Occidenchthonius sendrai (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 : 197-199

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

( Fig. 310)

Chthonius (Ephippiochthonius) sendrai Zaragoza 1985a: 149 –150, figs 14–19. Chthonius (Ephippiochthonius) sendrai: Zaragoza 2007: 19 –20.

Type locality. Spain, Valencian Community, Valencia province, Canal de Navarrés comarca, Millares, Cueva de las Palomas (39°14′30″N, 00°45′04″W; 126 m a.s.l.).

Distribution. Spain: Valencian Community.

Diagnosis (♀). A moderately large, hypogean Occidenchthonius species of strongly troglomorphic facies. Movable cheliceral finger with isolated subapical tooth (di) and spinneret prominent in female, unknown for male, lyrifissure ldb present; 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 23 teeth; two-thirds parts of movable chelal finger with 18 pointed teeth with dental canals, basal third of movable chelal finger with 7 rounded, partially fused, vestigial teeth, without canals, on weak lamina; pedipalpal femur (♀) 7.5 times longer than broad, length 0.88 mm; chela (♀) 7.3 times longer than deep, length 1.23 mm; ratio movable chelal finger/chelal hand (♀) 1.7; lacking lyrifissures ma1 and ma2, all other chelal lyrifissure patterns present with their standard complements.

Type material examined. ♀ holotype ( DEUA), Spain, Valencian Community, Valencia province, Canal de Navarrés comarca, Millares, Cueva de las Palomas (39°14′30″N, 00°45′04″W; 126 m a.s.l.), 04.V.1983, leg. A. Sendra.

Description (♀; ♂ unknown). Moderately large, hypogean species of strongly 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, without preocular microsetae, 2 setae in posterior row, formula 4:6:4:2:2; 4 lyrifissures anteriorly and 2 posteriorly.

Cheliceral hand with 6 setae and 1 lateral microseta, seta vb short (0.040 mm long), microseta 0.030 mm; hand with 5 dorsal and 1 ventral lyrifissure, lyrifissure ldb present. Fixed finger with 10 teeth decreasing in size proximally, two distal teeth distinctly larger than others. Movable finger with an isolated subapical tooth (di), with 11 teeth decreasing in size proximally, the distal tooth larger than others; spinneret prominent in female, unknown for male; seta gl 0.54 from base of movable finger. Rallum with 11 blades. Serrula exterior with 17 blades, serrula interior 14 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 setae IX 0.12 mm long. Chaetotaxy of sternites 10:(3)8(3):(2)7(2):8:6:6:6:6:2T1T2:0:2, lateral setae on sternite III macrosetal in size, sternite X with 2 submedial tactile setae (0.19 mm long).

Pedipalpal coxa with 5 setae (including 2 on manducatory process), distal marginal seta of disk 0.11 mm long; coxa I 3 + 3 marginal microsetae, distal marginal seta 0.08 mm long; II 4 + 9 bipinnate coxal spines, III 5 + 3–4 bipinnate coxal spines and IV 6; intercoxal tubercle bisetose.

Pedipalp with femoral chaetotaxy 3:6:3:5:1. Chela ( Fig. 310) 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; weak hollow before base of movable finger with thicker cuticle; width slightly 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 23 mostly 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, 11 proximal microtubercles; tip of fixed finger with a rounded accessory tooth (td) on antiaxial face; tip of fixed chelal finger of male with a weak hollow on paraxial face, without subdistal protuberance (sp); one pair of long antiaxial sensory setae (as) at the base, on either side of lyrifissure fb, 0.040– 0.045 mm long, distance between them 0.065 mm, fixed finger depth at the base 0.055 mm; 4 teeth at level of est / it occupying 0.1 mm, distance between successive apices 0.024–0.028 mm. Distal two-thirds of movable finger with 18 mostly pointed teeth with dental canals that reach up to proximad of halfway between trichobothria st and sb, 3 proximal teeth slightly reduced in size, the most proximad apically rounded, the distal tooth tiny; basal third of movable chelal finger with 7 rounded, partially fused, vestigial teeth, without canals, on weakly raised lamina; dental row reaching up to halfway between trichobothrium sb and sensilla pc, 5 proximal microtubercles; basal apodeme long and apically narrowed; coupled sensilla pc halfway between sb and b, slightly closer to b. Trichobothria as in Fig. 310; 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 1.7 times longer than that between sb and b; lacking lyrifissures ma1 and ma2, all other chelal lyrifissure patterns present with their standard complements.

Measurements and ratios. Female holotype: Body 1.50. Carapace 0.52/0.49 (1.0). Chelicera 0.50/0.22 (2.3), movable finger 0.27. Pedipalp: femur 0.88/0.12 (7.5), patella 0.35/0.15 (2.4), chela 1.23/0.17 (7.3), hand 0.46 (2.7), movable finger 0.77; ratio movable finger/hand 1.7, femur/movable finger 1.1, femur/carapace 1.7, chela/carapace 2.4, chela/femur 1.4.

Remarks. Occidenchthonius sendrai does not belong to either of the recognized species-groups within the genus. It is an anophthalmic species with an isolated subapical tooth (di) on the movable cheliceral finger and without preocular microsetae. It shares with O. minutus the position of ist, distinctly distad of esb but proximad of lyrifissure fb, but differs from that species by the absence of preocular microsetae and the longer and more slender pedipalp segments. The above description incorporates in part that of Zaragoza (1985a).