Cryptoditha aff. elegans (Beier, 1931)

Bedoya-Roqueme, Edwin, Tizo-Pedroso, Everton, Barbier, Eder & Lira, André Felipe De Araújo, 2023, Two new cave-dwelling pseudoscorpion species (Arachnida: Pseudoscorpiones) from Northeastern Brazil, Zootaxa 5293 (2), pp. 317-332 : 319-320

Cryptoditha aff. elegans

Material examined. 1 male, Pernambuco, Brazil: Furna do Morcego cave , 8°34’14.1”S; 37°22’55.6”W, 556 m a.s.l., 09-V-2019; Catimbau National Park, E. Barbier leg. ( LECA; Ps-SCR009) .

Diagnosis. According to Chamberlin & Chamberlin (1945) specimens of Cryptoditha can be recognized by the marginal teeth of chela prominent, acute, and distinctly spaced; sub-equally developed on both fingers; tending to become contiguous basally on the fingers ( Chamberlin & Chamberlin 1945; Fig. 6 ). Carapace smooth, weakly emarginate, and provided with a dentate, epistomal process; with four large eyes. Vestitural setae sparse but robust; tergites uniseriate with about six marginal setae per segment. Coxal spines typical, with four to five each on coxae I and II, intercoxal tubercle absent. Trichobothrium et subterminal, est and it both distinctly distal of median, but well-spaced from et; trichobothrium ist, esb, and eb, forming an oblique basal series. Trichobothrium esb closer to ist than to eb. Trichobothrium st submedial between sb and t ( Chamberlin & Chamberlin 1945; Fig. 6 ). The species Cryptoditha elegans (Beier, 1931) was described initially from Minas Gerais (Passa Quatro), subsequently from Santa Catarina ( Beier 1931a, 1974), and later reported for the State of Mina Gerais ( Mahnert 2001). The specimen of the cave from Pernambuco ( Brazil) presents some taxonomic characters corresponding to the description of the C. elegans made by Beier (1931a) and Chamberlin & Chamberlin (1945), such as proportion of pedipalps, and distribution of trichobothria, similarly, to the proportions of the specimens reported by Mahnert (2001). Therefore, due to the lack of specimens from the type locality of the species (see Mahnert 2001), which would allow a reexamination of the type specimens, likewise, only having one individual, it is decided to assign the Pernambuco specimen as Cryptoditha aff. elegans .

Measurements (mm). Body length:1.315.Carapace:0.423.Pedipalps: femur: 0.375 / 0.149, patella: 0.186 / 0.086, chela: 0.626 / 0.127, movable finger: 0.408. Chelicera: 0.273 / 0.139, movable finger length: 0.153. Leg I: femur: 0.463 / 0.080, patella: 0.291 / 0.070, tibia: 0.261 / 0.070, tarsus: 0.452 / 0.050. Leg IV: femur+patella: 0.581 / 0.160, tibia: 0.403 / 0.080, metatarsus: 0.223 / 0.060, tarsus: 0.413 / 0.060.

Distribution. Brazil ( Harvey 2013; World Pseudoscorpiones Catalog 2022 ).

Figures

FIGURES 5–14. Geogarypus gollumi sp. nov. female holotype, dorsal view, unless stated otherwise: 5, carapace, dorsal view. 6, left chelicera, dorsal view. 7, left galea, lateral view. 8, left rallum, lateral view. 9, male paratype, right pedipalp aspect. 10, female holotype, right pedipalp aspect. 11, right chela, lateral view (arrows indicating aspect of the teeth). 12, genital sternites, ventral view. 13–14, left leg I, lateral view, and left leg IV, lateral view.