Antsirananaella marlae, Lorenz & Loria & Harvey & Harms, 2022

Lorenz, Michelle, Loria, Stephanie F., Harvey, Mark S. & Harms, Danilo, 2022, The Hercules pseudoscorpions from Madagascar: A systematic study of Feaellidae (Pseudoscorpiones: Feaelloidea) highlights regional endemism and diversity in one of the " hottest " biodiversity hotspots, Arthropod Systematics & amp; Phylogeny 80, pp. 649-691 : 649

Antsirananaella marlae sp. nov.

Type material mxamined.

MADAGASCAR: Antsiranana Province [Sava Region]: Holotype ♂ (CAS 9072444 [BLF9974]), allotype ♀ (ZMH-A0016693), paratypes: 3 ♀, 2 ♂ (CAS 9072444 [BLF9974]), 2 ♀, 2 ♂ (ZMH-A0016694 - ZMH-A0016697), Forêt d’Ampondrabe, 26.3km 10° NNE Daraina, 175 m, 12°58′12″S 49°42′00″E, 10 December 2003, B.L. Fisher.

Diagnosis.

Differs from congeners by large body size (e.g., male body length 2.17 versus 1.80-2.14, male carapace length 0.69 versus 0.55-0.66); a slender carapace (1.47 times longer than broad versus 1.36-1.40); medio-lateral mounds more pronounced than in A. lorenzorum sp. nov.; a slender pedipalpal femur (1.80 (♂), 1.84 (♀) times longer than broad versus 1.70-1.79 (♂), 1.74-1.80 (♀)); pedipalpal trichobothrial pattern: sb on movable finger on same sagittal level as est on fixed finger (slightly more distal in A. lorenzorum sp. nov. and in A. faulstichi sp. nov.), et situated in the distal third between dt and eb on fixed finger (situated midway between dt and eb on fixed finger in A. lorenzorum sp. nov. and in A. leniae sp. nov.); it between eb and et situated closer to eb than to et (equidistant in A. leniae sp. nov.).

Etymology.

The specific epithet is a patronym in honour of Marla Elisa Nibasumba, the senior author’s godchild.

Description.

The following description is based on holotype and allotype. - Carapace (Fig. 10A ): 1.43-1.49 (♂), 1.30-1.46 (♀) times longer than broad. - Pedipalps (Fig. 10C ): Trichobothrial pattern: sb on the movable finger and est on the fixed finger on the same sagittal level. et situated in the distal third between dt and eb on the fixed finger. Chelal fixed finger with 11 teeth in the OR, 21 teeth in the MR, and 12 teeth in the IR; movable finger with 11 teeth in the OR, 13 teeth in the MR, and 13 teeth in the IR. - Dimensions (mm): Holotype ♂: Body length 1.81; abdomen length 1.25; abdomen width 0.99 (without pleura), 1.11 (with pleura); carapace length 0.55; carapace width 0.37. Pedipalp: trochanter 0.24; femur length 0.54; femur width 0.29; patella 0.43; chela (without pedicel) 0.49; hand length (without pedicel) 0.11; width 0.13; movable finger length 0.40. Leg I: trochanter 0.10; femur 0.13; patella 0.16; tibia 0.14; tarsus 0.25. Leg IV: trochanter 0.16; femur 0.11; patella 0.29; tibia 0.28; tarsus 0.31. Allotype ♀: Body length 2.30; abdomen length 1.60; abdomen width 1.21 (without pleura), 1.44 (with pleura); carapace length 0.67; carapace width 0.46. Pedipalp: trochanter 0.31; femur length 0.68; femur width 0.39; patella length 0.54; chela (without pedicel) 0.60; hand length (without pedicel) 0.14; hand width 0.18; movable finger length 0.48. Leg I: trochanter 0.11; femur 0.24; patella 0.22; tibia 0.15; tarsus 0.25. Leg IV: trochanter 0.21; femur 0.14; patella 0.35; tibia 0.41; tarsus 0.39.

Variation.

Body length 1.70-1.91 (♂), 2.05-2.19 (♀); abdomen length 1.14-1.32 (♂), 1.37-1.46 (♀), width 0.98-1.07 (♂), 1.18-1.25 (♀) (without pleura), 1.02-1.18 (♂), 1.29-1.38 (♀) (with pleura), 1.17-1.28 (♂), 1.14-1.24 (♀) times longer than broad; carapace length 0.52-0.58 (♂), 0.63-0.67 (♀), width 0.36-0.39 (♂), 0.46-0.48 (♀), 1.43-1.49 (♂), 1.30-1.36 (♀) times longer than broad; Pedipalp: trochanter 0.22-0.25 (♂), 0.27-0.30 (♀); femur length 0.52-0.56 (♂), 0.70-0.71 (♀), width 0.29-0.32 (♂), 0.38-0.40 (♀), 1.73-1.86 (♂), 1.78-1.87 (♀) times longer than broad; tibia 0.39-0.46 (♂), 0.54-0.55 (♀); chela 0.45-0.51 (♂), 0.56-0.60 (♀); movable finger 0.37-0.41 (♂), 0.46-0.49 (♀); hand length (without pedicel) 0.10-0.12 (♂), 0.12-0.14 (♀), width 0.12-0.14 (♂), 0.15-0.17 (♀), 0.79-0.92 (♂), 0.75-0.88 (♀) times longer than broad.

GenBank Code.

OP589965. The species differs from all congeners by more than 4.8% in the H3 dataset.

Habitat.

Isolated tropical dry forest at a moderate elevation (100-500 m) located northwest of Ambarilao. The forest leads up to the mountain ranges of the Central Highlands. The specimens were found in sifted litter (leaf mold, rotten wood).

Distribution.

Only known from the type locality (BLF9974) in Sava Region (formerly eastern Antsiranana Province) of northern Madagascar.

Figures

Figure 10. Drawings of Antsirananaella marlae sp. nov.: A carapace dorsal; B leg IV; C left chela from dorsal with trichobothrial pattern; D right pedipalp from dorsal. Scale bars: 0.2 mm (A - C); 0.4 mm (D).