Plusiocampa (Plusiocampa) sp

Sendra, Alberto & Weber, Dieter, 2018, An unexpected discovery of a new subgenus and a species of Plusiocampa (Campodeidae, Diplura) alongside an overview of Central European subterranean campodeids, European Journal of Taxonomy 428, pp. 1-21 : 15-16

Plusiocampa (Plusiocampa) sp .

Table 2

Material studied

GERMANY (all Franconian Alb, Bavaria): 1 juv., Geisloch near Oberfellendorf, 17 Apr. 2014, Hardy Schabdach leg. ( AS); 2 ♀♀, Geisloch near Oberfellendorf, 17 Apr. 2014, Hardy Schabdach leg. ( AS); 1 Ƌ, Fischerhöhle near Heuchling, 7 Jul. 2011, Hardy Schabdach leg. ( AS); 1 ♀, Sophienhöhle near Rabenstein, 10 Jan. 2012, Hardy Schabdach leg. ( AS); 1 ♀, Geisloch near Müzinghof, 10 May 2011, Hardy Schabdach leg. ( AS).

Taxonomic remarks

Body length 2.0 mm in a juvenile and 3.0–3.8 mm in adults; short antennae with 20–21 doliiform antennomeres (1–1.1 times as long as wide in middle antennomeres and 1.5 times in last one); four simple olfatory chemoreceptors in cupuliform organ; small sensillum of third antennomere in ventral position, between d and e macrosetae; frontal process without protrusion nor tuberculate setae; pronotum with 1+1 ma, 4+4 la, 2+2 lp; mesonotum with 1+1 ma, 3+3 la 1,2,3, 2+2 lp 2,3, 1+1 mp; metanotum with 1+1 ma, 1+1 la, 2+2 lp 2,3, 1+1 mp; short legs reaching seventh abdominal segment, with two ventral tibial macrosetae; telotarsal process with small claws slightly unequal (1.1–1.2), with very short extension at basal end of posterior claw and large lateral crests; urotergites with 1+1 post on I–II; 0–1+1 la, 2+2 post 1,2 on III, 1+1 la, 4+4 post 1,2,3,4 on IV, 2+2 or 1+1 la, 5+5 post 1–5 on V, 2+2 la, 5+5 post 1–5 on VI–VII; 6+6 post on VIII and 10+8 to 9+9 on abdominal segment IX; male with slightly enlarged appendages, having a 1 -glandular setae in addition to a field of g 1 -glandular setae; female appendages slightly thin, having a 1 -glandular setae; cerci approximately half of body length with 6–7 articles plus base.

Phyletic affinities

This small Plusiocampa s. str. sp. from Franconian Alb caves is characterized by its short appendages, modest claws, low number of antennomeres and cercal articles in addition to only four olfactory chemoreceptors in the cupuliform organ; all of these non-troglomorphic features indicate a not exclusively subterranean life for this species. Due to this, Plusiocampa s. str. sp. can be considered a troglophile form that can live in subterranean superficial habitats or humid soils. This troglophile life-style can be seen in other Plusiocampa species described from Hungarian caves ( Stach 1929; Loksa 1960). This is the case for Plusiocampa (Plusiocampa) spelaeae Stach, 1929 from Baradla Cave (Gömör, northern Hungary) and Plusiocampa (Plusiocampa) breviantennata Loksa, 1960 from Lócz Cave (Balatonfüred, Hungary). Nevertheless, both cave-dwelling Hungarian species were poorly described and nowadays it is impossible to make a complete comparison with other species of Plusiocampa . Furthermore, both Hungarian species apparently lack medial posterior macrosetae on the mesonotum and metanotum.

The traits related with the small size observed in this Franconian Alb Plusiocampa s. str. sp., in addition to the presence in this species of thoracic medial posterior macrosetae, are found in a soil-dwelling species, Plusiocampa (Plusiocampa) humicola Ionescu, 1951 , recently redescribed by Sendra et al. (2012). However, in the males of P. (P.) humicola g 1 -glandular setae are absent and that species was also found far from Germany in Cluj ( Romania).

It is also possible to look into the affinities of Plusiocampa s. str. sp. from Franconian caves in a species of Plusiocampa from a less distant area. The latter was informally referred to as Plusiocampa strohuali cavicola Vornatscher, 1943 and it has been reported from several Austrian caves ( Condé 1954). Nevertheless, further sampling of material from the type location is the only solution to unravelling the taxonomic mess of several Plusiocampa species from Central Europe.

Tables

Table 2. Plusiocampa (Plusiocampa) sp. from Franconian Alb caves, length of the body, antennomeres, metathoracic leg and cerci (units in mm), and number of antennomeres and cercal articles.

Sex	Body length	Antennae		Metathoracic leg length	Cerci
		Antennomeres	Length		Articles	Length
Juvenile (AS)	2.0	–	–	–	–	–
Ƌ (AS)	3.2	21	–	–	–	–
♀ (AS)	3.5	–	–	–	–	–
Ƌ (AS)	3.7	20	1.8	1.4	6 + base	1.6
♀ (AS)	3.4	21	2.1	1.4	–	–
♀ (AS)	3.8	21	1.9	1.4	7 + base	2.0