Ephippiochthonius mahnerti ( Zaragoza, 1984 ) Zaragoza, 1984

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 : 89-91

Ephippiochthonius mahnerti ( Zaragoza, 1984) , n. comb.

( Figs 64 , 159 )

Chthonius (Ephippiochthonius) mahnerti Zaragoza 1984: 49 –54, figs 1–5. Chthonius (Ephippiochthonius) mahnerti: Zaragoza 2007: 17 .

Type locality. Spain, Valencian Community, Alicante province , La Marina Alta comarca , Sierra de Segaria, Beniarbeig, Cova del Bolumini (38°50′01″N, 00°01′40″W; 263 m a.s.l.).

Distribution. Spain: Valencian Community.

Diagnosis (♂ ♀). A large, hypogean Ephippiochthonius species of the tetrachelatus -group. Movable cheliceral finger without isolated subapical tooth (di) and with prominent spinneret in female, absent in male, lyrifissure ldb present; no eyes or eye-spots, 1 preocular microsetae on each side, posterior margin of carapace with 2 macrosetae, exceptionally 3; pedipalp with femoral chaetotaxy 3:6:3:5:1; chelal hand weakly depressed at level of ib / isb, with long and low hump distad of ib / isb and gentle slope between trichobothria ib / isb and eb; fixed chelal finger with 23–25 teeth; movable chelal finger with 18–20 teeth, without marginal lamina; pedipalpal femur (♂) 8.4–8.6, (♀) 7.5–8.3 times longer than broad, length (♂) 1.14–1.18 mm, (♀) 1.07–1.12 mm; chela (♂) 7.0–7.3, (♀) 6.8 times longer than deep, length (♂) 1.54–1.57 mm, (♀) 1.51–1.60 mm; ratio movable chelal finger/chelal hand (♂) 1.6, (♀) 1.5–1.6; all chelal lyrifissure patterns present with their standard complements.

Type material examined. ♂ holotype ( DEUA), Spain, Valencian Community, Alicante province, La Marina Alta comarca , Sierra de Segaria , Beniarbeig , Cova del Bolumini (38°50′01″N, 00°01′40″W; 263 m a.s.l.), 27.IX.1981, leg. V. Ripoll & J.A. Zaragoza ; 1 ♀ paratype (DEUA), 14.XII.1981, J. Coronado.

Non-type material examined. Same locality as types: 2 ♂, 2 ♀, 21.X.1984, leg. A. Sendra & X. Baixeras; 1 ♂, 1 T, 16.IX.1989, leg. J.A. Zaragoza; El Verger, Cova Fosca (38°50′12″N, 00°00′24″W; 148 m a.s.l.), 1 ♀, 29.IV.1978, leg. M. Blas, C. Ribera & J.A. Zaragoza. All in DEUA.

Description (♂ ♀). Large, hypogean, troglomorphic species ( Fig. 64 ). Integument depigmented; weakly hispid granulation on lateral surfaces of carapace, on cheliceral hand and on bases of chelal fingers.

Carapace distinctly longer than broad and posteriorly constricted; medial part of anterior margin prominent, without a well-defined epistome, and strongly dentate; without eyes or eye-spots. Chaetotaxy: 18 macrosetae [exceptionally 19, one female with one additional short lateral seta in posterior row ( Zaragoza 1984)] and 1 preocular microseta on each side, formula m 4m:6:4:2:2–3, anteromedial setae 0.13–0.16 mm long, sublateral ocular setae 0.05– 0.010 mm long; 4 lyrifissures anteriorly and 2 posteriorly.

Cheliceral hand with 6 setae and 1–2 lateral microsetae, seta vb short (length 0.055–0.070 mm), microseta 0.033–0.045 mm long; hand with 5 dorsal and 1 ventral lyrifissure, lyrifissure ldb present. Fixed finger with 9–12 teeth decreasing in size proximally, two distal teeth distinctly larger than others, 3–4 proximal microtubercles. Movable finger without an isolated subapical tooth (di), with 9–10 teeth decreasing in size proximally and 1–3 proximal microtubercles, the distal tooth larger than others; spinneret extremely reduced or absent in male, prominent in female; seta gl 0.56–0.58 from base of movable finger. Rallum with 11 blades. Serrula exterior with 16 blades, serrula interior 13–14 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 (0.24–0.30 and 0.33–0.36 mm long, respectively). Chaetotaxy of sternites 9–10:(3)9– 10(3):(2)7(2):7:6:6:6:6:2T1T2:0:2, lateral setae on sternite III microsetal in size, sternite X with 2 submedial tactile setae (0.27–0.28 mm long); in addition, genital notch of male flanked by 8–10 setae on each side and 4+4 internal glandular setae.

Pedipalpal coxa with 5 setae (including 2 on manducatory process), distal marginal seta 0.12–0.13 mm long; coxa I 3 + 3 marginal microsetae, distal marginal seta of disk 0.08–0.10 mm long; II 4 + 11–16 bipinnate coxal spines, III 5 +5–8 bipinnate coxal spines and IV 6; intercoxal tubercle bisetose.

Pedipalp with femoral chaetotaxy 3:6:3:5–6:1. Chela ( Fig. 159 ) with hand weakly depressed at level of ib / isb, with long and low hump distad of ib / isb and gentle slope between trichobothria ib / isb and eb; dorsal-antiaxial surface of the chelal hand between the hump and trichobothria eb / esb flattened, limited by a marked edge; ventral intercondylar bow-like protuberance (ip) present; width shorter than depth; chaetotaxy 4:5:3 (exceptionally 4:4:3), seta ph3 lacking, setae ih1, ih3 and ih4 approximately level with trichobothria ib / isb; distal end of hand and bases of chelal fingers with sclerotized condylar complex. Fixed finger with 23–25 teeth with dental canals, mostly pointed, the two distal ones tiny, of these the 8–10 more proximal teeth progressively decreasing in size, 1–2 most proximal teeth are rounded, dental row reaching up to proximad of halfway between trichobothria sb and b; tip of finger with an accessory tooth (td) on antiaxial face; tip of fixed chelal finger of male with a deep hollow on paraxial face and subdistal protuberance (sp); one pair of long antiaxial sensory setae (as) at the finger base, 0.053–0.070 mm long, far apart, distance between them 0.070–0.095 mm, finger depth at the base 0.065–0.073 mm; 2–3 teeth at level of est / it occupying 0.1 mm, distance between successive apices 0.040–0.053 mm. Movable finger with 18–20 teeth, most pointed and all with dental canals, the distal one very tiny, of these the 7–10 more proximal teeth progressively decreasing in size, the 3–5 most proximal teeth are rounded, dental row reaching up to halfway between sb and b, shorter than the fixed finger row, 2 proximal microtubercles; basal apodeme long and apically indented; coupled sensilla pc usually distinctly distad of sb, rarely close. Trichobothria as in Fig. 159 ; trichobothrium ist slightly distad or proximad of esb and well proximad of lyrifissure fb; distance between ib / isb and esb 1.1 times longer than between ib / isb and the base of the hand; distance between st and sb 1.7–2.0 times longer than that between sb and b. All chelal lyrifissure patterns present with their standard complements.

Measurements and ratios. Male holotype, followed, when different, by other male in square brackets: Body 2.14 [1.80–2.20]. Carapace 0.64/0.58 (1.1) [0.65–0.59/0.61–0.50 (1.1–1.2)]. Chelicera 0.58/0.25 (2.3) [0.60/0.24 (2.5)], movable finger 0.30. Pedipalp: femur 1.14/0.14 (8.4) [1.18/0.14 (8.6)], patella 0.44/0.17 (2.6) [0.44/0.18 (2.4)], chela 1.54/0.21 (7.3) [1.57/0.23 (7.0)], hand 0.58 (2.8) [0.61 (2.7)], movable finger 0.94 [0.96]; ratio movable finger/hand 1.6, femur/movable finger 1.2, femur/carapace 1.8, chela/carapace 2.4, chela/femur 1.3–1.4. Females: Body 1.92–2.08. Carapace 0.60–0.65/0.61–0.52 (1.1–1.2). Chelicera 0.58–0.62/0.25–0.27 (2.3), movable finger 0.30–0.31. Pedipalp: femur 1.07–1.12/0.14 (7.5–8.3), patella 0.43–0.45/0.18 (2.4), chela 1.51–1.60/0.23– 0.24 (6.8), hand 0.58–0.62 (2.6), movable finger 0.90–0.96; ratio movable finger/hand 1.5–1.6, femur/movable finger 1.1–1.2, femur/carapace 1.7–1.8, chela/carapace 2.3–2.7, chela/femur 1.3–1.5.

Remarks. Within the tetrachelatus -group, E. mahnerti shares with the species E. benimaquia n. sp., E. comasi n. sp. and E. fadriquei n. sp. the following combination of characteristics: anophthalmic hypogean, with 1–2 preocular microsetae, only 2 setae in posterior row of carapace, without isolated subapical tooth on movable cheliceral finger, movable chelal finger with 15–21 teeth with dental canals, pedipalpal femur longer than 0.80 mm and with chaetotaxy 3:6:3:5:1. E. mahnerti is closer to E. comasi n. sp., both with coupled sensilla close to trichobothrium sb, but usually distinctly distad in E. mahnerti and slightly proximad in E. comasi n. sp. (halfway between trichobothria sb and b in E. benimaquia n. sp. and E. fadriquei n. sp.). These two species also differ in the length of the dental rows on the chelal fingers and in the pedipalpal measurements, being longer in E. mahnerti than in E. comasi n. sp., as compared in the remarks under E. comasi n. sp. and in the key. The above description incorporates in part that of Zaragoza (1984).

Figures

FIGURE 159. Ephippiochthonius mahnerti (Zaragoza, 1984) n. comb., male holotype, left chela, antiaxial view. FIGURE 160. Ephippiochthonius mayorali (Carabajal Márquez, García Carrillo & Rodríguez Fernández, 2001) n. comb., female paratype, right chela, antiaxial view.

FIGURES 64 – 67. Habitus of living specimens of Ephippiochthonius and Occidenchthonius species from Spain. 64, Ephippiochthonius mahnerti (Zaragoza, 1984) n. comb., Cova del Bolumini, Beniarbeig, Alicante province; 65, Occidenchthonius bullonorum (Carabajal Márquez, García Carrillo & Rodríguez Fernández, 2012) n. comb., Cueva de la Pileta, Benaojan, Málaga province; 66, Occidenchthonius ventalloi (Beier, 1939) n. comb., Cova de les Gralles, Tous, Valencia province; 67, Occidenchthonius cazorlensis (Carabajal Márquez, García Carrillo & Rodríguez Fernández, 2012) n. comb., Cueva Secreta del Sagreo, La Iruela, Jaén province. Photographs: Ximo Baixeras (Fig. 64), Adrià Miralles (Figs 65, 67), Sergio Montagud (Fig. 66).