Cylisticus masalicus, Kashani, Ghasem M., 2016

Kashani, Ghasem M., 2016, Iranian terrestrial isopods of the family Cylisticidae Verhoeff, 1949 with a description of a new species (Isopoda, Oniscidea), ZooKeys 582, pp. 157-165 : 160-164

Taxon classification Animalia Isopoda Cylisticidae

Cylisticus masalicus sp. n.

Material examined.

Holotype: male, 11 mm, IRAN, Gilan, Masal, 37°19.0'N, 48°59.0'E, elev. 600 m, 19 March 2014, leg. G.M. Kashani (ZUTC 5786).

Paratypes: same data as holotype, one male and two females (ZUTC 5787); same data as holotype, one male and one female (IRIPP Iso-1063); same data as holotype, three males and four females (PCGMK 1749); Gachsar to Marzanabad, 5 km to Dozdband, 36°16.2'N, 51°14.6'E, 26 July 2014, leg. G.M. Kashani, one female (PCGMK 1921); Noor to Kojour, 36°26.2'N, 51°53.3'E, elev. 790 m, 28 July 2014, leg. G.M. Kashani, one female (PCGMK 1942); Noor to Kojour, Kodir village, 36 °26.4'N, 51°51.6'E, elev. 1435 m, 28 July 2014, leg. G.M. Kashani, one female and one juv. (PCGMK 1946); Kojour to Galandrood, 36°26.7'N, 51°50.7'E, elev. 1480 m, 28 July 2014, leg. G.M. Kashani, one male (PCGMK 1952); Poonel to Sangdeh, 37°33.4'N, 48°41.5'E, elev. 2200 m, 14 August 2014, leg. G.M. Kashani, one male and one female (IRIPP Iso-1062); Poonel to Sangdeh, 37°33.4'N, 48°41.5'E, elev. 2200 m, 14 August 2014, leg. G.M. Kashani, four males, five females and one juv. (PCGMK 1803); 29 km to Asalem, 37°37.5'N, 48°48.6'E, elev. 2220 m, 14 August 2014, leg. G.M. Kashani, four females (PCGMK 1804); 10 km to Shaft, 37°06.2'N, 49°23.8'E, elev. 80 m, 15 August 2014, leg. G.M. Kashani, one female (PCGMK 1813); Siahkal to Deylaman, 10 km to Deylaman, 36°56.2'N, 49°51.8'E, elev. 1500 m, 19 August 2014, leg. G.M. Kashani, one male (PCGMK 1845); Boomehen to Amol, Ploor village, 35°50.9'N, 52°03.2'E, elev. 2200 m, 11 September 2014, leg. G.M. Kashani, two females (PCGMK 1846); Tonekabon, Darbar village, 36°42.7'N, 50°50.7'E, elev. 220 m, 13 September 2014, leg. G.M. Kashani, three females and two males (PCGMK 1882); Galesh-Mahalleh to Jannat-Roodbar, 36°49.3'N, 50°41.3'E, elev. 370 m, 13 September 2014, leg. G.M. Kashani, one female (PCGMK 1888); Ramsar to Javaherdeh, 36°52.5'N, 50°33.3'E, elev. 770 m, 14 September 2014, leg. G.M. Kashani, one male and one female (PCGMK 1893); Amlash, Khorma village, 37°04.5'N, 49°58.9'E, elev. 270 m, 14 September 2014, leg. G.M. Kashani, one male (PCGMK 1902); Rahim-Abad to Ziaz, 36°56.5'N, 50°16.5'E, elev. 220 m, 15 September 2014, leg. G.M. Kashani, two males and one female (PCGMK 1912).

Diagnosis.

Cephalon with well developed quadrangular lateral lobes; median process pointed upwards; male pereopod VII ischium subrectangular; male pleopod endopodite I with apical part slightly bent outwards, bearing some setae.

Description.

Maximum length of both male and female, 15 mm. Color slaty gray with the usual pale muscle spots (Fig. 2A, B). Exoantennal conglobation (Fig. 2A) and body semi-circular in cross section. Cephalon with well developed quadrangular lateral lobes; median process pointed upwards, not surpassing lateral lobes in frontal view; vertex smooth, eyes with 20 to 22 ommatidia (Fig. 3A, B). Antenna long and slender, bent on the back when conglobating; fifth article of peduncle slightly longer than flagellum, with length:width ratio 7:1; flagellum with two articles of the same size (Fig. 3D).

Pereon smooth. Pereonite I with angular concavity on posterolateral margin. Noduli laterales on pereonite IV more than twice distant from the lateral margins than those on pereonite III (Fig. 3C).

Pereopod I ischium triangular, carpus with depression on rostral surface equipped with slender scales, dactylus with one dactylar and one ungual seta (Fig. 3F).

Pleon as broad as pereon (Fig. 3E). Telson triangular, with concave sides and rounded apex, surpassing uropod-protopodites. Uropod-exopodites short, 2/3 as long as telson (Fig. 3E). Pleopod exopodites I–V with polyspiracular internal lungs (Fig. 4 B–F).

Male: Pereopods I–VII merus and carpus with brushes of trifid setae, less dense in posterior ones (Fig. 3 F–H). Pereopod VI ischium on sternal margin with three long spiny setae medially and three long spiny setae distally (Fig. 3G), pereopod VII ischium subrectangular, ventral side with a hairy brush of small setae, medially with six and distally with four long spiny setae (Fig. 3H). Pleopod endopodite I straight with apical part slightly bent outwards equipped with some short setae (Fig. 4A); exopodite I with rounded hind lobe, outer margin with a row of small setae (Fig. 4B, C). Pleopod endopodite II longer than exopodite; exopodite triangular with a line of setae on outer margin (Fig. 4D). Pleopod exopodites III–V as in Fig. 4 E–G.

Etymology.

The name of the species is after the type locality, the rain forests around Masal.

Distribution.

N Iran.

Remarks.

In the examination of a collection of terrestrial isopods from northern Iran, Schmalfuss (1986) reported the genus Cylisticus for the first time based on three female specimens, which he cited as Cylisticus sp.I. This was the sole account for this genus up to now. In the present study, Cylisticus masalicus sp. n. is described. It has a broad distribution in the rain forests of the country (Fig. 5). According to the illustrations presented by Schmalfuss (1986) for the specimens named Cylisticus sp.I. and their collecting localities that lies inside the geographical range of the species (Fig. 5), those specimens presumably belong to Cylisticus masalicus as well.

Cylisticus masalicus sp. n. differs from other species of the genus by the straight apex of the male pleopod endopodite I which is also common in Parcylisticus species. The new species, however, is well assignable to the genus Cylisticus for its smooth body surface and short uropod exopodites. This species is similar to Cylisticus birsteini Borutzky, 1961 and Cylisticus iners Budde-Lund, 1880 but differs from the former in the shape of the male pleopod endopodite I, and from the latter in the position of noduli laterales and the shape of telson.