Pseudachorutes hyrcanicus, Shayanmehr & Kaprus’ & Ghobari & Yahyapour & Samani & Lafooraki & Sepanlou, 2022

Shayanmehr, Masoumeh, Kaprus’, Ihor J., Ghobari, Hamed, Yahyapour, Eliye, Samani, Kiumars Mohammadi, Lafooraki, Elhamyoosefi & Sepanlou, Mehdi Ghajar, 2022, New Pseudachorutes species Tullberg, 1871 (Collembola, Neanuridae) with a key to Iranian species of the genus, Zootaxa 5150 (3), pp. 443-450 : 444-446

Pseudachorutes hyrcanicus Kaprus’, Shayanmehr & Yahyapour sp. nov.

Figs 1–11

Type locality. Iran, Mazandaran Province, Sari county, Zarinabad forest (36º 32ʹ 44ʺ N, 53º 07ʹ 53ʺ E, 113 m a.s.l.), soil and leaf litter under trees, 10.V.2021, leg. Eliye Yahyapour and Hezarjirib forest (36º31ʹ59ʺ N, 53º33ʹ44ʺ E, 856 m a.s.1.), soil and leaf litter under trees, 16.V.2021, leg. Arash Bakhshi.

Type material. Holotype: reproductive male (on slide), Iran, Mazandaran Province, Sari county, Zarinabad forest , soil and leaf litter under trees, 10.V.2021, leg. Eliye Yahyapour. Paratypes: 2 females (on slide), the same data as holotype ; 1 female (on slide), Iran, Mazandaran Province, Neka county, Hezarjirib forest , 16.V.2021, soil and leaf litter, leg. Arash Bakhshi. The material is preserved in the collection of SNHML .

Other material. 1 male (on slides), Iran, Mazandaran Province, Neka county, Hezarjirib forest , 16.V.2021, soil and leaf litter, leg. Arash Bakhshi. 1 juvenile (on slide), Iran, Mazandaran Province, Neka county, Hezarjirib forest , 16.V.2021, soil and leaf litter, leg. Arash Bakhshi. The material is preserved in the collection of SNHML .

Description. Body length without antennae 2.3–3.0 mm. Colour in alcohol bluish-grey, ocular plate bluishblack. Tegumental granulation strong. Antennae as long as head. Ant. I with 7 chaetae, Ant. II with 11 chaetae and Ant. III with 18 ordinary chaetae. Ant. III and IV fused dorsally, ventral separation well marked. Sensory organ of Ant. III consisting of two small, globular internal sensilla, two subcylindrical guard sensilla (ventral sensillum as long as dorsal one) and two guard chaetae between them; ventral microsensillum present. Ant. IV with about 35 ordinary chaetae, 8-9 short and truncate chaetae in ventro-apical part and 6 distinct subcylindrical sensilla; dorsoexternal microsensillum and subapical organite present; apical vesicle trilobed ( Figs 3, 4 ).

PAO slightly elongated with 15–19 vesicles, as long as 1.5 ocellus B ( Fig. 6 ). 8+8 eyes. Buccal cone relatively short as 1.4 Ant. I lengths. Mandibles fork-like with four teeth, styliform maxilla with two lamellae, one of them with tiny apical hook ( Figs 8, 9 ). Labral formula: 4/2,3,4 ( Fig. 5a ). Labium without organites x and papillate chaetae L, with 11+11 ordinary chaetae ( Fig. 5b ). Perilabial area with 4+4 subequal chaetae. The central granulated area on head between d 3– d 5 chaetae as in Fig. 2 .

Dorsal chaetotaxy as in Fig. 1 with short chaetae and with longer sensory S-chaetae. Formula per half tergum as: 022/11111. Microsensilla ms on Tht. II and III present. Head with unpaired chaeta d 1 and without chaeta a 0. Tht. I with 3+3 chaetae. Tht. II and III with 10+10 chaetae (a 1, a 5, a 6, m 4, m 6, p 1, p 2, p 4, p 5 and p 6 chaetae present), S-chaeta = p 4 and m 6. Abdt. I–III with 9+9 chaetae (a 1, a 4, a 6, m 4, p 1, p 2, p 4, p 5 and p 6 present), S-chaeta = p 5. Abdt. IV with 11+11 chaetae (a 1, a 3, a 5, a 6, m 4, m 6, p 1, p 2, p 4, p 5 and p 6 present), S-chaeta = p5. Abdt. V with 8+8 chaetae (a 1, a 2, a 3, a 4, p 1, p 2, p 3 and p 4 chaetae present), S-chaeta = p 3.

Ventral chaetotaxy on Abds. II–VI as in Fig. 11 . Thoracic sterna without chaetae, VT with 3+3 chaetae. Abds. I without chaetae, Abds. II with 4+4 chaetae, Abds. III with 7–8+7–8 chaetae.

Dens with six chaetae ( Fig. 10 ). Mucro boat-shaped, with curved ventral edge and one broad lateral lamella. Manubrium with 12+12 chaetae. Tenaculum with 3+3 teeth. Each anal valve with two chaetae hr ( Fig. 11 ).

Tibiotarsi of legs I, II and III with 18, 18 and 17 chaetae, respectively, chaetae M and B7 absent on tibiotarsus III ( Fig. 7 ). Femora I, II and III with 13, 12 and 11 chaetae, trochanters I, II and III with 6, 6 and 6 chaetae, coxae I, II and III with 3, 6 and 7 chaetae, subcoxae 2 of legs I, II and III with 0, 2 and 2 chaetae, subcoxae 1 of legs I, II and III with 1, 2 and 2 chaetae, respectively. Claw with a strong tooth near middle of inner edge and without lateral teeth in basal part ( Fig. 7 ). Empodial appendage absent.

Etymology. The name of the new species refers to the Hyrcanian forest ( Iran), the region where the type specimens were collected.

Discussion. The new species is related to Pseudachorutes dubius Krausbauer, 1898 and Pseudachorutes vitalii Kaprus’ & Weiner, 2009. These three species have the same type of chaetotaxy on head (present unpaired chaeta d 1 and absent a 0 chaeta), labral formula of chaetae (4/2,3,4), shape of apical bulb (trilobed), shape of mucro (with long and broad lateral lamella) and number of chaetae on Tht. II and III (10+10 chaetae each, a 2 chaeta absent), VT (3+3 chaetae), tibiotarsi of legs I-III (18, 18, 17 each) and on dens (6 chaetae). These species differ distinctly in number of chaetae on Tht. I, details of chaetotaxy Abdt. I–V, number of teeth at mandible and claw ( Table 1 ).

Figures

FIGURES 1–11. Pseudachorutes hyrcanicus sp. nov. 1, dorsal chaetotaxy of body; 2, central area of head between d3 and d5 chaetae; 3, Ant. III and IV ventrally; 4, Ant. III and IV dorsally; 5a, chaetotaxy of labrum; 5b, labial chaetotaxy; 6, PAO and eyes; 7, distal part of leg III; 8, mandible; 9, maxilla; 10, furca; 11, chaetotaxy of Abds. II–VI.