

FIGURE 215. Occidenchthonius ambrosiae (Carabajal Márquez, García Carrillo & Rodríguez Fernández, 2012) n. comb., male, Cueva VR- 9, Villaluenga del Rosario, Cádiz province, Spain, left chela, antiaxial view.