Ephippiochthonius vicenae, Zaragoza, Juan A., 2017

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 : 121-124

Ephippiochthonius vicenae n. sp. ( Figs 51–55 , 203–209 )

Type locality. Spain, Valencian Community, Alicante province , L’Alacantí comarca, Xixona, Penyes de Roset (38°33′55″N, 00°31′46″W; 684 m a.s.l.).

Distribution. Spain: Valencian Community.

Etymology. The new species is dedicated to Vicen Ripoll Ripoll, my wife, for her continuous support for my work on pseudoscorpions and helpful collaboration in field work.

Diagnosis (♂ ♀). A moderately large, epigean Ephippiochthonius species of the gibbus -group. Movable cheliceral finger without isolated subapical tooth (di) and with prominent spinneret in both sexes, lyrifissure ldb present; two pairs of eyes with lenses, anterior margin of carapace with 1–2 preocular microsetae on each side, posterior margin with 2 setae; chelal hand depressed at level of ib / isb, with a long hump distad of ib / isb and moderate slope between trichobothria ib / isb and eb; fixed chelal finger with 20–23 teeth with dental canals; distal half of movable chelal finger with 7–8 teeth with dental canals, basal half without marginal lamina, with 4–6 vestigial teeth progressively reduced to flattened undulations, without dental canals; pedipalpal femur (♂) 6.5–6.9, (♀) 6.6–6.9 times longer than broad, length (♂) 0.82–0.83 mm, (♀) 0.92–0.93 mm; chela (♂) 5.4–5.6, (♀) 4.6–5.0 times longer than deep, length (♂) 1.12–1.15 mm, (♀) 1.20–1.25 mm; ratio movable chelal finger/chelal hand (♂) 1.4–1.5, (♀) 1.3–1.4; all chelal lyrifissures patterns present, mostly in their standard numbers, except that ma2 is absent and fd3 is rarely present.

Type material examined. ♂ holotype (DEUA), 3 ♂ paratypes (DEUA, MNCN, MCNB), 6 ♀ paratypes (4 ♀ DEUA, 1 ♀ MNCN, 1 ♀ MCNB), Spain, Valencian Community, Alicante province, L’Alacantí comarca, Xixona , Penyes de Roset (38°33′55″N, 00°31′46″W; 684 m a.s.l.), 23.III.2003, under stones, leg. V. Ortuño and J.A. Zaragoza .

Description (♂ ♀). Medium-sized epigean species. Integument pigmented; hispid granulation on lateral surfaces of carapace, on cheliceral hand and on bases of chelal fingers.

Carapace ( Fig. 204 ) slightly longer than broad and weakly constricted posteriorly; anterior margin weakly prominent medially, without epistome, and strongly dentate ( Fig. 203 ); anterior eyes with strongly convex lens (diameter 0.053–0.060 mm), 0.045–0.055 mm from anterior margin of carapace, posterior eyes with more moderate convex lens than anterior pair, 0.025–0.040 mm from anterior eyes, diameter 0.050–0.060 mm; both pairs of eyes with reflecting tapeta. Chaetotaxy: 18 macrosetae and 1–2 preocular microsetae on each side, lateral setae at the posterior margin distinctly shorter than the medial macrosetae, macrosetal formula 4:6:4:2:4, anteromedial setae 0.12–0.14 mm long, sublateral ocular setae 0.09– 0.011 mm; 4 lyrifissures anteriorly and 2 posteriorly.

Chelicera ( Figs 205, 206, 209 ) with 6 setae and 1 lateral microseta on hand, male holotype with 5 setae on one chelicera and 6 on the other, seta vb short (length 0.044–0.070 mm), microseta 0.035–0.040 mm; hand with 5 dorsal and 1 ventral lyrifissure, lyrifissure ldb present. Fixed finger with 6–10 teeth decreasing in size proximally, distal tooth distinctly or only slightly larger than others, with 3–5 proximal microtubercles. Movable finger without an isolated subapical tooth (di), with 6–7 teeth decreasing in size proximally, the distal tooth simple or bicuspid and larger than others, with 2–4 proximal microtubercles; spinneret prominent and apically in both sexes ( Figs 206, 209 ), slightly larger in female; seta gl 0.56–0.64 from base of movable finger. Rallum with 11 blades. Serrula exterior with 14–16 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 (0.28–0.30 and 0.40–0.42 mm long, respectively). Chaetotaxy of sternites 9–11:(3)9– 11(3):(2)7(2):8:6:6:6:6:2T1T2:0:2, lateral setae on sternite III microsetal in size, sternite X with 2 submedial tactile setae (0.25–0.26 mm long); in addition, genital notch of male flanked by 8–10 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 0.11–0.13 mm long; coxa I 3 + 3 marginal microsetae, distal marginal seta 0.08–0.09 mm long; II 4 + 11–12 bipinnate coxal spines, III 5 + 4–7 bipinnate coxal spines and IV 6; intercoxal tubercle bisetose.

Pedipalp with femoral chaetotaxy 3:6–8:2:5–6:1. Chela ( Figs 51 , 208 ) with hand depressed at level of ib / isb, with a long hump distad of ib / isb and moderate slope between trichobothria ib / isb and eb; dorsal-antiaxial surface of the chelal hand between the hump and trichobothria eb / esb flattened, limited by a marked edge; ventral intercondylar bow-like protuberance (ip) present ( Fig. 53 ); chaetotaxy 4:5:3, seta ph3 lacking, setae ih1, ih3 and ih4 approximately level with trichobothria ib / isb; distal end of hand and bases of chelal fingers with sclerotized condylar complex. Fixed finger with 20–23 teeth with dental canals, mostly pointed, distal tooth small, basal third teeth progressively decreasing, dental row reaching halfway between trichobothria sb and b, 5–6 microtubercles at base; tip of finger with an accessory tooth (td) on antiaxial face; tip of fixed chelal finger of male with a deep hollow on paraxial face and subdistal protuberance (sp) ( Fig. 207 ); one pair of short antiaxial sensory setae (as) at the base, usually close together, on either side of lyrifissure fb, 0.015–0.025 mm long, distance between them 0.019–0.040 mm, fixed finger depth at the base 0.060–0.070 mm; 3 teeth at level of est / it occupying 0.1 mm, distance between successive apices 0.028–0.040 mm. Movable finger with 7–8 pointed teeth at the distal half, all with dental canals, the distal one small; proximal half without marginal lamina, with 4–6 vestigial teeth progressively reduced to flattened undulations, without dental canals, dental row reaching trichobothrium sb or sensilla pc; basal apodeme long and apically indented; coupled sensilla pc between sb and b, slightly or distinctly closer to sb. Trichobothria as in Fig. 208 ; trichobothrium ist level with or slightly distad or proximad of esb and well proximad of lyrifissure fb; distance between ib / isb and base of hand 1.0–1.1 times that between ib / isb; distance between st and sb 2.0–2.2 times longer than that between sb and b. Lyrifissures: all the patterns and most of their standard number are present, except that ma2 is absent and fd3 that usually lacks and rarely is present ( Figs 52, 54, 55 ).

Measurements and ratios. Male holotype, followed, when different, by male paratypes in square brackets: Body 1.84 [1.88–1.90]. Carapace 0.52/0.45 (1.2) [0.50–0.53/0.49 (1.0–1.1)]. Chelicera 0.44/0.20 (2.2) [0.44–0.45/ 0.21 (2.1–2.2)], movable finger 0.22 [0.23]. Pedipalp: femur 0.82/0.12 (6.9) [0.82–0.83/0.12–0.13 (6.5–6.7)], patella 0.31/0.15 (2.1) [0.32/0.15 (2.2)], chela 1.12/0.21 (5.5) [1.13–1.15/0.20–0.21 (5.4–5.6)], hand 0.46 (2.2), movable finger 0.65 [0.66–0.67]; ratio movable finger/hand 1.4 [1.4–1.5]; femur/movable finger 1.3 [1.2–1.3], femur/carapace 1.6, chela/carapace 2.2 [2.1–2.3], chela/femur 1.4. Female paratypes: Body 2.26–2.40. Carapace 0.57–0.58/0.56–0.58 (1.0). Chelicera 0.49–0.51/0.23 (2.1–2.2). Pedipalp: femur 0.92–0.93/0.14 (6.6–6.9), patella 0.35/0.18 (2.0), chela 1.20–1.25/0.25–0.26 (4.6–5.0), hand 0.50–0.53 (1.9–2.1), movable finger 0.68–0.71; ratio movable finger/hand 1.3–1.4, femur/movable finger 1.3–1.4, femur/carapace 1.6, chela/carapace 2.1–2.2, chela/ femur 1.3.

Remarks. Within the gibbus -group, the species E. vicenae n. sp. and E. andalucia n. sp. share the following characteristics: absence of isolated subapical tooth (di), movable chelal finger with a dental row of 7–8 distal pointed teeth that reaches closer to trichobothrium st than to sb, pedipalpal femur length about 0.70 mm or more, chela length about 1.00 mm or more, and cheliceral spinneret prominent in male. E. vicenae n. sp. differs from E. andalucia n. sp. in the absence of dental canals in the teeth of the basal half of the movable chelal finger, usually lacking lyrifissure fd3 and in having a longer pedipalpal femur and chela, as compared in the remarks under E. andalucia n. sp. and in the key.

Figures

FIGURES 48 – 55. SEM images. 48 – 50, Cantabrochthonius asturiensis (Beier, 1955) n. comb., female, Santoña, Cantabria, Spain: 48, right chela, antiaxial view, slightly dorsal; 49, chelal fingers, partial antiaxial view; 50, apex of movable cheliceral finger, with spinneret. 51 – 55, Ephippiochthonius vicenae n. sp. Female, Xixona, Alicante province, Spain: 51, right chela, dorsal view; 52, chelal fingers, partial antiaxial view, with detail of lyrifissure ma 1; 53, partial distal portion of chelal hand and base of movable finger, antiaxial view; 54, distal portion of chelal hand, dorsal view; 55, medial portion of chelal hand, dorsal view. See Material and methods for abbreviations.

FIGURES 203 – 209. Ephippiochthonius vicenae n. sp., male holotype (203 – 208) and female paratype (209). 203, anterior margin of carapace, partial view; 204, carapace; 205, left chelicera; 206, fingers of left chelicera, partial view; 207, tip of fixed chelal finger, dorsal view; 208, left chela, antiaxial view; 209, movable finger of right chelicera, partial view.