Occidenchthonius hoerwegi, Zaragoza, Juan A., 2017

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 : 161-163

Occidenchthonius hoerwegi n. sp. ( Figs 252–256 )

Type locality. Spain, Valencian Community, Alicante province, Marina Baixa comarca, l’Alfàs del Pi , Cova del Far (38°33′35″N, 00°03′43″W; 294 m a.s.l.).

Distribution. Spain: Valencian Community.

Etymology. The new species is dedicated to Dr Christoph Hörweg, who acted as my host during a study stay at the Naturhistorisches Museum Wien, for his helpful collaboration in making accessible Max Beier’s collection.

Diagnosis (♀). A small, hypogean Occidenchthonius species of the verai -group. Movable cheliceral finger without isolated subapical tooth (di) and with prominent spinneret in female, unknown for male, lyrifissure ldb absent; without eyes or eye-spots, anterior margin of carapace without preocular microsetae, posterior margin with 2 macrosetae; chelal hand weakly depressed at level of ib / isb, with a short, low hump distad of ib / isb and moderate slope between trichobothria ib / isb and eb; trichobothrium ist proximad of lyrifissure fb; fixed chelal finger with 20 teeth; distal half of movable chelal finger with 15 pointed teeth with dental canals, basal half of movable chelal finger with 8 rounded, partially fused, vestigial teeth, without canals, on raised lamina; pedipalpal femur (♀) 6.1 times longer than broad, length 0.76 mm; chela (♀) 5.5 times longer than deep, length 1.01 mm; ratio movable chelal finger/chelal hand (♀) 1.4; lacking lyrifissures ma1, ma2 and hp, all other chelal lyrifissure patterns present, most with their standard complements.

Type material examined. ♀ holotype ( DEUA), Spain, Valencian Community, Alicante province, Marina Baixa comarca, l’Alfàs del Pi , Cova del Far (38°33′35″N, 00°03′43″W; 294 m a.s.l.), 08.IV.2006, leg. A. Sendra et al.

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

Carapace ( Fig. 253 ) as long as broad and constricted posteriorly; medial part of anterior margin prominent, without a well-defined epistome, and strongly dentate ( Fig. 252 ). Without eyes or eye-spots. Chaetotaxy: 18 setae, without preocular microsetae, 2 setae in posterior row, formula 4:6:4:2:2, anteromedial setae 0.12 mm long, sublateral ocular setae 0.07 mm; 4 lyrifissures anteriorly and 2 posteriorly.

Chelicera ( Figs 254, 255 ) with 6 setae and 2 lateral microsetae on hand, seta vb short (0.055 mm long), microsetae 0.030 mm; hand with 4 dorsal and 1 ventral lyrifissure, lyrifissure ldb absent. Fixed finger with 8 teeth decreasing in size proximally, two distal teeth distinctly larger than others, 6 proximal microtubercles. Movable finger without an isolated subapical tooth (di), with 6 teeth decreasing in size proximally and 4 proximal microtubercles, the distal tooth larger than others; spinneret prominent and apically rounded in female ( Fig. 255 ), unknown for male; seta gl 0.54 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, tactile seta XI 0.32 mm long. Chaetotaxy of sternites 9:(3)7(3):(2)6(2):8:6:6:6:6:2T1T2:0:2, lateral setae on sternite III macrosetal in size, sternite X with 2 submedial tactile setae (0.21 mm long).

Pedipalpal coxa with 5 setae (including 2 on manducatory process), distal marginal seta of disk 0.10 mm long; coxa I 3 + 3 marginal microsetae, distal marginal seta 0.07 mm long; II 4 + 6–7 bipinnate coxal spines, III 5 + 4 bipinnate coxal spines and IV 6; intercoxal tubercle bisetose.

Pedipalp with femoral chaetotaxy 3:6:3:5:1. Chela ( Fig. 256 ) with hand weakly depressed at level of ib / isb, with a short, low hump distad of ib / isb and moderate slope between trichobothria ib / isb and eb; distinct hollow before base of movable finger with thicker cuticle; width equal to depth; chaetotaxy 4:5:4, seta ph3 present, seta dh3 removed to the intermediate setal row; distal end of hand and bases of chelal fingers with sclerotized condylar complex. Fixed finger with 20 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 proximad of trichobothrium sb, 7 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, both distad of lyrifissure fb, 0.040–0.050 mm long, distance between them 0.058 mm, fixed finger depth at the base 0.065 mm; 5 teeth at level of est / it occupying 0.1 mm, distance between successive apices 0.023–0.025 mm. Distal half of movable finger with 15 pointed teeth with dental canals that reach up proximad of halfway between trichobothria st and sb, the distal one tiny and the subdistal one small; basal half of movable chelal finger with 8 rounded, partially fused, vestigial teeth, without canals, on raised lamina; dental row reaching up to distad of sensilla pc, 5 proximal microtubercles; basal apodeme long and apically narrowed; coupled sensilla pc slightly closer to sb than to b. Trichobothria as in Fig. 256 ; trichobothrium ist distinctly distad of esb and slightly proximad of lyrifissure fb; trichobothria eb -esb -ist almost in a straight line; distance between ib / isb and esb approximately equal to that between ib / isb and the base of the hand; distance between st and sb 2.0 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: Body 1.81. Carapace 0.50/0.50 (1.0). Chelicera 0.47/0.22 (2.1), movable finger 0.24. Pedipalp: femur 0.76/0.13 (6.1), patella 0.31/0.15 (2.1), chela 1.01/0.19 (5.5), hand 0.42 (2.3), movable finger 0.59; ratio movable finger/hand 1.4, femur/movable finger 1.3, femur/carapace 1.5, chela/carapace 2.0, chela/femur 1.3.

Remarks. Within the verai -group, O. hoerwegi n. sp. shares with O. cazorlensis , O. mateui n. sp. and O. riopar n. sp. a short row of only 3–8 low and rounded vestigial teeth in the basal third of movable chelal finger. It differs from O. cazorlensis by the absence of cheliceral lyrifissure ldb; from O. riopar n. sp. by the position of trichobothrium ist, distinctly proximad of lyrifissure fb in O. hoerwegi n. sp., versus at the same level in O. riopar n. sp.; from O. mateui n. sp., by the stouter pedipalps, e.g. femur (♀) 6.1 times longer than broad in O. hoerwegi n. sp., versus (♀) 6.9–7.1, as compared in the key.

Figures

FIGURES 252 – 256. Occidenchthonius hoerwegi n. sp., female holotype. 252, anterior margin of carapace, partial view; 253, carapace; 254, left chelicera; 255, fingers of left chelicera, partial view; 256, left chela, antiaxial view.