Paractenoscia cavernicola, Taiti & Rossano, 2015

Taiti, Stefano & Rossano, Claudia, 2015, Terrestrial isopods from the Oued Laou basin, north-eastern Morocco (Crustacea: Oniscidea), with descriptions of two new genera and seven new species, Journal of Natural History 49 (33), pp. 2067-2138 : 2082-2086

Paractenoscia cavernicola sp. nov.

( Figures 9–11 )

Material examined

Holotype: ♂, St. 8, leg. S. Taiti and C. Rossano, 28 April 2004 ( MZUF 9473 ) . Paratypes: 3 ♂, 9 ♀♀, same data as holotype ( MZUF 9473 ) .

Description

Maximum length: ♂, 3.5 mm; ♀, 4.8 mm. Body outline as in Figure 9A . Colourless body. Back smooth with some scattered pointed scale-setae ( Figure 9B ); noduli laterales with b/c and d/c co-ordinates as in Figure 9C . Cephalon ( Figure 9D, 9E ) with suprantennal line slightly bent downwards in the middle; eyes absent. Pereonites 1–3 with convex distal margins and rounded posterior corners; pereonites 4–7 with progressively more acute corners ( Figure 9F ). Telson triangular with slightly convex sides ( Figure 9G ). Antennule ( Figure 9H ) with third article longer than first and second; third article with two petaliform apical aesthetascs, two petaliform aesthetascs in the middle and one pointed aesthetasc closer to proximal margin. Antenna ( Figures 9I , 11A ) with flagellum slightly longer than fifth article of peduncle; flagellar articles subequal in length; a row of three aesthetascs on second and four aesthetascs on third flagellar article. Mandible with molar penicil consisting of three long and two short setae; left mandible ( Figure 10A ) with 2 + 1 free penicils and two lines of scales between the two groups of free penicils; right mandible ( Figure 10B ) with 1 + 1 free penicils. Maxillule outer branch with 4 + 6 (4 pectinate) teeth; inner branch with two short stout penicils ( Figure 10C ). Maxilla ( Figure 10D ) deeply bilobate with setose apex, inner lobe slightly larger than outer one, bearing verruca-like protuberances at the base and with tuft of short segmented sticks near medial margin. Maxilliped ( Figure 10E ) endite with a line of setae in the middle and no penicil; first article of palp with two strong setae. Pereopods with a row of scales on distal margins of ischium, merus and carpus.

Male: Antenna with fifth article of the peduncle distinctly enlarged ( Figure 11A ). Pereopod 1 ( Figure 11B ) with no distinct sexual modifications. Pereopod 7 ( Figure 11C ) ischium with straight sternal margin. Pleopod 1 ( Figure 11D ) exopod subtriangular; endopod with pointed apical part slightly bent outwards. Pleopod 2 ( Figure 11E ) endopod with apical part flagelliform, distinctly longer than exopod. Pleopod 3–5 exopods as in Figure 11F–H .

Etymology

From the Latin ‘ cavernicolus ’ = cavernicolous, cave-dwelling. The name refers to the locality of collection: Ghar-Knadel Cave.

Figures

Figure 9. Paractenoscia cavernicola sp. nov. from St. 8, paratype ♀: (A) adult specimen, dorsal view; (B) dorsal scale-seta; (C) co-ordinates of noduli laterals; (D) cephalon, dorsal view; (E) cephalon, frontal view; (F) right side of pereon showing disposition of noduli laterales; (G) pleonites 3–5, telson and uropods; (H) antennule; (I) antenna.

Figure 10. Paractenoscia cavernicola sp. nov. from St. 8, paratype ♀: (A) left mandible; (B) right mandible; (C) maxillule; (D) maxilla; (E) maxilliped.

Figure 11. Paractenoscia cavernicola sp. nov. from St. 8, paratype ♂: (A) antenna; (B) pereopod 1; (C) pereopod 7; (D) genital papilla and pleopod 1; (E) pleopod 2; (F) pleopod 3 exopod; (G) pleopod 4 exopod; (H) pleopod 5 exopod.