Ephippiochthonius aguileraorum ( Carabajal Márquez, García Carrillo & Rodríguez Fernández, 2000 ) Carabajal Marquez, Garcia Carrillo & Rodriguez Fernandez, 2000

Zaragoza, Juan A., 2017, Revision of the Ephippiochthonius complex in the Iberian Peninsula, Balearic Islands and Macaronesia, with proposed changes to the status of the Chthonius subgenera (Pseudoscorpiones, Chthoniidae), Zootaxa 4246 (1), pp. 1-221 : 37-39

Ephippiochthonius aguileraorum ( Carabajal Márquez, García Carrillo & Rodríguez Fernández, 2000) , n. comb.

( Fig. 68)

Chthonius (Ephippiochthonius) aguileraorum Carabajal Márquez, García Carrillo & Rodríguez Fernández, 2000: 28 –30, figs 1–4, table 1.

Chthonius (Ephippiochthonius) aguileraorum: Zaragoza 2007: 14 .

Type locality. Spain, Andalusia, Cádiz province , Villaluenga del Rosario, Cueva de la Hiedra (36°42′02″N, 05°23′14″W; 1191 m a.s.l.).

Distribution. Spain: Andalusia.

Diagnosis (♂ ♀). A large, microphthalmic, hypogean Ephippiochthonius species of the tetrachelatus -group. Movable cheliceral finger with isolated subapical tooth (di) and with prominent spinneret in both sexes; lyrifissure ldb present. Anterior pair of eyes with lens, posterior pair reduced to eye-spots, anterior margin of carapace usually with 2 (rarely 1–2) preocular microsetae on each side, posterior row with 2 medial macrosetae and usually 2 (rarely 4) lateral microsetae. Chelal hand weakly depressed at level of ib / isb, with a low hump distad of ib / isb and a gentle slope between trichobothria ib / isb and eb; fixed chelal finger with 25–32 teeth; distal half of movable chelal finger with 12–14 pointed teeth with dental canals, proximal half with very weak vestigial teeth. Pedipalpal femur (♂) 8.9–9.2, (♀) 8.3–9.2 times longer than broad, length (♂) 1.29–1.34 mm, (♀) 1.24–1.35 mm; chela (♂) 6.8–6.9, (♀) 5.9–6.7 times longer than deep, length (♂) 1.74–1.82 mm, (♀) 1.70–1.87 mm; ratio movable chelal finger/chelal hand (♂) 1.6, (♀) 1.5–1.6. All the chelal lyrifissure groups present in their standard numbers, except that hd is absent, fd group with 3–4 lyrifissures.

Non-type material examined. Spain, Andalusia, Cádiz province, 2 ♂ (CECOUAL), Villaluenga del Rosario , Cueva VR-9 (36°41′56″N, 05°23′53″W; 1357 m a.s.l.), 28.VII.2013, leg. G.I.E.X. The locally unnamed Cueva VR- 9 is located in the same karstic massif as Cueva de la Hiedra; most of the caves at Villaluenga del Rosario were designated with the acronym VR and numbered by cave explorers ( Pedroche Fernández & Mendoza López 1994).

Description (♂ ♀). Large, microphthalmic, hypogean species. Integument weakly pigmented; marked hispid granulation on lateral surfaces of carapace, on cheliceral hand and, more weakly, on bases of chelal fingers.

Carapace slightly longer than broad and weakly constricted posteriorly; medial part of anterior margin prominent and strongly dentate, without a well-defined epistome; anterior eyes with low convex lens (diameter 0.050–0.053 mm), 0.055–0.060 mm from anterior margin of carapace, posterior eyes reduced to eye-spots, 0.080– 0.085 mm from anterior eyes, diameter 0.055 mm; both pairs of eyes with reflecting tapeta. Chaetotaxy: 20 setae plus 2 (rarely 1) preocular microsetae on each side, posterior margin with 2 medial macrosetae and 2 (rarely 4) lateral microsetae on each side, macrosetal formula 4:6:4:2:2; anteromedial and posteromedial setae 0.16–0.18 mm long, sublateral ocular setae 0.14 mm; 4 lyrifissures anteriorly and 2 posteriorly.

Cheliceral hand with 6 setae and 1–2 lateral microsetae, seta vb short (length 0.085 mm), microsetae 0.045 mm long; hand with 5 dorsal and 1 ventral lyrifissure, lyrifissure ldb present. Fixed finger with 6–10 teeth decreasing in size proximally, 1–3 distal teeth distinctly larger than others. Movable finger with an isolated subapical tooth (di), with 6–8 teeth decreasing in size proximally and 2–3 proximal microtubercles, distal tooth distinctly larger than others; spinneret present in both sexes, prominent in female and slightly reduced in male; seta gl 0.61 from base of movable finger. Rallum with 11 blades. Serrula exterior with 16 blades, serrula interior with 13 blades.

Chaetotaxy of tergites 4:4:4:4:6:6:6:6:1T2T1:4:1T2T1:0. Chaetotaxy of sternites 10:(3)10–11(3):(2)7(2):9– 10:6:6:6:6:2T1T2:0:2, lateral setae on sternite III microsetal in size; in addition, genital notch of male flanked by 8–10 setae on each side and 4+4 internal glandular setae.

Pedipalpal coxa with 5 setae (including 2 on manducatory process), distal marginal seta of disk 0.14 mm long; coxa I 3 + 3 marginal microsetae, distal marginal seta 0.11–0.12 mm long; II 3–4 + 10–13 bipinnate coxal spines, III 5 + 5–6 bipinnate coxal spines and IV 6; intercoxal tubercle bisetose.

Pedipalp with femoral chaetotaxy 3:5–6:2:6–8:1. Chela ( Fig. 68) with hand weakly depressed at level of ib / isb, with a low hump distad of ib / isb and gentle slope between trichobothria ib / isb and eb; dorsal-antiaxial face of chelal hand flattened between the hump and trichobothria eb / esb, limited by a marked edge; ventral bow-like intercondylar protuberance (ip) present; width shorter than depth; chaetotaxy 4:5:3, seta ph3 absent, setae ih1, ih3 and ih4 approximately level with trichobothria ib / isb; distal end of hand and bases of chelal fingers with sclerotized condylar complex. Fixed finger with 31–32 teeth in male, 25 in female, mostly pointed and progressively decreasing in size in proximal third, the distal tooth small, 2 most proximal teeth low and rounded, all with dental canals, dental row reaching slightly distad of trichobothrium b, about 12 basal microtubercles; tip of finger with an accessory tooth (td) on antiaxial face; tip of fixed chelal finger of male with a deep hollow on paraxial face and small subdistal protuberance (sp); 2–3 short antiaxial sensory setae (as) at base, 0.020–0.040 mm long, distance between them 0.050–0.070 mm, fixed finger depth at the base 0.080–0.085 mm; 2–3 teeth at level of est / it occupying 0.1 mm, distance between successive apices 0.043–0.050 mm. Distal half of movable finger with 12–14 pointed teeth with dental canals, of which 2–4 proximal teeth reduced in size, distal tooth small; proximal half with vestigial teeth reduced to weak undulations, without dental canals, dental row reaching halfway between trichobothria sb and b; basal apodeme long and apically indented; coupled sensilla pc well distad of sb. Trichobothria as in Fig. 68; ist well distad of esb and lyrifissure fb; distance between ib / isb and esb 1.2 times that between ib / isb and base of hand; distance between st and sb 1.9–2.1 times longer than that between sb and b. All chelal lyrifissure groups present, except for hd; fd with 3–4 lyrifissures.

Measurements and ratios. Males from Cueva VR-9: Body 1.94–2.46. Carapace 0.66–0.69/0.66–0.61 (1.0–1.1). Chelicera 0.62–0.65/0.28 (2.2–2.3), movable finger 0.33–0.35. Pedipalp: femur 1.29–1.34/0.14–0.15 (8.9–9.2), patella 0.48–0.49/0.20–0.21 (2.4), chela 1.74–1.82/0.26–0.27 (6.8–6.9), hand 0.66–0.70 (2.6), movable finger 1.05–1.12; ratio movable finger/hand 1.6, femur/movable finger 1.2, femur/carapace 1.9–2.0, chela/carapace 2.6, chela/femur 1.3–1.4. Female: Body 2.26–2.80. Carapace 0.65–0.70/0.64–0.70 (1.0–1.1). Pedipalp: femur 1.24– 1.35/0.14–0.15 (8.3–9.2), patella 0.45–0.47/0.19–0.20 (2.4), chela 1.70–1.87/0.28–0.29 (5.9–6.7), hand 0.67–0.75 (2.3–2.7), movable finger 1.03–1.12; ratio movable finger/hand 1.5–1.6, femur/movable finger 1.2, femur/carapace 1.8–1.9, chela/carapace 2.6–2.7, chela/femur 1.4.

Remarks. Ephippiochthonius aguileraorum ( Carabajal Márquez, García Carrillo & Rodríguez Fernández, 2000) shares the presence of 4 setae in the posterior row of the carapace with the following species of the tetrachelatus -group: E. cabreriensis ( Mahnert, 1993) , E. rimicola ( Mahnert, 1993) and E. serengei n. sp. Of these, only E. rimicola shares with E. aguileraorum the presence of an isolated subapical tooth on the movable cheliceral finger, but it is markedly different, in having two pairs of well developed eyes and being a stouter, epigean species. The above description incorporates in part that of Carabajal et al. (2000).