Cryptops (Cryptops) malabarensis, Balan & Sureshan & Khanna, 2012
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.11609/JoTT.o3035.2510-4 |
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publication LSID |
lsid:zoobank.org:pub:02460D48-5EAC-4899-89B3-B516682CDA25 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/199D65D8-49CA-44B5-AF08-C1FCCAAE90A8 |
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taxon LSID |
lsid:zoobank.org:act:199D65D8-49CA-44B5-AF08-C1FCCAAE90A8 |
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treatment provided by |
Carolina |
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scientific name |
Cryptops (Cryptops) malabarensis |
| status |
sp. nov. |
Cryptops (Cryptops) malabarensis sp. nov. ( Figs. 2-3 View Figures 2–3 and Images 1–5 View Images 1–5 )
Material examined
Holotype: 01.viii.2011, 11032 ’40.59”N & 75055 ’33.40”E, elevation 641.2m, Urakkuzhy, Kakkayam, Malabar Wildlife Sanctuary, Kerala, India, coll. Dhanya Balan, (ZSI/ WGRC /I-R/INV 2111) ( Images 1–5 View Images 1–5 ).
Paratypes: 29.viii.2011, three specimens, from type locality, coll. Dhanya Balan (ZSI/ WGRC /I-R/ INV 2080, 2108, 2109) ; 01.iv.2011 two specimens, 11030 ’26.98”N & 75048 ’24”E, elevation 145m, Narayamkulam , Calicut District, Kerala, India, coll. P.K. Umesh (ZSI/ WGRC /I-R/INV 2079) .
Diagnosis: A species of Cryptops lacking anterior transverse suture on Tergite-1; tergite paramedian sutures from tergite 4 or 5–20; absence of saw teeth on the ultimate femur ( C. hortensis group); ultimate leg tibia with 4–7 saw teeth on the tibia and 3–4 on tarsus one; no accessory spurs associated with the tarsal claw.
Description of holotype
Body length 23mm. Colour (before and after preservation) greyish-brown with dark subcutaneous pigment on tergites. Ultimate legs yellow.
Antennae composed of 17 articles; basal two articles relatively stout with long setae distally. An irregular whorl of long setae on the proximal end of articles 1–3, the rest with setae scattered irregularly, not in whorls but the dorsal middle region is not densely covered. Short, fine setae abundant from 6 th
2 - Cephalic plate and Tergite-1; 3 - Sternite suture
article onwards ( Images 4 & 5 View Images 1–5 ).
Cephalic plate and tergite one without sutures, tergite one overlying the posterior edge of the cephalic plate ( Fig. 2 View Figures 2–3 ). Anterior edge of forcipular coxosternite weakly bilobed ( Image 1 View Images 1–5 ) and with four long and one small setae on each side. Tergite paramedian sutures from tergite 4 or 5–20. Tergite 21 without sutures and with slightly angular posterior margin. Sternites with longitudinal and transverse sulci, longitudinal sulci longer than the transverse ( Fig. 3 View Figures 2–3 ). Sternite 21 with sides converging very slightly and straight posterior margin ( Images 2 View Images 1–5 & 8 View Images 6–9 ). Legs 1–19 with undivided tarsi. No accessory spurs associated with the tarsal claw ( Image 9 View Images 6–9 ).
Coxopleuron with nine large pores and with at least three minute setae in porefield; three or four fine setae on posterior margin and upto five between this and porefield. Posterior area of coxopleuron is poreless.
Leg 20 with dense fine setae ventrally on prefemur, femur and tibia in all specimens. Ultimate legs with strong setae on anterior, ventral and posterior surfaces of prefemur and on ventral and posterior surfaces of femur. Median longitudinal glabrous area absent. No distal tubercle on tibia and tarsus. No saw tooth on the femur ( Image 4 View Images 1–5 ); seven on the tibia and three on the tarsus 1 ( Image 3 View Images 1–5 ).
Additional information from paratypes
Body length of paratypes varies between 11–21 mm. Antennae of leftside is damaged in 2079. When compared to the holotype, the number of saw teeth on the ultimate leg tibia varies from four (2079), five (2080) or six (2108, 2109) and on tarsus 1 the variation is either three (2080, 2108, 2109) or four (2079) saw teeth. The number of coxopleural pores are not clearly countable.
Etymology
The species is named after the type locality “Malabar Wildlife Sanctuary”, Kerala, India .
6 - Dorsal view of antenna; 7 - Basal antennal articles; Sternite-21; Pretarsus of leg from middle trunk
Ecological observations
Habitat: The specimens were collected from moist deciduous forest tracts of southern Western Ghats. All specimens were found in loose soil, about 4–5 cm below the surface. Ecological parameters of the two collection localities during the period of March–April 2011 are provided in Table 1.
Discussion
Cryptops malabarensis sp. nov. is conspicuously different from the other described Indian species of Cryptops included in the C. doriae group (having saw teeth on the ultimate leg femur); and falls in the Old World C. hortensis group of Lewis (2011) (those lacking saw teeth on the ultimate leg femur), which have not yet been reported from India. C. malabarensis sp. nov. closely resembles C. decoratus Lawrence (1960) , which is also
Key to the Cryptops species of India
1. Sternites, at least on some anterior segments with trigonal sutures ………............................………….…….... …………………….………….......................................……(Subgenus Trigonocryptops View in CoL ) C. (T) orientalis Jangi View in CoL
- Sternites without trigonal sutures (Subgenus Cryptops View in CoL )..................................................................................2
2. Ultimate leg femur with saw teeth…………….……….......................................................................................3
- Ultimate leg femur without saw teeth……… ……………..............................………. C. malabarensis sp. nov.
3. Tergite 1 with an anterior transverse suture. ........................................................................ C. kempi Silvesteri View in CoL
- Tergite 1 without anterior transverse suture.....................................................................................................4
4. Each side of forcipular coxosternite convex and with 12 submarginal setae….......…… C. setosior Chamberlin View in CoL
- Each side of forcipular coxosternite only slightly convex with 3 or 4 long and one or 2 small setae ……......… …………...…………………………………………………………………...................…………… C. doriae Pocock View in CoL
a member of the Old World C. hortensis View in CoL group. The two species share the absence of sutures on the cephalic plate and tergite one; anterior margin of coxosternite almost straight, an overlapping number of coxopleural pores (7–9), a similar number of setae in the porefield (at least three) and ultimate leg characters such as prefemur with long fine setae dorsally, absence of a median longitudinal glabrous area, tibia with four and tarsus 1 with two saw teeth. However the new species differs from the holotype description of C. decoratus View in CoL , in having no median ridges on the tergites, no posterior median depression on tergite 21 and the absence of accessory spurs on the pretarsi. C. decoratus View in CoL is a Malagasy species closely related to C. melanotypus Chamberlin, 1941 View in CoL from the Philippines, Mauritius and the Seychelles but Lewis (2011) was unsure of their exact status. However, the strong similarity between the new species and C. decoratus View in CoL and C. melanotypus View in CoL suggests dispersal of a group of closely allied species over a wide area.
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