Protzia longiacetabulata, Gülle, Pinar & Boyaci, Yunus Ömer, 2014

Gülle, Pinar & Boyaci, Yunus Ömer, 2014, A new Protzia species and the first description of the female Atractides (Polymegapus) persicus Pešić & Asadi 2010 from Turkey, Zootaxa 3852 (5), pp. 585-590 : 585-586

Protzia longiacetabulata n. sp.

Studied material. Holotype, female, fast-flowing stream with gravel bottom, Dim Stream, 21.08.2013, 36o35.321’ N, 32o 17. 876’ E, 60 m a.s.l., Alanya, Antalya Turkey, leg. Y. Ö. Boyacı. Paratypes: 3 females, same data as holotype.

Diagnosis. Cx-I anteriorly projecting, densely covered with 20-21 long pennate setae. Genital field with 12-16 pairs of Ac. Posterior Ac very elongated, with long stalks. Leg claws with 3-4 lateral and 3-4 medial clawlets.

Description. Female (holotype, in parentheses variability of the paratypes given as mean, n=3): Idiosoma L/W 850 (842)/650 (645); Cx-I anteriorly projecting, densely covered with 20-21 (19-23) long pennate setae, Cx-II anterior margin densely covered with 11 (11-12) pennate setae ( Fig. 1 a). Cx-I+II 300 (296); Cx-III +IV with a few pennate and unbranched setae, 278 (278) ( Fig. 1 b). Leg claws with 3-4 lateral and 3-4 medial clawlets ( Fig. 2 a, b, c). Genital field elongated and with 12-15 (13-16) pairs of Ac. Anterior Ac roundish, posterior Ac elongated, L 69 (70), L/W 2.4, tapering, on long stalks L 34 (34); genital field L 218 (220), gonopore L 150 (147). Genital field on each side flanked by a rather strong sclerotized bar bearing 10-11 setae ( Fig. 1 a). Gnathosoma ( Fig. 1 d) with a short rostrum, L 145 (143), L/W ratio, 1.6; chelicera 150 (147), claw 44 (43), L/H ratio 6.25 (6.3), L basal segment/claw ratio 2.9. Palps stout, P-2 with 2 setae, P-3 with 1 thick and pennate seta. Palp ( Fig. 1 c): total L 353 (349), dL of palp segments (P-1-5): 32 (30)-80 (80)-54 (53)- 152 (152)-35 (34), H of palp segments (P-1-5): 63 (63)-46 (46)-52 (51)-46 (46)-12 (10), P-4 L/H 3.3, mediodistal seta ( Fig. 2 d) very long, basally swollen, L 48 (49).

Etymology. The new species is named with reference to its long acetabulata.

Remarks. The new species from Turkey resemble P. halberti (Walter, 1920) in having posterior Ac distinctly longer than wide, and on long stalks. Protzia longiacetabulata n. sp. differs from P. halberti by a higher number of acetabula (12-16 pairs) and a claw with reduced numbers of medial clawlets (leg claws with 3-4 lateral and 3-4 medial clawlets). A high variance in the number of medial clawlets among P. halberti populations from Central Europe, Turkey, and Iran can be seen: Pešić & Turan (2006) mentioned that their single male specimen from Rize province (Black Sea coast of Turkey) differed from other populations in the high number of medial clawlets (11 vs. 5–9, in most cases> 6 in the central European poulations (Gerecke 2006) and 6–7 in populations from Iran ( Pešić 2005). Acetabula numbers do not differ much between European and Iran populations, being 8–10 ( Pešić 2005, Di Sabatino et al. 2010), although 7 pairs of Ac in the single specimen from Turkey were reported by Pešić & Turan (2006).

Additionally, the new species can be distinguished by distinctly slender chelicerae (L/H ratio 6.25) compared to P. halberti populations from central and eastern Europe (L/H ratio 4.1–4.5, data taken from Di Sabatino et al. 2010), Turkey (4.5, data taken from Pešić & Turan, 2006), and Iran (5.09, data taken from Pešić 2005), and by even more slender P-4 (L/H ratio 3.3) compared with P. halberti populations from central and eastern Europe (2.9–3.3, data taken from Di Sabatino et al. 2010), Turkey (2.9, data taken from Pešić & Turan 2006) and Iran (31,15, data taken from Pešić 2005). Furthermore, the mediodistal seta on P- 4 in the new species is distinctly longer and thicker than that of P. halberti .

Figures

FIGURE 1. Protzia longiacetabulata n. sp., female: a) anterior coxae and genital field, b) left coxae, c) palp, d) gnathosoma and chelicera.

FIGURE 2. Protzia longiacetabulata n. sp. Female: a – b) distal part of IV-L- 6, c) claws, d) P- 5 e) Protzia squamosa Walter, 1908, female: coxal and genital field.