Occidenchthonius verai (Zaragoza, 1985) Zaragoza, 1985

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 : 210-211

Occidenchthonius verai (Zaragoza, 1985) , n. comb.

( Fig. 320)

Chthonius (Ephippiochthonius) verai Zaragoza 1985b: 5 –15, figs 1–6. Chthonius (Ephippiochthonius) verai: Zaragoza 2007: 21 .

Type locality. Spain, Valencian Community, Alicante province, L’Alcoià comarca, Castalla , Cova del Tío Melxor (38°31′47″N, 00°39′26″W; 1093 m a.s.l.).

Distribution. Spain: Valencian Community.

Diagnosis (♂ ♀). A medium-sized, hypogean, weakly troglomorphic Occidenchthonius species of the verai - group. Movable cheliceral finger without isolated subapical tooth (di) and prominent and apically rounded in female, slightly reduced in male, lyrifissure ldb absent; two pairs of eye-spots, anterior margin of carapace without preocular microsetae, posterior margin with 2 macrosetae; chelal hand weakly depressed at level of ib / isb, with a short, low hump distad of ib / isb and moderate slope between trichobothria ib / isb and eb; trichobothrium ist proximad of lyrifissure fb; fixed chelal finger with 20–22 teeth; distal half of movable chelal finger with 15 pointed teeth with dental canals, basal half of movable chelal finger with 10–12 rounded, partially fused, vestigial teeth, without canals, on weak lamina; pedipalpal femur (♂) 7.3–7.5, (♀) 7.1–7.5 times longer than broad, length (♂) 0.87–0.88 mm, (♀) 0.87–0.99 mm; chela (♂) 6.4–6.9, (♀) 5.7–6.2 times longer than deep, length (♂) 1.11–1.19 mm, (♀) 1.19–1.38 mm; ratio movable chelal finger/chelal hand (♂) 1.4–1.5, (♀) 1.5–1.7; lacking lyrifissures ma1, ma2 and hp, all other chelal lyrifissure patterns present with their standard complements.

Type material examined. ♀ holotype, 3 ♀ paratypes ( DEUA), Spain, Valencian Community, Alicante province, L’Alcoià comarca, Castalla , Cova del Tío Melxor (38°31′47″N, 00°39′26″W; 1093 m a.s.l.), 07.X.1984, leg. U. Capdepón, A. Sendra & J.A. Zaragoza ; 1 ♂ paratype (DEUA), 18.VI.1978, leg. J.A. Zaragoza.

Non-type material examined. Same location as holotype, 1 ♂, 4 ♀, 31.V.1976, leg. J. Comas & O. Escolà.

Description (♂ ♀). Medium-sized, hypogean species of weakly troglomorphic facies. Integument weakly depigmented; hispid granulation on lateral surfaces of carapace, on cheliceral hand and on bases of chelal fingers.

Carapace slightly longer than broad, constricted posteriorly; medial part of anterior margin strongly prominent, without a well-defined epistome, and strongly dentate. Ocular area reduced to eye-spots. Chaetotaxy: 18 setae, without preocular microsetae, 2 setae in posterior row, formula 4:6:4:2:2, anteromedial setae 0.15 mm long, sublateral ocular setae 0.12 mm; 4 lyrifissures anteriorly and 2 posteriorly.

Cheliceral hand with 6 setae and 1 lateral microseta, seta vb short (0.035–0.050 mm long), microseta 0.025– 0.030 mm; hand with 4 dorsal and 1 ventral lyrifissure, lyrifissure ldb absent. Fixed finger with 11 teeth decreasing in size proximally, two distal teeth distinctly larger than others. Movable finger without an isolated subapical tooth (di), with 7–12 teeth decreasing in size proximally, the distal tooth larger than others; spinneret prominent and apically rounded in female, slightly reduced in male; seta gl 0.57 from base of movable finger. Rallum with 11 blades. Serrula exterior with 15 blades, serrula interior 12–13 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 (0.27 and 0.39 mm long, respectively). Chaetotaxy of sternites 9:(3)7–8(3):(2)7(2):8:6:6:6:6:2T1T2:0:2, lateral setae on sternite III macrosetal in size, sternite X with 2 submedial tactile setae (0.16 mm long); in addition, genital notch of male flanked by 10 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 0.09 mm long; II 4 + 7–11 bipinnate coxal spines, III 5 + 6– 7 bipinnate coxal spines and IV 6; intercoxal tubercle bisetose.

Pedipalp with femoral chaetotaxy 3:6:3:5:1. Chela ( Fig. 320) with hand weakly depressed at level of ib / isb, with a short, low hump distad of ib / isb and moderate slope between trichobothria ib / isb and eb; marked hollow before base of movable finger with thicker cuticle; width equal to or slightly longer than depth; chaetotaxy 4:5:4, seta ph3 present; distal end of hand and bases of chelal fingers with sclerotized condylar complex. Fixed finger with 20–22 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 level of trichobothrium sb, 5 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, one level with and other markedly distad of lyrifissure fb, 0.050–0.055 mm long, distance between them 0.053–0.075 mm, fixed finger depth at the base 0.060–0.070 mm; 4 teeth at level of est / it occupying 0.1 mm, distance between successive apices 0.023–0.028 mm. Distal half of movable finger with 15 mostly pointed teeth with dental canals that reach up to approximately halfway between trichobothria st and sb, 2 proximal teeth slightly reduced in size and apically rounded, two distal teeth tiny; basal half of movable chelal finger with 10–12 rounded, partially fused, vestigial teeth, without canals, on weakly raised lamina; dental row reaching up to level of sensilla pc, 4 proximal microtubercles; basal apodeme long and apically narrowed; coupled sensilla pc halfway between sb and b, slightly closer to sb. Trichobothria as in Fig. 320; trichobothrium ist well distad of esb and slightly proximad, almost level, of lyrifissure fb; distance between ib / isb and base of hand approximately equal to that between ib / isb and esb; distance between st and sb 1.9–2.1 times longer than that between sb and b; lacking lyrifissures ma1, ma2 and hp, all other chelal lyrifissure patterns present, most with their standard complements.

Measurements and ratios. Female holotype, followed by female paratypes in square brackets: Body 1.50 [1.62–2.09]. Carapace 0.53/0.50 (1.1) [0.54–0.58/0.53–0.56 (1.0–1.1)]. Pedipalp: femur 0.87/0.12 (7.5) [0.94– 0.99/0.13–0.14 (7.1–7.3)], patella 0.35/0.15 (2.3) [0.38–0.42/0.16–0.18 (2.3–2.4)], chela 1.19/0.19 (6.2) [1.28– 1.38/0.22–0.23 (5.7–5.9)], hand 0.45 (2.4) [0.48–0.54 (2.2–2.4)], movable finger 0.74 [0.77–0.83]; ratio movable finger/hand 1.6 [1.5–1.7], femur/movable finger 1.2 [1.3], femur/carapace 1.6 [1.3], chela/carapace 2.3 [1.7], chela/ femur 1.4 [1.3]. Male paratype, followed, when different, by male topotype in square brackets: Body 1.41. Carapace 0.50/0.46 (1.1) [0.51/0.48 (1.1)]. Pedipalp: femur 0.87/0.12 (7.5) [0.88/0.12 (7.3)], patella 0.35/0.15 (2.4) [0.36/0.16 (2.3)], chela 1.19/0.19 (6.4) [1.11/0.16 (6.9)], hand 0.47 (2.5) [0.45 (2.8)], movable finger 0.71 [0.65]; ratio movable finger/hand 1.5 [1.4], femur/movable finger 1.2, femur/carapace 1.7 [1.7–1.8], chela/carapace 2.4 [2.4], chela/femur 1.4 [1.3–1.4].

Remarks. Within the verai -group, O. verai shares with O. espanyoli , O. perezi and O. ventalloi the presence of about 10 rounded vestigial teeth in the basal half of the movable chelal finger and 2 larger distal teeth on the fixed cheliceral finger. Differences between O. verai and the other three species are noted in the key and in the remarks under the other species. The above description incorporates in part that of Zaragoza (1985b).