Endonura cryptopyga sp. nov.

Figs 49–56, Tab. 6

Type material. Holotype: adult female on slide, Russia, Caucasus, Krasnodarsky Krai, up from Krasnaya Polyana, Achishkho Range (Khmelevskiye Lakes), 1913 m alt., southern slope, subalpine zone, mosses and silt on rocks, N43.72683 ˚, E40.17008 ˚, 30.VI.2014, leg. M. Potapov, N. Kuznetsova, A. Kremenitsa (MSPU) .

Other material. 3 juveniles on slide, Russia, Caucasus, Krasnodarsky Krai, road between Belorechensk and Krasnodar, surroundings of settlement Ryazanskoe, forest shelter belt, N 44.97402 ˚, E 39.60708 ˚, 9.VI.2013, leg. M. Potapov, A. Kremenitsa, M. Furgoł, Т. Maulana .

Etymology. The species name refers to characteristic feature—cryptopygy.

Diagnosis. Habitus typical of the genus Endonura . Dorsal tubercles present and well developed. 2+2 eyes darkly pigmented. Buccal cone long, labrum ogival. Head with chaetae A, B, C, D, F and G. Chaetae E and O absent. Tubercles Cl and Af separate. Tubercles Dl and (L+So) on head with 5 and 8 chaetae respectively. Tubercles Di and De on th. I not fused. Tubercles De on th. II and III with 3 and 4 chaetae respectively. Tubercles L on abd. III and IV with 4 and 7 chaetae respectively. Abd. IV and V with 8 and 3 tubercles respectively. Claw with inner tooth. Tibiotarsi with long chaetae B4 and B5.

Description. Habitus typical of the genus. Body length (without antennae): 0.49 (juvenile)– 1.61 mm (holotype: 1.61 mm). Colour of the body bluish grey. 2+2 large dark-pigmented eyes (Fig. 53).

b) Cephalic chaetotaxy–ventral side.

c) Chaetotaxy of antennae.

d) Postcephalic chaetotaxy.

Terga Legs

Di De Dl L Scx2 Cx Tr Fe T th. I 1 2 1 - 0 3 6 1 3 1 9 th. II 3 2+s 3+s+ms 3 2 7 6 1 2 1 9 th. III 3 3+s 3+s 3 2 8 6 1 1 1 8

Sterna

abd. I 2 3+s 2 3 VT: 4

abd. II 2 3+s 2 3 Ve: 5-6; chaeta Ve 1 present

abd. III 2 3+s 2 4 Vel:5–6; Fu: 5–6 me, 0 mi

abd. IV 2 2+s 3 7 Vel: 4; Vec: 2; Vei: 2; Vl: 4

abd. V (3+3) 7-8+s Ag: 3; Vl: 1

abd. VI 7 Ve: 13-14; An: 2mi

Types of dorsal ordinary chaetae. Macrochaetae Ml slightly thickened, relatively long, straight or arc-like, narrowly sheathed, feebly serrated, apically rounded or pointed (Figs 53–55); macrochaetae Mc and Mcc thickened, straight, pointed or apically rounded; mesochaetae and microchaetae short, thin and pointed.

Head. Buccal cone long. Labrum ogival, with ventral sclerifications as in Fig. 50. Labrum chaetotaxy 4/2, 4. Labium with four basal, three distal and four lateral chaetae, papillae x absent. Maxilla styliform, mandible thin with two basal and two apical teeth. Chaetotaxy of antennae as in Figs. 49, 52 and Tab. 6 c. Apical vesicle trilobed.

S–chaetae of ant. IV of medium length and relatively thin. Chaetotaxy of head as in Tab. 6 a, b, and Fig. 53. Tubercle Af on head longer than tubercles Oc. Chaeta D free. Elementary tubercles CD and BE present (Fig. 53). Chaeta A shorter than B.

Thorax, abdomen, legs. Body s-chaetae thin and smooth, shorter than nearby macrochaetae (Figs 53–54). Chaetotaxy of thorax and abdomen as in Tab. 6 d and in Figs 53–54. Tubercles Di on th. I differentiated but not fused with De (Fig. 53). Chaetae De3 on th. III and abd. I–III as Mcc. Chaetae De2 on th. II–III and De3 on th. III free. Chaetae De3 on abd. I–III free (Fig. 54). The line of chaetae De1-chaeta s parallel to the dorsomedian line on abd. I–III. Tubercles Di on abd. V fused, with chaetae Di3 as mi (Fig. 54). Furca rudimentary without microchaetae. Chaetae Vl on abd. V present. Cryptopygy well developed, abd. VI only partially visible in dorsal view (Fig. 54). Chaetotaxy of legs as in Fig. 51 and Tab. 6 d. Claw with distinct inner tooth (Fig. 51).

Remarks. The following set of characters: body grayish-blue, absence of chaeta O on head, same number of chaetae De on th. II– abd. III, chaetae De 3 on th. II–abd. III free, presence of distinct inner tooth on claw and elongated chaetae B4 and B5 on tibiotarsi, place the new species closely to E. dentifera Smolis et al., 2007, described from Crimea (Smolis et al. 2007). Nevertheless, the two species differ in several essential features: presence/absence of chaetae E on head (in cryptopyga absent, in dentifera present), number of chaetae Dl on head (in cryptopyga 5, in dentifera 6), number of chaetae (L+So) on head (in cryptopyga 8, in dentifera 10), shape of ventral sclerifications of labrum (in cryptopyga ogival, in dentifera nonogival) and presence/absence of cryptopygy (in cryptopyga present, in dentifera absent).

Ecological note. Holotype of the new species was collected within subalpine zone, in mosses and silt on rocks (Fig. 56), other specimens were found in forest belt.