Vitronura zhejiangensis, Jiang & Xia, 2018

Jiang, Jigang & Xia, Hu, 2018, Two new species and a new record species of genus Vitronura (Collembola: Neanuridae) from East China, Zoological Systematics 43 (2), pp. 169-177 : 172-174

Vitronura zhejiangensis sp. nov. ( Figs 1–7 , Tables 1–2, 5)

Diagnosis. The new species is similar to V. acuta Deharveng & Weiner, 1984 from North Korea by both species have similar arrangement of body tubercles, presence of chaeta O and no inner tooth on claw, and different in the structures of labrum and mandible. In V. zhejiangensis sp. nov., labrum distally is not ogival and mandible has 5 teeth; while in acuta , labrum distally is ogival and mandible has 3 teeth. The new species is also close to V. qingchengensis Jiang & Yin, 2012 from Sichuan, China by having similar arrangements of body tubercles and 5-toothed mandible, but can be separated by having serrated macrochaetae and mesochaeta on body, inner tooth on claw and medium middle tooth on mandible (body macrochaetae and mesochaeta smooth, claw without inner tooth and mandible with a minute middle tooth in latter). The new species has 5 teeth on mandible (2 basal and 3apical teeth), 3 chaetae (2+s) on tubercle De of Abd. V, separated from V. paraacuta Wang, Wang & Jiang, 2016 , which has 4 teeth on mandible (2 basal and 2 apical teeth), 5 chaetae (4+s) on tubercle De of Abd. V. It has 3 chaetae on tubercle Oc of head, separated from V.mascula Smolis & Deharveng, 2006 , V. shaanxiensis Jiang & Yin, 2011 , V. tubercula Lee & Kim, 1990 , V. sinica Yosii, 1976 , V. luzonica Yosii, 1976 , V. gressitti Cassagnau & Deharveng, 1981 , V. latior (Rusek, 1967) , V. mandarina (Yosii, 1954) , V. namhaeiensis Lee, 1974 , V. pygmaea (Yosii, 1954) , which have less than 3 chaetae on tubercle Oc. The new species can also be separated from V. joanna (Coates, 1968) by having 3 chaetae on tubercle De of head (2 in the latter), from V. macgillivrayi (Denis, 1933) and V. singaporiensis (Yosii, 1959) by having separate tubercles Di on head (having fused Di tubercles in the latters), from V. dentata Deharveng & Weiner, 1984 by having no inner tooth on claw (has an inner tooth in the latter). Additionally, the new species is similar to V. giselae Cassagnau & Deharveng, 1981 by chaeta O on tubercle Fr present, claw without tooth. However, it can be differentiated from the latter by having 5 toothed mandibles and 8 chaetae on each tubercle of Abd. VI, while the latter has 3 teeth on mandible, 7 chaetae on each tubercle of Abd. VI. The differences between the new species and its allied species see Table 5.

Description. Body length 1.3–2.0 mm. Body red in alive and white in alcohol.

Etymology. The species is named after the Zhejiang Province, the typical locality of the new species.

Head. Eyes 2+2, black ( Fig. 1 ). Antenna equal to diagonal of the head and 4-segmented. Ant. I and II with 7 and 12 chaetae, respectively. Ant. III dorsally fused to Ant. IV. Ant. III organ consists of 2 short rods (exposed in separate pits), and 2 long sensory chaetae: sgd (dorsal guard chaeta) and sgv (ventral guard chaeta), chaeta sgd on the same level of sensory rod, sgv on the same level of ventral ms. Ant. IV with trilobed apical bulb, dorsally with 8 sensilla, slender i chaeta, 12 slender chaetae (mou) and minute capitate organ (or) ( Fig. 2 ). Labrum chaetotaxy as 0/2, 2, distally not ogival. Labium with minute distal x and 11 chaetae ( Fig. 3 ). Mandible with 5 teeth ( Fig. 4 ). Maxilla crochet-like ( Fig. 5 ). Dorsal cephalic macrochaetae and mesochaetae similar to those on thorax and abdomen, more or less serrated and apically blunt ( Fig. 6 ), microchaetae smooth and pointed. All dorsal cephalic tubercles (except Dl+L+So) independent, tubercle Cl with 2 Ml and 2 Mc (or me), tubercle An with 1 Ml, 1 Mc and 2 Mcc (or me), tubercle Fr with 2 Ml and 1 Mc, O-chaeta present. Tubercle Di on head with 1 Ml, and De with 1 Ml and 2 me (or Mcc). Tubercle Dl+L+So with 4 Ml and 10 me (or Mcc) ( Fig. 1 , Table 1).

Thoracic and abdominal tubercles and chaetotaxy shown in Figs 1, 7 and Table 2. Chaetae formula of tubercle Di on Th. I–Abd. V as 1, 3, 3/2, 2, 2, 2, 3. Sensory chaetae and s-microchaeta formula on Th. I–Abd. V as 0, 2+ms, 2/1, 1, 1, 1, 1. Each tubercle on Abd. VI with 8 chaetae (3 Ml, 4 Mc and 1 me). Tubecle De on Th. II shown in Fig. 6 .

Appendages. Ventral tube with 4+4 chaetae ( Fig. 7 ), furcular vestige with 5 (rarely 4) chaetae ( Fig. 7 ). Unguis without inner and lateral tooth. Unguiculus absent. Chaetotaxy of legs, ventral tube and furcular remnant see Table 2.

Material examined. Holotype ♂, on the path from Longfengjian to Fairy Peak, Tianmu Mountains, Zhejiang, China (30º23'11"N, 119º26'07"E; elev. 1100–1500 m), 25 July 2011, coll. Jigang Jiang (no. J2011072501) . Paratypes. 1♂ 5♀ and 2 subadult females, same data as holotype .

Ecology. Under leaves in forest.

Figures

Figures 1–7. Vitronura zhejiangensis sp. nov. 1. Dorsum of body. 2. Antenna. 3. Labium. 4. Mandible. 5. Maxilla. 6. Tubercle De on Th. II. 7. Ventral side of abdomen. Scale bars: 1, 7=100μm; 2–6=20μm.