Biokoviella mosorensis Antić & Dražina, 2016

Dragan Ž. Antić, Tvrtko Dražina, Tonći Rađa, Luka R. Lučić & Slobodan E. Makarov, 2016, Taxonomic status of the family Biokoviellidae Mršić, 1992 (Diplopoda, Chordeumatida): reconsideration, with a description of one new species, European Journal of Taxonomy 205, pp. 1-23 : 8-18

Biokoviella mosorensis Antić & Dražina sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:6270477C-2572-4DBC-80A3-937677 DE 8949

Figs 4–8 , 9 B, 10B

Diagnosis

The new species can be clearly separated from B. mauriesi on the basis of the smaller body size, the presence of anterior gonopods that are much more gracile and differences in several other details of their structure. Lateral valve of vulva with shield-like structures posteriorly.

Etymology

The new species is named after Mt. Mosor (Middle Dalmatia, Croatia), its terra typica.

Material studied (total: 14 ♂♂, 17 ♀♀, 4 juveniles)

Holotype

CROATIA: ♂, Balića Špilja Cave (= Kraljeva Peć Cave ), 43.573° N, 16.570° E, 404 m a.s.l., Balići, village of Dugopolje, Mt. Mosor, Middle Dalmatia , Croatia, 7 Sep. 2015, leg. D. Antić & T. Rađa ( NHMSC).

Paratypes (total: 10 ♂♂, 10 ♀♀, 4 juveniles)

CROATIA: 9 ♂♂, 7 ♀♀, 2 juveniles (IZB, NHMSC), same data as holotype; 1 ♂, 3 ♀♀, 2 juveniles, same data except 28 Apr. 2012, leg. M. Pavlek ( CBSS).

Other material (total: 3 ♂♂, 7 ♀♀)

CROATIA, Mt. Mosor: 1 ♀, Ledenica pod Jabukovcem Pit, Jabukovac, 23 Jun. 2011, leg. P. Bregović ( CBSS); 1 ♀, Maklutača Špilja Cave, Čevrljin Klen, Kute, 24 Jun. 2011, leg. R. Baković ( CBSS); 1 ♂, Velika Gajna Pit, Gornje Sitno, 5 May 2012, leg. R. Cvitanić ( CBSS); 2 ♂♂, 5 ♀♀, same data except 7 Jun. 2015, leg. B. Jalžić ( CBSS).

Type locality

CROATIA: Balića Špilja Cave (= Kraljeva Peć Cave), Balići, village of Dugopolje, Mt. Mosor, Middle Dalmatia.

Description

SEGMENTS. Body with 30 segments (including telson) in adults. Juveniles with 28 and 26 segments (including telson), respectively.

MEASUREMENTS. Males 9–12 mm long, vertical diameter of the largest pleurotergite 0.9–1 mm. Females 10.5–13 mm long, vertical diameter of the largest pleurotergite 1–1.05 mm. Holotype male 10.5 mm long, vertical diameter of its largest pleurotergite 1 mm.

COLORATION. Pigmentless, whitish (Fig. 10B).

HEAD. Setose. Labrum with three medial labral teeth and with 4+4 labral and 1+1 supralabral setae. Gnathochilarium normal. Antennae elongated, 2.4 mm long in holotype male. Length of antennomeres (in mm): I (0.1), II (0.27), III (0.58), IV (0.3), V (0.7), VI (0.22), VII (0.2) and VIII (0.03). Length/ breadth ratios of antennomeres I-VII: I (1), II (2.1), III (5.3), IV (2.7), V (5.4), VI (1.5) and VII (2). Antennomeres II, IV, V, VI and VII with one, three, one, four and one macrochaetae, respectively. Blind.

COLLUM. Narrower than head, with six macrochaetae.

BODY SEGMENTS ( Fig. 4 ).Without lateral keels, metazonites with only small lateral swellings.Macrochaetae short, trichoid. CIX (pleurotergite 15) ~ 0.9; MIX (pleurotergite 15) ~ 1; PIX (pleurotergite 15) = 0.6; MA (pleurotergite 15) ~ 140°.

TELSON. Epiproct with a pair of spinnerets and six trichoid setae arranged in two rows (2+2 marginal and 1+1 paramedial setae). Hypoproct with two trichoid setae. Paraprocts with 3+3 marginal trichoid setae.

WALKING LEGS. Elongated. Leg pairs 1 and 2 with tarsal combs in both sexes.

MALE SEXUAL CHARACTERS. Leg pairs 3–7 somewhat larger than the rest of the legs, leg pairs 3 and 4 the most robust; without any peculiarities. Leg pairs 10 and 11 with coxal glands; leg pair 11 with posteriorly directed coxal horn.

ANTERIOR GONOPODS ( Figs 5 , 6 A–E, 7). Anterior coxal processes (a) [= angiocoxites sensu Mršić (1992)] completely separated from each other, rising from the very wide sternal plate (s); first ⅓ (base) very broad, remaining ⅔ very gracile, long, thin and curved caudad, apically with two branches (a1 and a2) opposite to each other. Posteriorly anterior coxal processes with bristle apparatuses (b) [= oval coxal intermediate process with bristles sensu Mršić (1992)]. Posterior coxal processes (p) [= syncoxal processes sensu Mršić (1992)] well-developed, broad at the base, “S”-curved from posterior view, with only a small apical notch. The most posterior parts of the anterior gonopods are a pair of pseudoflagella (f), naked over their whole length, with tassels at the top. These pseudoflagella starting from the welldeveloped, rounded lobes (l). The only unpaired part of the anterior gonopods, apart from the sternum, is the rounded syncoxal vesicle (v) [= small intermediate (medial) bridge sensu Mršić (1992)] situated between the coxal processes (deflated on the SEM photos). There are no traces of telopodites.

POSTERIOR GONOPODS ( Figs 6 F, 9B). Very reduced in both size and structure. Consisting of coxal vesicles fused in the form of a medial process (m) divided halfway. Laterally with telopodal remnants (t). Lateral sternal processes (sp) low and rounded.

VULVAE ( Fig. 8 ). Subquadrangular from lateral view. Mesal (mv) and lateral (lv) valvae of bursae (bu) distally with long setae. Lateral valvae posteriorly with shield-like structures (ss) which almost completely cover the mesal valvae, so that bursa apertures can’t be seen from posterior view. Operculum (op) with long setae.

Distribution

Croatia, known only from several caves on Mt. Mosor ( Fig. 11 , blue circles).

Habitat

Balića Špilja is a cave with a huge entrance enabling light to penetrate through almost the whole cave. Only the innermost part is in compete darkness and with various speleothems. Mean air temperature in the cave is 6.3ºC and humidity is high (99.6%). Altogether, the cave is 194 m long and 50 m deep. Balića Špilja is a very important biospeleological locality, being locus typicus for eight different taxa ( Bedek et al. 2006; Makarov et al. 2011): Folkia boudewijni Deeleman-Reinhold, 1993 , Troglohyphantes giromettai (Kulczyński, 1914) and Troglohyphantes strandi Absolon & Kratochvíl, 1932 (all Araneae ); Neobisium dalmatinum Beier, 1938 (Pseudoscorpiones) ; Massarilatzelia dugopoljica Makarov & Rađa, 2011 (Diplopoda); and Neotrechus ganglbaueri bluehweissi (Hoffmann, 1913) , Haplotropidius taxi subinflatus (Apfelbeck, 1907) and Spelaites grabowskii Apfelbeck, 1907 (all Coleoptera ). Apart from the aforementioned taxa, the cave is also inhabited by another interesting troglobiont or trogophile fauna, including such species as: Oroniscus dalmaticus Strouhal, 1937 , Alpioniscus balthasari (Frankenberger, 1937) and Armadillidium sp. (all Isopoda, Bedek et al. 2011 and CBSS); Apfelbeckia insculpta (L. Koch, 1867) and Brachydesmus subterraneus Heller, 1858 (both Diplopoda, present study); Nesticus eremita Simon, 1879 , Rhode sp., Stygopholcus absoloni (Kulczyński, 1914) and Barusia maheni (Kratochvil & Miller, 1939) (all Aranea, CBSS); and Duvalius novaki (Müller, 1911) ( Coleoptera, Pretner 1973 ). Biokoviella mosorensis sp. nov. is found in the middle part of the cave, walking on rocks or large stones on surfaces facing the dark.

With a depth of 176 m, Velika Gajna Pit is one of the deepest pits on Mt. Mosor. Biokoviella mosorensis sp. nov. was collected near the bottom of this pit, where measured air temperature was 7ºC and humidity 90%. Other notable collected species of the pit’s fauna were: Alpioniscus sp. ( Isopoda ); Brachydesmus subterraneus Heller, 1858 (Diplopoda) ; and Duvalius erichsonii (Schaufuss, 1864) , Haplotropidius taxi (Müller, 1903) , Laemostenus cavicola (Schaum, 1858) , S. grabowskii and Speoplanes giganteus (J. Müller, 1911) (all Coleoptera ) ( Jalžić et al. 1990 and CBSS).

Maklutača is a cave almost 150 m long and 39 deep ( Jalžić et al. 2013). Similar to Balića Špilja, Maklutača has a huge entrance, with light penetrating through the first half of the cave. Measured air temperature was 6.7ºC. This cave is the type locality of Nicoletiella absoloni absoloni Willmann, 1940 , a subspecies of small troglobitic mite (Acari). The following troglobitic or troglophilic forms were also recorded from this locality: T. giromettai and T. strandi (both Aranea); A. balthasari ( Isopoda, Bedek et al. 2011 ); Onychiuridae indet., Heteromurus (Verhoeffiella) sp. and Pseudosinella sp. (all Collembola , CBSS); and Neotrechus ganglbaueri (Padewieth, 1891) and H. taxi ( Pretner 1973 and CBSS). Furthermore, another diplopod species, Massarilatzelia dugopoljica Makarov & Rađa, 2011, was collected in Maklutača cave, which is the second known locality for this Mt. Mosor endemic species (present study).

The Ledenica pod Jabukovcem Cave is situated in a deep dolina, and its specific position enables it to retain snow and ice up to the summer months. For that reason air temperature is extremely low, on average around 3.6º C. The cave has a total length of 105 m and depth of 34 m ( Jalžić et al. 2013). This speleological locality is an important locus typicus, with three described taxa: Neobisium maderi Beier, 1938 (Pseudoscorpiones) , Traegardhia dalmatina gigantea Willmann, 1941 (Acari) and Speoplanes giganteus giganteus (J. Müller, 1911) (Coleoptera) . Pretner (1973) mentioned two additional species of Coleoptera for this cave: H. taxi and S. grabowskii .

Figures

Fig. 4. Biokoviella mosorensis Antić & Dražina sp. nov., ♂, paratype. A. Pleurotergite 15, posterior view. B. Pleurotergite 15, prozonite and metazonite, dorsal view. C. Pleurotergite 15, metaznonite, dorsal view. D. Pleurotergites 14 and 15, lateral view. E. Pleurotergites 14 and 15, dorsal view.

Fig. 5. Biokoviella mosorensis Antić & Dražina sp. nov., ♂, paratype, gonopods. A. Anterior gonopods, anterior view. B. Anterior gonopods, antero-lateral view. C. Anterior gonopods, lateral view. D. Anterior gonopods, latero-distal view. E. Anterior gonopods, distal view. F. Anterior and posterior gonopods, posterior view. Abbreviations: see Material and methods.

Fig. 6. Biokoviella mosorensis Antić & Dražina sp. nov., ♂, paratype, gonopods. A. Anterior gonopods, posterior view. B. Anterior gonopods, postero-distal view of vesicle. C. Anterior gonopods, lateral view of bristle apparatus. D. Anterior gonopods, latero-distal view of posterior coxal process and vesicle. E. Anterior gonopods, lateral view of the apex of posterior coxal processes. F. Posterior gonopods, postero-distal view. Abbreviations: see Material and methods.

Fig. 7. Biokoviella mosorensis Antić & Dražina sp. nov., ♂, holotype, anterior gonopods. A – B. Anterior view. C – D. Posterior view. E – F. Lateral view. Abbreviations: see Material and methods. Scale line = 0.2 mm.

Fig. 8. Biokoviella mosorensis Antić & Dražina sp. nov., ♀, paratype, vulvae. A. Posterior view. B. Lateral view. C. Anterior view. D. Antero-distal view. E. Distal view. F. Postero-distal view. Abbreviations: see Material and methods.

Fig. 9. Posterior gonopods. A. Biokoviella mauriesi Mršić, 1992, ♂ from the Lovricia 3 Pit. B. Biokoviella mosorensis Antić & Dražina sp. nov., ♂, holotype. Abbreviations: see Material and methods. Scale line = 0.2 mm.

Fig. 11. Distribution of the subfamily Biokoviellinae stat. nov.