Neanura persica Arbea, Yahyapour & Shayanmehr, 2022

Yahyapour, Eliye, Shayanmehr, Masoumeh, Vafaei-Shoushtari, Reza & Arbea, Javier I., 2022, New species and records of Neanurinae (Collembola: Neanuridae) from Mazandaran Province (Northeastern Iran), with a key to Iranian species of the subfamily, Zootaxa 5087 (2), pp. 253-274 : 266-269

Neanura persica Arbea, Yahyapour & Shayanmehr sp. nov.

Figs 37−48 , Tab. 4

Type locality. Iran, Mazandaran Province, Kiyasar county, Langar forest , 36º14ʹ20ʺ N, 53º39ʹ10ʺ E, 1800 m a.s.l.

Type material. Holotype: female on slide in MNCN. Iran: Mazandaran Province, Kiyasar county, Langar forest , 29 April 2016, soil and leaf litter, Berlese extraction, Eliye Yahyapour leg. Paratypes: 3 females and 1 male on slide in MNCN and SANRU, same data as for holotype .

Other material examined. One juvenile specimen. Iran: Mazandaran Province, Babol county, Filband forest , 36º22ʹ12ʺ N, 52º30ʹ45ʺ E, 1950 m a.s.l., 25 August 2016, soil and leaf litter, Berlese extraction, Eliye Yahyapour leg.

Etymology. The name refers to Persia (today Iran).

Diagnosis. Habitus typical of the genus Neanura . Dorsal tubercles present and poorly developed. Body bluish grey. Buccal cone short, labrum non-ogival. Head without chaetae E and Ocp. Tubercles Di Th I absent. Th II−III with chaeta Di3 and De2 free. Abd I−III with chaetae De3 free. Tubercle (Di + Di) of Abd V with 3 + 3 chaetae, chaetae Di3 as mi. Cryptopygy absent. Male ventral organ absent.

Description. Habitus typical of the genus. Head and tergite tubercles poorly developed. Body length (without antennae): 1.17 to 1.58 mm females (holotype female: 1.35 mm), 1.15 mm male. Colour of the body bluish grey. 3+3 medium black eyes, in a typical arrangement for the genus (two anterior and one posterior).

Chaetal morphology. Dorsal ordinary chaetae of five types: long macrochaetae (Ml), short macrochaetae (Mc), very short macrochaetae (Mcc), mesochaetae and microchaetae (mi). Long macrochaetae relatively thick, slightly arc-like or straight, narrowly sheathed, feebly serrated, apically pointed or rounded. Macrochaetae Mc and Mcc morphologically similar to long macrochaetae, but much shorter. Mesochaetae similar to ventral chaetae, thin, smooth and pointed. Microchaetae similar to mesochaetae, but shorter. S-chaetae of tergites thin, smooth and short, notably shorter than closest Mc.

Antennae. Antennae shorter than head. Chaetotaxy of antennae as in Tab. 4b and in Figs 39−40 . Ant I with 7 chaetae: 3 long, thick and ciliate (Ml), others smooth, and few subcuticular reticulations. Ant II with 11 chaetae: 4 long, thick and ciliate (Ml), and others smooth. Ant III and IV dorsally fused. Ant III with 18 ordinary chaetae (group d with 5 chaetae) and 5 S-chaetae of AIIIO, guard chaetae Sgv slightly longer and slender than S-chaetae of Ant IV. Eight subequal and moderately thickened S-chaetae (S1–S8) on Ant IV ( Fig. 39 ); Ant IV organite as a very small rod, almost entirely burried in the integument; apical bulb distinct, trilobed, fused to Ant IV tip.

Mouthparts. Buccal cone relatively short with labral sclerifications nonogival. Labrum chaetotaxy: 4/2, 2 ( Fig. 41 ). Labium with four basal (E, F, G, f), three distal (a1, a2, p2) and four lateral chaetae (b, c, d, e), papillae x absent. Maxilla styliform, mandible thin and tridentate.

Dorsal chaetotaxy and tubercles. Chaetotaxy of head reduced, as in Tab. 4a and Figs 37 and 44 , with 11 chaetal groups: Cl+Af, 2 Oc, 2 Di+De, 2 ½Dl, 2 ½Dl+L and 2 So). Tubercles Cl and Af fused ( Fig. 44 ). Chaetae E and Ocp absent. Chaetotaxy of Th and Abd as in Tab. 4b and in Figs 37–38 and 45−47 . Number of tubercles from Th I to Abd VI is: 4,8,8/8,8,8,8,3,2. S-chaetotaxic formula on Th I to Abd V as 0,2+ms,2/1,1,1,1,1. Tubercles Di on Th I not differentiated. Thorax and abdomen with free chaetae. On Th II−III chaetae De2 and Di3 as free mi/Mccc ( Figs 45−46 ). Abd I−III with chaetae De3 as free mi ( Fig. 38 ). On Abd I−III, the line of chaetae De1−chaeta s parallel to the dorsomedian line ( Fig. 38 ). On Abd V, tubercles Di fused along midline and with 3 + 3 chaetae, chaetae Di3 as mi ( Fig. 47 ). No cryptopygy, Abd VI well visible from above ( Fig. 38 ).

Ventral chaetotaxy ( Figs 42−43 ; Tab. 4b ) On head, groups Vea, Vem and Vep with 4, 3, 4 chaetae, respectively; group Vi with 6 chaetae ( Fig. 42 ). On Abd IV, furcal rudiment with 5−6 chaetae, devoid of mi but with a small posterior area of primary granulation. On Abd V, chaetae Vl and L’ present ( Fig. 43 ).

Legs. Chaetotaxy of legs as in Tab. 4b . Claw without internal tooth. On tibiotarsi, chaeta M present and chaetae B4 and B5 relatively short and pointed ( Fig. 48 ).

Ratios. Chaetae A: B: Ocm: Ocp: Di1 on Abd IV: Di1 on Abd V: Claw III = 13: 15: 18: −: 19: 23: 10.

Remarks. Neanura persica sp. nov. is most similar to N. pallida Deharveng, 1979 , N. minuta Gisin, 1963 and N. deharvengi Smolis et al., 2018 , by the presence of chaetae L’ on Abd V, the absence of chaetae Ocp on the head and tubercles Di on Th I. Besides the unique character of the new species, the fusion of Cl and Af tubercles on the head, these species can additionally be distinguished by the following features: coloration (in N. persica sp. nov., N. deharvengi and N. pallida , whitish to pale bluish; in N. minuta , dark bluish), chaetotaxy of head (in N. deharvengi , chaetae A and C absent; in the other species, present. In N. persica sp. nov. and N. deharvengi , chaetae E absent; in N. pallida and N. minuta , present), number of ordinary chaetae De on Th II and III (in the new species and N. deharvengi , 2,2, respectively; in N. pallida , 2,3; in N. minuta , 3,4), number of ordinary chaetae De on Abd I–III (in N. deharvengi , 2; in the other species, 3), number of chaetae L on Abd IV (in the new species, 6; in N. pallida and N. minuta , 5; in N. deharvengi , 4), number of chaetae Di on Abd V (in N. deharvengi , 2+2; in the other species, 3+3), number of ordinary chaetae De+Dl+L on Abd V (in N. deharvengi , 5; in the other species, 6) and number of tubercles on Abd V (in the new species and N. deharvengi , 3; in N. pallida and N. minuta , 4).

Since the new species described above is characterized by one character unknown in other members of the genus, i.e., the fusion of cephalic tubercles Cl and Af, the currently accepted diagnosis of the genus as proposed by Smolis et al. (2018) is emended here, to include in the genus Neanura the species with the tubercles Af and Cl on head separate or fused.

Ventral side of head: Vi=6, Ve=11 (4Vea, 3 Vem, 4 Vep).

Antenna: Ant I, II with 7, 12 chaetae.

Ant III with 18 ordinary chaetae (5 ve, 4 vc, 4 vi and 5 d), 5 S-chaetae (AIIIO).

Ant IV dorsally with the complete set of chaetae (or, 8 S, i, 12 mou, 3 brs).

Ant IV ventrally with the complete set of chaetae (3 brs, 2 iv; ap: 8 bs, 5 miA; ca: 2 bs, 3 miA; cm: 3 bs, 1 miA; cp: 8 miA, 1 brs).

Figures

FIGURES 37–41. Neanura persica sp. nov.: 37, head and Th dorsal chaetotaxy; 38, Abd III−VI dorsal chaetotaxy; 39−40, Ant III−IV in dorsal (39) and ventral view (40); 41, labrum. Scales: 0.2 mm (37−38), 0.05 mm (39−41).

FIGURES 42–48. Neanura persica sp. nov.: 42, ventral and lateral head chaetotaxy; 43, Abd ventral chaetotaxy; 44, dorsal cephalic tubercles; 45, Di tubercle on Th II; 46, De tubercle on Th II; 47, Di+Di tubercle on Abd V; 48, hind tibiotarsus and unguis. Scales: 0.2 mm (43), 0.1 mm (42), 0.05 mm (44−47), 0.025 (48).

Tables

TABLE 4a. Cephalic chaetotaxy of Neanura persica sp. nov.

Dorsal tubercle	Number of chaetae	Types of chaetae	Names of chaetae
Cl+Af	12	Ml	A, B, F
		Mc/Mcc	C, G
		mi	D
Oc	2	Ml	Ocm
		mi	Oca
Di+De	4	Ml	Di1, De1
		mi	Di2, De2
½ Dl	3	Mc	Dl1
		mi	Dl2, Dl6
(½ Dl+L)	6	Ml	Dl5, L1
		me	Dl3, Dl4, L3, L4
So	5	Ml	So1
		me	So3- 6