Occidenchthonius pinai (Zaragoza, 1985) Zaragoza, 1985

Zaragoza, Juan A., 2017, Revision of the Ephippiochthonius complex in the Iberian Peninsula, Balearic Islands and Macaronesia, with proposed changes to the status of the Chthonius subgenera (Pseudoscorpiones, Chthoniidae), Zootaxa 4246 (1), pp. 1-221 : 192-193

Occidenchthonius pinai (Zaragoza, 1985) , n. comb.

( Fig. 303 )

Chthonius (Ephippiochthonius) pinai Zaragoza 1985a: 150 –153, 156, figs 20–25, 30–31. Chthonius (Ephippiochthonius) pinai: Zaragoza 2007: 18 –19.

Type locality. Spain, Valencian Community, Alicante province , Marina Baixa comarca, Bolulla, Avenc de la Masalatava (38°40′27″N, 00°07′19″W; 375 m a.s.l.).

Distribution. Spain: Valencian Community.

Diagnosis (♀). A medium-sized, hypogean, weakly troglomorphic Occidenchthonius species. Movable cheliceral finger without isolated subapical tooth (di); spinneret small in female, unknown for male; lyrifissure ldb absent; without eyes or eye-spots; anterior margin of carapace with 4–5 preocular microsetae, posterior margin with 2 macrosetae; chelal hand weakly depressed at level of ib / isb, with a short, abrupt, almost dome-shaped hump distad of ib / isb, and an abrupt slope between trichobothria ib / isb and eb; fixed chelal finger with 20–21 teeth; distal half of movable chelal finger with 15 pointed teeth with dental canals, basal half of movable chelal finger with 7– 10 rounded, partially fused, vestigial teeth, without canals, on weak lamina; pedipalpal femur (♀) 5.4–5.9 times longer than broad, length 0.71–0.76 mm; chela (♀) 5.7–5.9 times longer than deep, length 0.98–1.05 mm; ratio movable chelal finger/chelal hand (♀) 1.5; lacking lyrifissures ma1, ma2 and hp, all other chelal lyrifissure patterns present, most with their standard complements.

Type material examined. ♀ holotype, 1 ♀ paratype (both DEUA), Spain, Valencian Community, Alicante province, Marina Baixa comarca, Bolulla, Avenc de la Masalatava (38°40′27″N, 00°07′19″W; 375 m a.s.l.), 13.VII.1973, leg. E. Parra .

Description (♀; ♂ unknown). Medium-sized, hypogean species of weakly troglomorphic facies. Integument depigmented; weak hispid granulation on lateral surfaces of carapace, on cheliceral hand and on bases of chelal fingers.

Carapace slightly longer than broad, constricted posteriorly; medial part of anterior margin strongly prominent, without a well-defined epistome, and strongly dentate. Without eyes or eye-spots. Chaetotaxy: 18 setae, 2–3 preocular microsetae on each side, 2 setae in posterior row, macrosetal formula 4:6:4:2:2, sublateral ocular setae 0.07 mm long; 4 lyrifissures anteriorly and 2 posteriorly.

Cheliceral hand with 6 setae and 4–5 lateral microsetae, seta vb short (0.045–0.050 mm long), microsetae 0.025 mm; hand with 4 dorsal and 1 ventral lyrifissure, lyrifissure ldb absent. Fixed finger with 8–13 teeth decreasing in size proximally, two distal teeth distinctly larger than others. Movable finger without an isolated subapical tooth (di), with 8–10 teeth decreasing in size proximally, the distal tooth larger than others; spinneret small and apically rounded in female, unknown for male; seta gl 0.53 from base of movable finger. Rallum with 11 blades. Serrula exterior with 15 blades, serrula interior 13 blades.

Chaetotaxy of tergites 4:4:4:4:6:6:6:6:1T2T1:4:1T2T1:0, tergites IX and XI each with 2 sublateral tactile setae. Chaetotaxy of sternites 9–10:(3)8(3):(2)7(2):6:6:6:6:6:2T1T2:0:2, lateral setae on sternite III macrosetal in size, sternite X with 2 submedial tactile setae.

Pedipalpal coxa with 5 setae (including 2 on manducatory process), distal marginal seta of disk 0.09 mm long; coxa I 3 + 3 marginal microsetae, distal marginal setae lost; II 4 + 7–8 bipinnate coxal spines, III 5 + 4–6 bipinnate coxal spines and IV 6; intercoxal tubercle bisetose.

Pedipalp with femoral chaetotaxy 3:6:3:5:1. Chela ( Fig. 303 ) with hand weakly depressed at level of ib / isb, with a short, abrupt, almost dome-shaped hump distad of ib / isb and an abrupt slope between trichobothria ib / isb and eb; marked hollow before base of movable finger with thicker cuticle; width slightly longer or shorter than depth; chaetotaxy 4:5:4, seta ph3 present; distal end of hand and bases of chelal fingers with sclerotized condylar complex. Fixed finger with 20–21 pointed teeth and with dental canals, first two distal teeth small, third tooth of normal row (mt) of fixed finger distinctly modified in shape and deviated in orientation with respect to the others, dental row reaching up to slightly proximad of trichobothrium sb; 2 proximal microtubercles; tip of fixed finger with an accessory tooth (td) on antiaxial face; one pair of long antiaxial sensory setae (as) at the base, one level with and other markedly distad of lyrifissure fb, 0.030–0.048 mm long, distance between them 0.053–0.063 mm, fixed finger depth at the base 0.053–0.058 mm; 5 teeth at level of est / it occupying 0.1 mm, distance between successive apices 0.020–0.024 mm. Distal half of movable finger with 15 mostly pointed teeth with dental canals that reach up to approximately halfway between trichobothria st and sb, one proximal tooth strongly reduced in size and apically rounded, two distal teeth tiny; basal half of movable chelal finger with 7–10 rounded, partially fused, vestigial teeth, without canals, on weakly raised lamina; dental row reaching up to halfway between trichobothrium sb and sensilla pc, 2 proximal microtubercles; basal apodeme long and apically narrowed; coupled sensilla pc halfway between sb and b, distinctly closer to sb. Trichobothria as in Fig. 303 ; trichobothrium ist well distad of esb and distinctly proximad of lyrifissure fb; distance between ib / isb and base of hand approximately equal to that between ib / isb and esb; distance between st and sb 2.2–2.6 times longer than that between sb and b; lacking lyrifissures ma1, ma2 and hp, all other chelal lyrifissure patterns present, most with their standard complements.

Measurements and ratios. Female holotype, followed, when different, by female paratype in square brackets: Body 1.48 [1.29]. Carapace 0.55/0.51 (1.1) [0.48/0.47 (1.0)]. Pedipalp: femur 0.76/0.14 (5.4) [0.71/0.12 (5.9)], patella 0.33/0.14 (2.3) [0.30/0.14 (2.1)], chela 1.05/0.18 (5.7) [0.98/0.17 (5.9)], hand 0.42 (2.3) [0.39 (2.4)], movable finger 0.61 [0.59]; ratio movable finger/hand 1.5, femur/movable finger 1.2, femur/carapace 1.4 [1.5], chela/carapace 1.9 [2.0], chela/femur 1.4.

Remarks. Occidenchthonius pinai does not belong to either of the recognized species-groups within the genus. Among the other three Occidenchthonius species without an isolated subapical tooth (di) on the movable cheliceral finger, O. pinai differs from O. cardosoi by the carapacal chaetotaxy of the posterior row (2 setae versus 4), from O. serranoi n. sp. by the presence of lyrifissure hd and by the longer and more slender pedipalps [chela ♀ 5.7–5.9 (♀) times longer than deep, length 0.98–1.05 mm versus chela (♀) 3.7–3.9 times longer than deep, length 0.61 mm]. Differences from O. ortunoi n. sp. mainly concern the pedipalp, as detailed in the remarks under O. ortunoi n. sp. The above description incorporates in part that of Zaragoza (1985a).

Figures

FIGURE 303. Occidenchthonius pinai (Zaragoza, 1985) n. comb., female holotype, right chela, antiaxial view.