Turkmenocampa mirabilis Sendra & Stoev

Sendra, Alberto, Sket, Boris & Stoev, Pavel, 2017, A striking new genus and species of troglobitic Campodeidae (Diplura) from Central Asia, Subterranean Biology 23, pp. 47-68 : 50-55

Turkmenocampa mirabilis Sendra & Stoev sp. n.

Material examined.

Holotype: female, 5.8 mm, Turkmenistan, Lebap Province, Koytendag District, v. Gurshun Magdanly (=Svintsovyi rudnik), cave Kaptarhana, N37°49' E66°24 ', alt. 550-600 m asl, numerous gypsum boulders, guano heaps, cave lakes, pitfall traps with a bait, 24-30.V.2015, P. Stoev, B. Sket leg. preserved in slide with Marc André II, deposited in the NMNH labelled E01. Paratypes: 16 females and 11 males, same locality, date and collectors, preserved in slide with Marc André II, deposited in the NMNHS (labelled E02 to E21) and in A. Sendra personal collection (labelled E22 to E28).

Etymology.

' mirabilis ' is a Latin adjective meaning "unusual, amazing, wonderful, remarkable". The specific epithet refers to the unique micro-sensilla in the cupuliform organ which resemble sponges and micro-corals.

Description.

Body: length of males 3.2-4.9 mm, females 3.5-6.2 mm (Table 1). Epicuticle smooth; body with long, thin and smooth clothing setae (Figs 3-4) which are much shorter and less numerous on the head (Fig. 1); micro-sensilla present on the labial palps and appendages of the first urosternite (Figs 16 and 19).

Head: Antennae shorter than body; composed of 30-33 antennomeres (Table 1). Sensillum of the third antennomere subcylindrical, slightly swollen, similar in size and shape to the maxilla and labial palps (Fig. 2); sensillum located in ventral position between macrosetae d and e, middle antennomeres in adults 2-2.5 times longer than wide. Gouge sensilla (Fig. 13) 18-26 µm long, with their outside surface lightly grooved and with a pointed apex. Gouge sensilla distributed in a single distal whorl of 6-10 sensilla on each medial and distal antennomere. Last antennomere is twice the size of the penultimate, with a noticeable shallow cupuliform organ having a wide opening of 25 µm of diameter measuring 1/12th of its length (Fig. 8). Cupuliform organ tightly packed with two types of unknown sensilla and having three different types of olfactory chemoreceptors all covered with pores: about fourteen type I, two oviform structures of 7-8 µm long; about six type II, two oviform structures of 3.5-4 µm long and about twenty type III, tree-shaped structures with branches that overhang the types I and II sensilla (Figs 8-12). Frontal process slightly developed (Fig. 1), with one long apical and two short posterior setae with 1-2 tiny distal barbs. Three macrosetae along the line of the insertion of antennae and x setae, in female holotype length ratios: anterior = 0.7, posterior = 0.6, intermediate = 1, x = 0.5; all macrosetae with a few thin barbs along the distal one-third. Occiput of the dorsal head with 6+6 macrosetae, including 3+3 ma, la, lp macrosetae (Fig. 1). Labium (Fig. 2) with a short submentum (sm) with 2+2 long macrosetae barbed along the distal half and shorter mentum (m) with 4+4 short macrosetae with a few distal barbs. Typical labial palps (lp) and palpiforms processes (pp). Labial palps covered by more than one hundred neuroglandular setae ending truncated with radial micro-crests on the top (Figs 14-15); nearby are observed a few micro-sensilla (Fig. 16) adjacent to the row of a few banal setae and the labial sensillum.

Thorax: Slightly elongated thoracic nota. Distribution of macrosetae (Fig. 3): pronotum and mesonotum with 1+1 ma, 1+1 la, 2+2 lp2,3 and metanotum with 1+1 ma, 2+2 lp2,3. All macrosetae long, with thin barbs along the distal half to four-fifths; marginal setae longer than clothing setae and with a few distal barbs. Legs slightly elongated, metathoracic legs reaching abdominal segment VIII. Femur II–III with one long dorsal macrosetae barbed along four-fifths. One short ventral macrosetae on tibia I-III well barbed almost from its base. Calcars well barbed from base to tip with long barbs. Tarsus with two ventral rows of setae covered by long thin barbs on the medial portion. Distal tarsus with smooth subapical setae or with a few thin distal barbs. Subequal claws curved in the medial distal comprising a thick base and a remarkable sharp-ending external expansion or side-shoot, the whole body of the claws with fine longitudinal and semi-transversal striate laminar telotarsal processes and only ventral face covered with long barbs with tip ending in a hook-shape along the laminar processes and with a flat expansion-shape at the end of the laminar processes (Figs 17-18).

Abdomen: Abdominal distribution of macrosetae (Fig. 4): 1+1 post1 macrosetae on tergites I-II, 2+2 post1,2 on III, 4+4 post2-5 on IV-VII, 5+5 post on VIII and 7+7 post IX, all long and barbed on the distal two-thirds. Urosternite I with 7+7 (7+8 in three paratypes) well developed macrosetae barbed on the distal two-thirds; II-VII with 4+4; VIII with 1+1 (2+1 in paratype female 5 mm, E05) (Figs 5-7). Styli with a long basal tooth with barbs, apical, subapical and medio-ventral setae well barbed (Fig. 7). One complete cerci isolated: 6.7 mm long, with 9 elongated articles plus base, each article progressively longer and covered with long macrosetae with thin tiny barbs along the distal one-third.

Sexual secondary features: Male urosternite I (Fig. 5) with two subcylindrical appendages, each bearing 8 a1 glandular setae in paratype E12 (a young male, 3.3 mm long) and up to 29 a1 in paratype E18 (adult male, 4.7 mm long) (Table 1). Female urosternite I (Fig. 6) with two subcylindrical appendages thinner than in the males, each bearing 9 to 20 a1 glandular setae (see Table 1 and Fig. 19)