Lasiochernes marinae Hlebec & Harvey, 2024

Hlebec, Dora, Harms, Danilo, Kučinić, Mladen & Harvey, Mark S., 2024, Integrative taxonomy of the pseudoscorpion family Chernetidae (Pseudoscorpiones: Cheliferoidea): evidence for new range-restricted species in the Dinaric Karst, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society (Zool. J. Linn. Soc.) 200 (3), pp. 644-669 : 651-655

Lasiochernes marinae Hlebec & Harvey , sp. nov.

Zoobank registration: http://zoobank.org/ NomenclaturalActs/ 99902BA6-99D4-45F3-B30B- F8287106EA63 ( Figs 4–6 )

Type material: Holotype ♂, CROATIA: Dubrovnik-Neretva County: Metković, Nova Sela, Čočina jama, 43°06ʹ40.3″N, 17°34ʹ00.5″E, 215 m a.s.l. (cave entrance), 8 October 2022, B. Jalžić ( CNHM408 ) . Paratype: 1♀, data as holotype except 10 February 2019 ( CNHM491 ) .

Diagnosis: Lasiochernes marinae differs from other Lasiochernes species by the presence of long setae (N <30) situated basally on the prolateral face of the male femur ( Figs 4C , 5A ), and the slightly rounded posterolateral margin at coxa IV, especially in females ( Fig. 4C, D ).

Holotype: CNHM408 (DNA voucher CROBD205 ; GenBank ON 841932) served as the reference sequence . Paratype: CNHM491 (DNA voucher CROBD290 ; GenBank ON 842134) shared COI haplotype.

See Supporting Information, Appendix S6 for a list of diagnostic nucleotides in the barcode fragment of the COI gene. Uncorrected pairwise genetic distances (p -distances) between Lasiochernes marinae sp. nov. and other Lasiochernes species are listed in the Supporting Information, Appendix S9. Positions refer to the alignment available in the Supporting Information, Appendix S10.

Description (adults)

Colour: Pedipalps, carapace and coxae deep red-brown; tergites and sternites reddish; legs yellow-brown ( Fig. 4 ).

Pedipalp ( Fig. 5 ): All pedipalpal surfaces granulate; segments setose, femur more setose in male; most setae large, curved and dentate; prolateral face of femur of male with long setae, situated in basal half, basal setae straight, medial setae slightly curved ( Fig. 5A ); patella with several dorsal lyrifissures ( Fig 5A, B ); all segments robust, slightly longer and thinner in female; trochanter 1.62 (♂), 1.76 (♀), femur 2.46 (♂), 2.61 (♀), patella 2.34 (♂), 2.53 (♀), chela (with pedicel) 2.80 (♂), 2.94 (♀), chela (without pedicel) 2.69 (♂), 2.70 (♀), hand (without pedicel) 1.26 (♂), 1.32 (♀) × longer than broad, movable finger (without pedicel) 0.87 (♂), 0.98 (♀) × longer than hand. Fixed chelal finger with eight trichobothria, movable chelal finger with four trichobothria ( Fig. 5A, B ): eb and esb situated basally, est situated slightly closer to esb than to et, ib and ist situated subbasally, isb situated opposite est (♂) or slightly posterior to est (♀) and midway between ist and it (♂) or closer to ist than to it, and it situated subdistally; t situated subdistally, st situated slightly closer to t than to sb, and sb situated much closer to b than to st ( Fig. 5C, D ). Venom apparatus only present in movable chelal finger, venom duct long, terminating in nodus ramosus basal to t. Pseudotactile setae absent. Chelal fingers not gaping; teeth slightly retrorse, juxtadentate, basal teeth more rounded; fixed finger with 42 (♂), 40 (♀) teeth, plus 10 (♂), 10 (♀) retrolateral accessory teeth and 5 (♂), 6 (♀) distal prolateral accessory teeth; movable finger with 45 (♂), 42 (♀) teeth, plus 9 (♂), 8 (♀) retrolateral accessory teeth and 10 (♂), 4 (♀) distal prolateral accessory teeth; sense-spots: fixed chelal finger with 12 (♂), or 11 (♀) retrolateral and 10 (♂) or 2 (♀) prolateral spots, movable chelal finger with 5 (♂), 8 (♀) retrolateral and 0 (♂, ♀) prolateral spots.

Chelicera: With five setae on hand and one subdistal seta (gs) on movable finger; setae es, bs and sbs lightly dentate, ls and is long and acuminate ( Fig. 6A, B ); galea well-developed, long and thin with two distal and three medial rami (♂) and two distal and four medial rami (♀) ( Fig. 6D, E ); with two dorsal lyrifissures and one ventral lyrifissure; rallum composed of three blades that are dentate on anterior face ( Fig. 6C ); serrula exterior with 21 (♂) and 18 (♀) blades; lamina exterior present.

Carapace: Granulate and sub-rectangular; with two transverse furrows, posterior furrow situated slightly closer to posterior margin than to anterior furrow, posterior furrow with small posteromedian furrow ( Fig. 4A, B ); 1.04 (♂, ♀) × longer than broad; eyes and eye-spot absent; carapace with 47 (♂), 74 (♀) setae including 7 (♂, ♀) setae near anterior margin and 8 (♂), 10 (♀) setae near posterior margin.

Coxal region: Maxillae rugose, coxae smooth; manducatory process pointed, with 3 apical acuminate setae (♂, ♀), one small sub-oral seta, and 36 (♂), 39 (♀) additional setae. Chaetotaxy of coxae I–IV: ♂: 29: 31: 43: 56; ♀: 27: 37: 40: 92. Coxa IV with slightly rounded posterolateral margin.

Legs: Femur + patella of leg IV 4.25 (♂), 5.08 (♀) × longer than deep; tarsus IV with long tactile seta located medially, TS ratio = 0.51 (♂), 0.53 (♀); arolium shorter than claws, claws simple ( Fig. 6G ).

Abdomen: Tergites I‒II partially divided, other tergites and sternites IV‒XI with broad medial suture line. Tergal chaetotaxy: ♂, 12: 12: 11: 13: 15: 13: 15: 16: 16: 11: 6: 2; ♀, 12: 11: 13: 14: 13: 16: 14: 15: 12: 9: 5: 2; setae lightly dentate. Sternal chaetotaxy: ♂, 44: (2) 20 [3 + 3] (3): (4) 14 (4): 18: 20: 18: 16: 17: 13: 8: 2; ♀, 33: (3) 13 (4): (4) 8 (3):16: 15: 18: 22: 18: 16: 13: 2. Tergites and sternites without tactile setae. Pleural membrane wrinkled plicate, without setae.

Genitalia: Male with typical chernetid morphology; female with single T-shaped spermatheca, length of each receptaculum slightly shorter than median stalk ( Fig. 6F, H, I ).

Dimensions (mm): Male holotype: body length 3.21. Pedipalps: trochanter 0.535 / 0.330, femur 0.860 / 0.350, patella 0.820 / 0.350, chela (with pedicel) 1.370 / 0.490, chela (without pedicel) 1.320, hand (without pedicel) length 0.620, movable finger length 0.710. Chelicera: movable finger length (♀): 0.250. Carapace 0.940 / 0.905; leg IV: femur + patella 0.765 / 0.180, tibia 0.620 / 0.125, tarsus 0.405 / 0.100, TS = 0.506.

Dimensions (mm): Female paratype: body length 3.78. Pedipalps: trochanter 0.590 / 0.335, femur 0.875 / 0.335, patella 0.885 / 0.350, chela (with pedicel) 1.560 / 0.530, chela (without pedicel) 1.430, hand (without pedicel) length 0.700, movable finger length 0.710. Chelicera: movable finger length (♀): 0.210. Carapace 0.995 / 0.955. Leg IV: femur + patella 0.890 / 0.175, tibia 0.445 / 0.145, tarsus 0.360 / 0.090, TS = 0.527.

Etymology: This species is named for the first author’s beloved mother, Marina Hlebec.

Remarks: Lasiochernes marinae sp. nov. is known only from the type locality, Čočina jama cave, in southern Croatia (for ground plan and longitudinal section see: Jalžić et al. 2013). All specimens were found under stone near the cave entrance. No additional specimens could be found in other caves in the area, despite significant collecting efforts. Only a single haplotype was recorded for all genetic markers in all specimens, indicating low genetic diversity. Note that Čočina jama cave is also the type locality of the woodlice Trichoniscus matulici metkovicensis Buturović, 1955 . During subsequent visits to the locality, only two individuals of bat ( Hipposideros sp. ) were recorded.

Figures

Figure 4. Lasiochernes marinae sp. nov.. A, holotype male, habitus (CNHM779), dorsal. B, paratype female, habitus (CNHM491), dorsal. C, holotype male, cephalothorax, ventral. D, paratype female, cephalothorax, ventral. Scale lines = 1 mm (A, B), 0.5 mm (C, D).

Figure 5. Lasiochernes marinae sp. nov.. A, holotype male (CNHM779), right pedipalp, dorsal. B, paratype female (CNHM491), right pedipalp, dorsal. C, holotype male, left chela, retrolateral. D, paratype female, left chela, retrolateral.Scale lines = 0.25 mm.

Figure 6. Lasiochernes marinae sp. nov.. A, holotype male (CNHM779), left chelicera, dorsal. B, paratype female (CNHM491), left chelicera, dorsal. C, paratype female, left rallum, lateral. D, holotype male, left galea, dorsal.E, paratype female, left galea, dorsal. F, holotype male, genital opercula (sternites II and III). G, holotype male, left leg IV, retrolateral. H, paratype female, genital opercula (sternites II and III). I, paratype female, spermathecae. Scale lines = 0.25 mm (G), 0.1 mm (A, B, F, H, I), 0.05 mm (C, D, E).