Allochernes deceuninckorum, Henderickx & Vets, 2003

Henderickx, Hans & Vets, Vik, 2003, A new myrmecophilous Allochernes (Arachnida Pseudoscorpiones: Chernetidae) from Catalunya, Spain, Zootaxa 366 (366), pp. 1-10 : 2-7

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.366.1.1
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5098467
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/7762571B-7245-FFB4-5623-FCD3DEABF88F
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Allochernes deceuninckorum
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Allochernes deceuninckorum View in CoL sp. n.

Type material: Male holotype: Spain , Roses, Cala Murtra ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 ), N 42°14.480’ E 03°13.599’, altitude 520 meter, in nests of the ant Camponotus (Tanaemyrmex) sylvaticus . Collected on 27 October 2002 (H. Henderickx) and deposited in the collection of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences , Brussels, Belgium GoogleMaps .

Nine paratypes (leg. Henderickx), labeled T1 T9 . T1 : male paratype, Spain, Roses, Cala Murtra, in nests of the ant Camponotus (Tanaemyrmex) sylvaticus , 31 October 2002 . T3 , T5 and T6 : male paratypes, same data as holotype. T2 and T4 : female paratypes, same data as holotype. T7 : deutonymph, same data as holotype. T8 : tritonymph, same data as holotype. T 9 female paratype, Cala Murtra, in nests of the ant Camponotus (Tanaemyrmex) sylvaticus , 2 December 2002 .

Paratypes T1 and T2 are deposited in coll. Museu de Zoologia , Parc de la Ciutadella, Barcelona, the other paratypes in the collection Henderickx and Vets, Belgium .

Etymology: The species is named after the family Deceuninck (Mol) , who assisted the first author on several collecting trips in Spain.

Diagnosis: The new species can be distinguished from the other Allochernes species by the typical pedipalp: the patella is very rounded and has a pronounced stem, the fingers are peculiar large and almost as long as the hand. Its pedipalp chela morphology is close to A. aetnaeus Beier 1975 , but the hand of A. deceuninckorum is more robust ( Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 ).

Male holotype, morphology: Total length (excluding chelicerae) 1.80. Colour in ethanol: opisthosoma, chelicera and legs brownishyellow, pedipalps and carapace darker, reddishbrown. Carapace ( Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 ) (0.67 x 0.66), granulated, with 102 setae, 6 on the anterior, 10 on the posterior margin. Tergal chaetotaxy: 12, 14, 12, 17, 18, 18, 18, 18, 18, 16, 9. Tergite XI without tactile setae. Sternal chaetotaxy: anterior sternite of genital region 24 setae; posterior sternite 14 setae; sternal formula ( IVXI) to 11: 14, 24, 24, 19, 16, 16, 15, 7. Coxal chaetotaxy ( Fig. 4a View FIGURE 4 ) (left + right number of seta): pedipalpal coxa: 23+24; coxa I: 14+16; coxa II: 14+15; coxa III: 20+20; coxa IV: 29+28.

Chelicerae with 5 setae on the hand. Movable finger (length=0.15) with 1 distal seta. Galea (length=0.03), bifurcate, with 3 pointed apical branches. Cheliceral hand with fixed finger (0.18 x 0.11) ratio 1.63. Cheliceral preparations show 15 lamellae on the serrula exterior.

Pedipalps ( Fig. 5 View FIGURE 5 ) granulated, moderately robust, patella almost as broad as hand. Hand ( Fig. 6 View FIGURE 6 ) slightly convex laterally, fingers moderately robust, almost as long as hand. Trochanter, femur and medial side of patella coarsely granulated. Both fingers with terminal claw, movable finger with poison gland. Trichobothrium st (movable finger) exactly in the middle between t and sb. Trochanter (0.32 x 0.22) ratio 1.45. Femur (0.61 x 0.25) ratio 2.44. Patella (0.61 x 0.28) ratio 2.17. Femur length equals that of patella. Chela (0.98 x 0.29) ratio 3;37, Hand with pedicel (0.51 x 0.29) ratio 1.75.

Fixed finger equipped with 47 triangular teeth. Accessory teeth: right 3 lateral and 2 medial, left 4 lateral and 2 medial.

Movable finger L=0.57, with 46 triangular teeth, 1 medial and 1 lateral accessory tooth. Leg I: trochanter (0.10 x 0.13) ratio 0.76, femur (0.11 x 0.11) ratio 1.00; patella (0.27 x 0.11) ratio 2.45; tibia (0.28 x 0.09) ratio 3.11; tarsus (0.29 x 0.06) ratio 4.83.

Leg IV ( Fig. 7 View FIGURE 7 ): trochanter (0.20 x 0.14) ratio 1.42; femur (0.16 x 0.15) ratio 1.06; patella (0.35 x 0.15) ratio 2.33; tibia (0.42 x 0.11) ratio 3.81; tarsus (0.32 x 0.07) ratio 4.57, without tactile or prolonged obtuse seta. Habitus male paratype T6 : Fig. 8 View FIGURE 8 , genital structures male paratype T6 : Fig. 9 View FIGURE 9 .

Female paratype T2, morphology: Total length (excluding chelicerae) 2.60. Same colour as holotype. The female genital plate shows an Allochernes typical setae pattern (circular) ( Fig. 4b View FIGURE 4 and Fig. 10 View FIGURE 10 ). Carapace (0.79 x 0.79). Movable finger of chelicerae L=0.19. Galea L=0.06, bifurcate, with 4 pointed apical branches (one more branch than the male holotype). Cheliceral hand and fixed finger (0.26 x 0.12) ratio 2.16.

Pedipalps: trochanter (0.38 x 0.25) ratio 1.52; femur (0.70 x 0.29) ratio 2.41; patella (0.68 x 0.30) ratio 2.26; femur 1.02 x length of patella. Chela (1.19 x 0.37) ratio 3.21. Hand with pedicel (0.62 x 0.37) ratio 1.67. Movable finger L=0.67.

Leg I: trochanter (0.16 x 0.13) ratio 1.23; femur: (0.19 x 0.12) ratio 1.58; patella (0.32 x 0.12) ratio 2.66; tibia (0.36 x 0.01) ratio 36; tarsus (0.32 x 0.07) ratio 4.57.

Leg IV: trochanter (0.25 x 0.16) ratio 1.56; femur (0.20 x 0.17) ratio 1.17, patella (0.46 x 0.17) ratio 2.70; tibia (0.52 x 0.11) ratio 4.72; tarsus (0.41 x 0.08) ratio 5.12.

Variation in proportions (holotype and paratypes) of pedipalp. Hand with pedicel— Males: 0.51–0.56 x 0.29–0.34, ratio 1.64–1.75; females: 0.57–0.62 x 0.34–0.37, ratio 1.67–1.68. Trochanter— Males: 0.32–0.33 x 0.22–0.25, ratio 1.32–1.45; females: 0.30– 0.38 x 0.24–0.25, ratio 1.25–1.52. Femur— Males: 0.61–0.69 x 0.25–0.29, ratio 2.38–2.51; females: 0.64–0.70 x 0.27–0.29, ratio 2.37–2.41. Patella— Males: 0.59–0.63 x 0.28–0.30, ratio 1.96–2.17; females: 0.64–0.68 x 0.30–0.32, ratio 2.00–2.26.

Distribution: The species is known only from the type locality, Cala Murtra, Spain. Adjacent bays on the peninsula Cap Creus (Cala Rostella, Badia de Montjoi) were well examined but no specimens were found.