Pseudonannolene meridionalis Silvestri, 1902

Iniesta, Luiz Felipe Moretti, Bouzan, Rodrigo Salvador & Brescovit, Antonio Domingos, 2023, A reassessment of the Neotropical genus Pseudonannolene Silvestri, 1895: cladistic analysis, biogeography, and taxonomic review (Spirostreptida: Pseudonannolenidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 867 (1), pp. 1-312 : 56-57

Pseudonannolene meridionalis Silvestri, 1902

Figs 92 , 185

Pseudonannolene meridionalis Silvestri, 1902: 22 .

Pseudonannolene cf. meridionalis – Mauriès 1987: 173 (description of male topotype). Pseudonannolene meridionalis – Jeekel 2004: 89. — Gallo & Bichuette 2020: 36.

Diagnosis

Males of P. meridionalis resemble those of P. centralis and P. typica by having a short ectal process on the solenomere, separated from the apicomesal process by a shallow notch. Pseudonannolene meridionalis differs by having gonocoxa enlarged basally, and internal branch without torsion ( Fig. 92C–D ).

Etymology

Although unspecified, the name is probably referring to the geographical distribution of the species in southern South America.

Material examined (total: 2 ♂♂, 10 ♀♀, 1 immature)

ARGENTINA – Buenos Aires • 1 ♂, 10 ♀♀, 1 immature; Buenos Aires ; [-34.638212, -58.470722]; 25 m a.s.l.; 5 Jun. 1947; Exp. Galathea leg.; NHMD .

URUGUAY – Colonia • 1 ♂; Barra del Rosario ; [-34.455863, -57.824967]; 26 m a.s.l.; 12 Jun. 1960; L.C. de Zolessi leg.; FCE 219 .

Descriptive notes

MEASUREMENTS. 57–58 body rings (2 apodous + telson). Males: body length 45 mm; maximum midbody diameter 2.5 mm. Females: body length 45–48 mm; maximum midbody diameter 2.5 mm.

COLOR. Body color faded, but apparently prozonites brownish, metazonites with a posterior brown band; head, collum, antennae, and legs lighter brown.

HEAD. Antennae short, just reaching back to end of ring 5 when extended dorsally; relative antennomere lengths 1<2<3>4≈5≈6>7. Mandibular cardo with ventral margin narrow. Ommatidial cluster well-developed, elliptical; ca 26 ommatidia in 5 rows.

BODY RINGS. Collum with lateral lobes rounded, with ca 7 shallow striae, slightly curved ectad. Very faintly constricted between prozonite and metazonite; prozonites smooth; metazonites laterally with transverse striae below ozopore. Anterior sterna in midbody rings subrectangular, without transverse striae. FIRST LEG-PAIR OF MALES. Coxae (cx) short, subtriangular, with the base arched, densely setose mainly on distal region ( Fig. 92A ); prefemoral process (prf) short (less than half of prefemur), subcylindrical, densely setose up to its median region.

SECOND LEG-PAIR OF MALES. Coxa (cx) subrectangular; penis (pn) located at proximal region, rounded, not extended basally ( Fig. 92B ); prefemur compressed dorsoventrally; remaining podomeres setose.

GONOPODS. Gonocoxa (gcx) subtriangular, basally expanded and progressively less wide, with the base arched; antero-posteriorly flattened ( Fig. 92C–D ); with rows of papillae mesally. Seminal groove (sg) curved; arising medially on mesal cavity and terminating apically on the seminal apophysis (sa). Shoulder (sh) short, rounded. Telopodite (tp) almost as wide as gcx ( Fig. 92C–D ); solenomere (sl) with apicomesal process (amp) short, slightly rounded; ectal process (ep) short, subtriangular, separating from amp by shallow notch; sa located at mesal portion, slightly visible apically. Internal branch (ib) subtriangular, narrow, surrounding only basally tp as a shield; without torsion; ib with short setae along its entire margin slightly exceeding apically seminal region of sl.

VULVAE. Not examined.

Distribution

The species occurs in the grasslands of the Río de la Plata basin, from the eastern region of Argentina up to the southern Uruguay ( Fig. 185 ).

Comments

The type material described by Silvestri (1902) from Tandil, Argentina, was not found. Nevertheless, topotypes deposited at the NHMD and FCE were examined ( Fig. 92 ), including those described by Mauriès (1987: 173).

Figures

Fig. 92. Pseudonannolene meridionalis Silvestri, 1902, ♂ (NHMD). A. First leg-pair. B. Second legpair. C. Gonopods, in oral view. D. Gonopods, in anal view. Abbreviations: see Material and methods. Scale bars: A–B = 0.5 mm; C = 0.25 mm; D = 0.15 mm.

Fig. 185. Distribution map of the species Pseudonannolene meridionalis Silvestri, 1902, P. mesai Fontanetti, 2000, P. microzoporus Mauriès, 1987, P. occidentalis Schubart, 1958, and P. ophiiulus Schubart, 1944.