Cardiolpium curcici, Gao & Zhang, 2016

Gao, Zhizhong & Zhang, Feng, 2016, First report of the genus Cardiolpium (Pseudoscorpiones: Olpiidae) from China, with description of a new species, Ecologica Montenegrina 7, pp. 298-304 : 299-303

Cardiolpium curcici sp. nov.

( Figs. 1–3 )

Type material. Holotype male (Ps.– MHBU – XZ14080705 ): China, Xizang Autonomous Region, Luozha County, near to Shengge Village [N 28°11′35.43″ E 91°01′41.11″], elev. 3,205 m, from leaf- litter, 7 August 2014, Chao Zhang leg.

Etymology. The specific name is a patronym in honour of late Acad. Prof. Dr. Božidar P. M. Ćurčić, a famous Serbian zoologist and arachnologist, who has given a significant contribution to the better knowledge of pseudoscorpion fauna of the Balkan Peninsula, in Serbia especially.

Diagnosis. The new species is erected on the grounds of several characters: smooth body; the number of eyes (four eyes); rallum with three blades; the position of trichobothria (trichobothria eb, esb and isb grouped and situated basally; trichobothria est and it situated in the middle of fixed finger); arolium longer than claws, not divided and morphometric ratios.

This new species is related to C. stupidum (Beier, 1963) from Central Asia and Southeastern Europe, but can be distinguished from it by the slenderer pedipalps (femur ratio 4.29 vs. 3.90, patella ratio 3.12 vs. 2.80, chela with pedicel ratio 4.07 vs. 3.50, chela without pedicel ratio 3.83 vs. 3.20) ( Beier 1965) and the larger body length (2.93 vs. 1.30) ( Beier 1965) ( Table 1).

Description. Body moderately flattened. Pedipalps reddish-brown, carapace, tergites and sternites darker. Setae of body straight and dentate apically.

Chelicera. With five setae on hand ( Fig. 3b ), all setae acuminate; movable cheliecaral finger with a sub-distal seta; movable finger with 2–3 tiny teeth distally, whilst fixed cheliecaral finger with 4–5 moderately sized pointed teeth; one lyrifissure present on the base of fixed finger ( Fig. 3b ); galea with bifurcate tip and a small sub-median ramus ( Fig. 3c ); rallum composed of three blades, the distal one with 1–2 basal serrations on the anterior margin, while basal blade smooth ( Fig. 3d ); serrula exterior with 18 blades; lamina exterior present, moderately broad.

Pedipalp. All segments completely smooth; setae moderately long and acicular; trochanter elongate, with a small and round tubercle ( Figs. 2c , 3e ); trochanter length 1.95, femur length 4.29, patella length 3.12, chela with pedicel length 4.07, chela without pedicel length 3.83, hand with pedicel length 1.83, hand without pedicel 1.53 times as long as broad, movable finger 1.25 times as long as hand with pedicel. Femur without long tactile setae.

Fixed chelal finger with eight trichobothria, movable chelal finger with four trichobothria ( Fig. 3g ), eb, esb and isb grouped (situated) basally; trichobothrium ib situated basally; esb somewhat closer to eb than to isb; trichobothrium ist situated sub-basally; trichobothria est and it situated in the middle of the fixed finger; ist distal to isb; et situated near sub-distal end of the fixed finger; sb situated closer to b than to st; t situated slightly closer to st than to the tip of the movable finger; without microsetae on both fingers. Venom apparatus present in both chelal fingers, venom ducts very long and slender. Fixed chelal finger with ca. 51 pointed teeth; movable chelal finger with ca. 49 pointed teeth except in the basal part, where the teeth are obtuse; without accessory teeth.

Carapace ( Figs. 2a , 3a ). Smooth, 1.46 times as long as broad, sub-rectangular, with a very weak sub-basal transverse impression; cucullus narrow and anteriorly emarginate; with two pairs of eyes with developed lenses situated near anterior margin of carapace; with 18 setae in total, anterior and posterior margins respectively with four setae each; without furrows; with five pairs of lyrifissures ( Fig. 3a ). Manducatory process with one long and two short setae; remainder of maxilla with 7–9 setae.

Abdomen. Pleural membrane longitudinally striate. Tergites not divided, sternites unconspicuously divided. Tergal chaetotaxy: 2: 2: 4: 4: 4: 4: 4: 4: 4: 2+4T:4+2T, uniseriate, all setae acicular. Chaetotaxy of sternites IV–XI: 6: 6: 6: 6: 6: 6: 2+4T:4+2T, setae uniseriate and acuminate; each tergite and sternite with 2–4 lyrifissures; glandular setae absent, but some tactile spots present; anus not surrounded by sternite XI.

Legs. Chaetotaxy of coxae I–IV: 5: 5: 5: 8. Junction between femora and patellae I and II broad and submobile; femur I with a large lyrifissure distally ( Fig. 3h ), slightly longer than patella I; femur + patella of leg IV 3.19 times as long as broad; metatarsus and tarsus IV can be observed in Fig. 3j ; sub-terminal tarsal setae straight and acute; arolium undivided, clearly longer than the smooth and large claws.

Distribution. China (Xizang Autonomous Region, Luozha County, near to Shengge Village).

Figures

Figure 1. Cardiolpium curcici sp. nov., holotype male: a. habitus, dorsal view; b. habitus, ventral view. Scale bars: 1.00 mm

Figure 2. Cardiolpium curcici sp. nov., holotype male: a. carapace, dorsal view; b. left chela, retro-lateral view; c. left pedipalp, dorsal view; d. genital area, ventral view; e. left leg I, lateral view; f. left leg IV, lateral view; g. left leg IV metatarsus and tarsus, lateral view. Scale bars: 0.20 mm.

Figure 3. Cardiolpium curcici sp. nov., holotype male: a. carapace, dorsal view (position of lyrifissures indicated by black bars); b. left chelicera, dorsal view; c. left galea, lateral view; d. left rallum, dorsal view; e. left pedipalp without chela, dorsal view; f. left chela, retro-lateral view; g. apical part of left chela, retro-lateral view; h. left leg I, lateral view (position of a large lyrifissure indicated by a black arrow); i. left leg IV, lateral view; j. left leg IV metatarsus and tarsus, lateral view. Scale bars: 0.25 mm (a, b, e–j) and 0.10 mm (c, d).