Lusoblothrus aenigmaticus Zaragoza & Reboleira, 2012

Reboleira, Ana Sofia P. S., Zaragoza, Juan A., Gonçalves, Fernando & Oromí, Pedro, 2012, Lusoblothrus, a new syarinid pseudoscorpion genus (Arachnida) from Portugal, occupying an isolated position within the Holarctic fauna, Zootaxa 3544, pp. 52-62 : 55-59

Lusoblothrus aenigmaticus Zaragoza & Reboleira sp. nov.

( Figs 2–15)

Type material. Female holotype ( DEUA): Portugal, Algarve , Ibne Ammar cave ( Fig. 1), geographic coordinates: 37º 09’ 41 N, 081 29’ 98 W, 28 December 2009, collected by A.S.P.S. Reboleira.

Etymology. Adjective from the Latin aenigma: enigma, meaning puzzling or inexplicable, with reference to its isolated position within the European pseudoscorpion fauna.

Diagnosis. As for the genus.

Description. Medium-sized pseudoscorpion, with moderate troglomorphic adaptations, opisthosoma and legs pale, carapace and pedipalps pale reddish ( Fig. 2).

Carapace ( Fig. 3) longer than broad. Without eyes or eye-spots. Epistome ( Fig. 4) triangular and very small. Chaetotaxy 4: 4: 4: 4: 4 (20). Two microlyrifissures each on ocular, median and intermediate zones. One darkened, transverse furrow near posterior margin.

Coxal area ( Fig. 8). Apex of pedipalpal coxa long and acute, with two distal setae. Anterolateral process of coxa I rounded and moderately prominent, medial process straight, not prominent, without denticles. Pedipalpal coxa with 9–11 setae, pedal coxa I: 5–6, II: 5, III: 3. IV: 7–8.

Opisthosoma with pleural membrane longitudinally striate, with some granulation ( Fig. 9). Tergites and sternites of normal size and shape. Tergal chaetotaxy I-X: 4: 6: 8: 8: 8: 8: 8: 9: 8: 5(including 4 tactile setae). Anterior genital area with six microsetae in a continuous line ( Fig. 9). Stigmata III and IV ( Fig. 9) with two microsetae on each side. Sternal chaetotaxy III-X (stigmatal setae excluded): 6: 8: 13: 13: 13: 11: 10: 7. Segment XI with six setae, all tactile. Anal cone with two ventral and two dorsal setae.

Chelicera ( Fig. 5) with five acuminate setae on palm, is and ls distinctly longer than others, sbs and bs medium-sized, es short; subgaleal seta (gs) 0.69 from base of movable finger. Galea long and simple. Fixed finger with eight apical denticles and 16 small to medium teeth; movable finger with four apical denticles followed by 15 teeth, three medial teeth distinctly larger than the rest ( Fig. 6). Rallum with five blades, proximal blade apparently smooth and not shorter than the others, other blades unilaterally serrate on anterior face, distalmost blade bent to one side and broadened, bearing tiny medial denticulation ( Fig. 7). Serrula exterior with 32 blades, serrula interior with 25 blades.

Pedipalps ( Figs 13–15). Trochanter smooth. Femur granulate on pedicel and partially on paraxial face; broadest in the middle, proximal portion forming a short pedicel. Patella granulate on paraxial face of club, with one pore at base of pedicel; club with a characteristic shape, markedly convex in distal portion of antiaxial face and almost straight on paraxial face ( Fig. 13). Chela ( Figs 14–15) smooth, except for pedicel. One pore on pedicel and another on antiaxial face of hand, close to base of finger. Trichobothria ib, isb, esb and eb placed in a straight line, latter three on distal portion of hand; fixed finger with five trichobothria, ib on base of finger, distinctly isolated from the rest, such that medial portion of finger lacks trichobothria, ist just distad of est, et distinctly distad of it; movable finger with s t and t close together, sb not in a cluster with st / t, halfway between st and b; hair of trichobothrium t bent backwards, not lanceolate, slightly shorter and thicker than other trichobothria ( Figs 14–15). Fixed finger with 92 contiguous teeth reaching to base of finger, most cusped; venom apparatus and venedens present, venom duct short, nodus ramosus slightly distad of trichobothrium et ( Fig. 15). Movable finger with 85 contiguous teeth, most cusped, dental line shorter than on fixed finger, ending distad of trichobothrium b ( Fig. 15); one sensillum (p 2) close to dental margin ( Fig. 15) and distad to sb, sensillum p 1 not observed. Lyrifissures as in Figs 14–15, a group of four between b and sb.

Legs I and IV ( Figs 10-12) smooth, subterminal tarsal setae distally serrate, claws smooth, arolia undivided and distinctly longer than claws. Leg IV with patella distinctly longer than the femur; tactile setae ratios: tibia 0.59, 0.79, basitarsus 0.34, 0.83, telotarsus 0.34; tarsal unguitractor plate with two spurs (sp) ventrally, one on each side ( Fig. 12).

Measurements and ratios. Body 2.3. Carapace 0.70/0.55 (1.28). Chelicera: 0.46/0.20 (2.28), finger 0.31. Pedipalp: trochanter 0.45/0.20 (2.31), femur 0.79/0.21 (3.71), patella 0.77/0.27 (2.89), pedicel 0.29, club 0.48/0.27 (1.81), ratio club/pedicel 1.67, hand + 0.56/0.38 (1.47), hand – 0.45/0.38 (1.18), finger 0.92 (1.64 × hand +), chela + 1.46/0.38 (3.84), chela – 1.35/0.38 (3.55); ratio chela + /carapace 2.09, femur/carapace 1.13, finger/femur 1.16, femur/patella 1.02, patella/hand + 1.38. Leg I: femur 0.38/0.10 (3.69), patella 0.31/0.10 (3.13), tibia 0.38/0.07 (5.63), basitarsus 0.23/0.05 (4.74), telotarsus 0.29/0.04 (7.25), ratio femur/patella 1.25, telotarsus/basitarsus 1.29. Leg IV: femur 0.31, patella 0.42, femur+patella 0.73/0.14 (5.18), tibia 0.62/0.08 (7.45), basitarsus 0.27/0.06 (4.46), telotarsus 0.31/0.05 (6.89), ratio patella/femur 1.38, femur+patella/tibia 1.18, telotarsus/basitarsus 1.16.

Distribution. The new species is only known from its type locality: Ibne Ammar cave, located in Lagoa district, Algarve region, Portugal, Iberian Peninsula ( Fig. 1).