Troglocaris (Troglocaris) planinensis Birštejn, 1948

Jugovic, Jure, Jalžić, Branko, Prevorčnik, Simona & Sket, Boris, 2012, Cave shrimps Troglocaris s. str. (Dormitzer, 1853), taxonomic revision and description of new taxa after phylogenetic and morphometric studies, Zootaxa 3421, pp. 1-31 : 13-15

Troglocaris (Troglocaris) planinensis Birštejn, 1948

Synonymy: Troglocaris schmidti planinensis Birštejn, 1948 ; Troglocaris planinensis d'Udekem d'Acoz, 1999 ; T. anophthalmus – the W-Slovenian phylogroup Zakšek et al., 2007; incl. Troglocaris anophthalmus anophthalmus, Gottstein Matočec, 2003 , p.p. (from Jama pod Krogom); incl. Troglocaris 'forma A2' (Plomin) Franjević, 2006; incl. Troglocaris 'forma AN' (Krog) Franjević, 2006; incl. Troglocaris hercegovinensis Sket, 1992 from Slovenia (Osp); see also Holthuis (1956).

Type locality: Slovenia, Postojna, Planina, cave Planinska jama.

Type material: Birštejn’s sample is supposed to be in his collection in the Zoologičeskij institut, Moskovskyj Gosudarstvennyj Universitet in Moskva (Moscow, Russia). The author of the subspecies did not declare the holotype. Since his only male is evidently juvenile, choosing a lectotype would be of little practical value. Therefore we decided to choose a neotype from a new sample from the topotype population.

Neotype: adult male (TA972), CL 6.3 mm, Planinska jama, Planina, Postojna, Slovenia, 45°49'11.64" N, 14°14'44.4" E, 15th October 2009, collected by J. Jugovic and M. Vittori, specimen partly dissected and stored in 70 % ethanol. Other specimens from the neotype locality: Males: adult male (TA973), 6.6 mm; adult male (TA974), CL 7.0 mm; same data as neotype. Females: 3 adult females, TA969 (CL 7.7 mm); TA970 (CL 7.4 mm); TA971 (CL 7.4 mm); same data as neotype.

Other specimens examined: over 200 specimens from 32 samples ( Figure 1 , Appendix C7). Males, CL 5.1–8.2 mm. Females, CL 4.0– 9.9 mm. Voucher numbers and GenBank identification numbers for COI gene are in Appendix C7.

Diagnosis: Species of Troglocaris sg. Troglocaris with completely reduced eye and body pigmentation. Rostrum length and dentition variable, when rostrum longer than 45 % of CL, dorsal margin usually curved upwards, ventral margin with less than 13, mostly with less than 7 teeth. Antenna I article 3 length usually less than ½ of article 2 length. Pereopod III article 4 usually with 4–5 spiniform setae along inferior margin and at inferodistal angle, article 6 weakly or strongly curved in adult males. Pereopod V only exceptionally with exopodite. Fully mature males with 1–6 retinacular hooks on appendix interna of pleopod I endopodite, only exceptionally without them. Medial margin of pleopod I endopodite with short spiniform setae.

Differential description of material examined: Males (average values ± SD and [min, max values] presented, Figure 5 ; see also Appendix B1): Large specimens, CL: 6.6 ± 0.8 mm [5.1, 8.2 mm]. Rostrum length and dentition variable, when rostrum longer than 45 % of CL, usually curved upwards. Article 3 of antenna I of medium length (a13a12), its length 44 ± 5 % [33, 57 %] of article 2 length. Antenna II scaphocerite of medium width (a2s2s1), its width 35 ± 3 % [28, 41 %] of scaphocerite length. Pereopod I article 7 short (pr1da), its length only 20 ± 2 % [16–24 %] of pereopod I length. Pereopod III article 7 of medium length (pr3da), its length 11 ± 2 % [6, 14 %] of pereopod III length. Pereopod I article 6 length short (pr1che), its length only 23 ± 2 % [19, 28 %] of CL. Uropod exopodite of medium width (u21, u2cl), its width 32 ± 2 % [28, 36 %] of uropod exopodite length, and 18 ± 2 % [15, 23 %] of CL. Pereopod V article 7 of medium length (p5dp), its length 22 ± 2 % [18, 26 %] of pereopod V article 6 length. Telson short (te1s6), its length only 91 ± 7 % [75, 106 %] of pleonite VI length. Adult males generally with at least one (up to 6) retinacular hook on appendix interna of pleopod I endopodite. Females (average values ± SD and [min, max values] presented, Figure 5 ; see also Appendix B2): Large specimens, CL: 7.8 ± 0.9 mm [5.5, 9.9 mm]. Rostrum length and dentition variable, when rostrum longer than 45 % of CL, dorsal margin usually curved upwards. Article 3 of antenna I short to medium long (a13a12), its length 43 ± 5 % [31, 58 %] of article 2 length. Antenna II scaphocerite of medium width (a2s2s1, a2s2cl), its width 37 ± 3 % [30, 42 %] of scaphocerite length, and 19 ± 2 % [14, 24 %] of CL. Distal articles of chelate pereopods of medium length: length of article 7 of pereopod I (pr1da) 19 ± 2 % [14, 25 %] of pereopod I length, and length of article 7 of pereopod II (pr2da) 15 ± 2 % [12, 19 %] of pereopod II length. Chelae (article 6) of pereopod II short (pr2che), their length only 22 ± 2 % [17, 28 %] of CL. Proximal articles of chelate pereopods rather long: article 4 of pereopod I length (pr1ma) 25 ± 2 % [21, 29 %] of pereopod I length, article 5 of pereopod II length (pr2ccl) 28 ± 4 % [21, 38 %] of CL. Pereopod V article 7 of medium length (p5dp), its length 22 ± 2 % [16, 29 %] of pereopod V article 6 length. Pleonites V–VI short (s56cl), their length only 79 ± 5 % [67, 95 %] of CL. Uropod exopodite long (u1te1), its length 110 ± 7 % [97, 130 %] of telson length. Telson short to medium long (te1cl, te1s56), its length 48 ± 3 % [40, 57 %] of CL, and 62 ± 4 % [51, 72 %] of pleonites V+VI length. Telson distally narrowed (tes2tes1), its distal width 65 ± 9 % [47, 90 %] of proximal width. Males and females (see also Table 1): Article 3 of pereopod III with 4–5 spiniform setae along its inferior margin and at inferodistal in over 80 % specimens, otherwise 2–3.

Distribution: This species inhabits the Planina-Postojna Cave System, its close surroundings, the areas W and SW from the type locality (SW Slovenia), Kras/Carso (SW Slovenia and extreme NE Italy) and the northern part of the Istra peninsula in Slovenia and Croatia. It was also molecularly identified from the southern tip of the Istra peninsula (near Pula/Pola; Zakšek and Moškrič, unpublished) ( Figure 1 ).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Distribution map of eight taxa of the subgenus Troglocaris s. str., with phylogroup / subgroup designation (in brackets, as in Zakšek et al. 2009). Different symbols denote taxa, their coloration denotes method of the analysis: black – molecular and morphometric analysis; grey – morphometric analysis; white – molecular analysis.

FIGURE 5 a. The arithmetic mean and 99 % confidence interval (where N> 10) of the most discriminating morphological characters (MC) for six phylogroups of Troglocaris s. str. For explanation of MCs’ symbols, see taxonomic descriptions in the text. Note that T. (T.) a. – E-Slo contains T. (T.) a. anophthalmus (T. a. a.), T. (T.) a. intermedia (T. a. i.) and T. (T.) a. ocellata (T. a. o.); T. a. p. – T. (T.) a. periadriatica; T. a. s. – T. (T.) a. sontica, T. a. l. – T. (T.) a. legovici.