Ephippiochthonius gonzalezi, 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 : 78-80

Ephippiochthonius gonzalezi n. sp. ( Figs 139–143 )

Type locality. Spain, Valencian Community, Valencia province, La Costera comarca, Vallada, Tunel del Sumidor (38°49′45″N, 00°37′24″W; 407 m a.s.l.).

Distribution. Spain: Valencian Community.

Etymology. Named after the biospeleologist José Vicente González, for his contribution to the knowledge of the hypogean fauna of the Valencian Community.

Diagnosis (♀). A moderately large, hypogean Ephippiochthonius species of the tetrachelatus -group. Movable cheliceral finger with isolated subapical tooth (di) and spinneret strongly prominent in female, unknown for male, lyrifissure ldb present; no eyes or eye-spots, 1 preocular microsetae on each side, posterior margin of carapace with 2 macrosetae; chelal hand weakly depressed at level of ib / isb, with long and low hump distad of ib / isb and gentle slope between trichobothria ib / isb and eb; fixed chelal finger with 26 teeth; movable chelal finger with 20 teeth, without marginal lamina; pedipalpal femur (♀) 7.3 times longer than broad, length 0.96 mm; chela (♀) 6.0 times longer than deep, length 1.30 mm; ratio movable chelal finger/chelal hand (♀) 1.5; all chelal lyrifissure patterns present with their standard complements.

Type material examined. ♀ holotype ( DEUA), Spain, Valencian Community, Valencia province, La Costera comarca, Vallada, Tunel del Sumidor (38°49′45″N, 00°37′24″W; 407 m a.s.l.), 13.VI.1982, leg. J.V. González.

Description (♀; ♂ unknown). Moderately large, hypogean, troglomorphic species. Integument depigmented; weakly hispid granulation on lateral surfaces of carapace, on cheliceral hand and on bases of chelal fingers.

Carapace ( Fig. 140 ) distinctly longer than broad and posteriorly constricted; medial part of anterior margin weakly prominent, without a well-defined epistome, and strongly dentate ( Fig. 139 ); without eyes or eye-spots. Chaetotaxy: 18 macrosetae and 1 preocular microseta on each side, formula m 4m:6:4:2:2, anteromedial setae 0.15 mm long, sublateral ocular setae 0.08 mm long; 4 lyrifissures anteriorly and 2 posteriorly.

Chelicera ( Figs 141, 142 ) with 6 setae and 1 lateral microseta on hand, seta vb short (0.065 mm long); hand with 5 dorsal and 1 ventral lyrifissure, lyrifissure ldb present. Fixed finger with 12 teeth decreasing in size proximally, two distal teeth distinctly larger than others. Movable finger with an isolated subapical tooth (di), with 7 teeth decreasing in size proximally, the distal tooth larger than others; spinneret prominent in female ( Fig. 142 ), unknown for male; seta gl 0.53 from base of movable finger. Rallum with 11 blades. Serrula exterior with 16 blades, serrula interior 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. Chaetotaxy of sternites 11:(3)8(3):(2)7(2):8:6:6:6:6:2T1T2:0:2, sternite X with 2 submedial tactile setae.

Pedipalpal coxa with 5 setae (including 2 on manducatory process), distal marginal seta of disk 0.13 mm long; coxa I 3 + 3 marginal microsetae, distal marginal setae lost; II 4 + 13 bipinnate coxal spines, III 5 + 7 bipinnate coxal spines and IV 6; intercoxal tubercle bisetose.

Pedipalp with femoral chaetotaxy 3:6:3:5:1. Chela ( Fig. 143 ) with weakly depressed at level of ib / isb, with long and low hump distad of ib / isb and gentle 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; width longer than depth; 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 26 teeth, most pointed and all with dental canals, the distal and subdistal teeth smaller than the following ones, 6 proximal teeth progressively decreasing in size, the most 4 proximal teeth rounded, dental row reaching up to slightly proximad of halfway between trichobothria sb and b, 1 microtubercle 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); one pair of long antiaxial sensory setae (as) at the finger base, 0.053–0.063 mm long, distance between them 0.070 mm, finger depth 0.067 mm at the base; 3 teeth at level of est / it occupying 0.1 mm, distance between successive apices 0.030 mm. Movable finger with 20 teeth, most with dental canals, the distal one on low protuberance and very tiny, up to slightly distad of trichobothrium sb are pointed and well developed, decreasing in size proximally and becoming rounded, all with dental canals except 3 most proximal teeth, dental row reaching up to proximad of trichobothrium sb being slightly shorter than the fixed finger dental row; basal apodeme long and apically indented; coupled sensilla pc halfway between sb and b, slightly closer to sb. Trichobothria as in Fig. 143 ; trichobothrium ist distinctly proximad of esb and well proximad of lyrifissure fb; distance between ib / isb and esb 1.2 times longer than between ib / isb and the base of the hand; distance between st and sb 1.7 times longer than that between sb and b. All chelal lyrifissure patterns present with their standard complements, 4 lyrifissures fd on one chela and the normal number of 3 on the other chela.

Measurements and ratios. Female holotype: Body 1.84. Carapace 0.54/0.52 (1.0). Cheliceral 0.54/0.24 (2.3), movable finger 0.27. Pedipalp: femur 0.96/0.13 (7.3), patella 0.36/0.16 (2.2), chela 1.30/0.22 (6.0), hand 0.51 (2.4), movable finger 0.76; ratio movable finger/hand 1.5, femur/movable finger 1.3, femur/carapace 1.8, chela/carapace 2.4, chela/femur 1.4.

Remarks. Within the tetrachelatus -group, E. gonzalezi n. sp. resembles E. hiberus ( Beier, 1930) in having only 2 setae in posterior row of the carapace and with an isolated subapical tooth (di) on the movable cheliceral finger. These can be separated by: the length/depth ratios of the chela and its hand, which are 6.0 and 2.4 times longer than deep, respectively, in E. gonzalezi n. sp. versus 5.3 and 2.2, respectively, in E. hiberus ; the movable chelal finger of E. gonzalezi n. sp. with 17 well developed teeth with dental canals reaching to level of trichobothrium sb, versus only 13 developed teeth with dental canals reaching to well distad of sb in E. hiberus ; the cheliceral spinneret prominent in E. gonzalezi n. sp., as opposed to strongly reduced in E. hiberus ; and the presence of a pair of preocular microsetae in E. gonzalezi n. sp., absent in E. hiberus .

Figures

FIGURES 139 – 143. Ephippiochthonius gonzalezi n. sp., female holotype. 139, anterior margin of carapace, partial view; 140, carapace; 141, left chelicera; 142, fingers of left chelicera, partial view; 143, left chela, antiaxial view.