Willowsia pseudoshi, Ma, Yitong, 2016

Ma, Yitong, 2016, Two new species of Willowsia (Collembola: Entomobryidae) from Guizhou Province, China, Zootaxa 4158 (1), pp. 137-145 : 138-141

Willowsia pseudoshi sp. nov.

Figs 1−4, 9−26

Types. Holotype: adult female on slide, China, Guizhou Province, Xingyi City, Dingxiao Town, Louna Village , 25°09′33″N, 105°02′35″E, altitude ca. 1300m, 23, April, 2014, Collection number: 1136, Collected by Shangze Wu with aspirator . Paratypes: 11 adult females on slides (4 specimens from collection number 1132; 5 from 1136; 2 from 1137), locality and collector same as holotype, 21−23, April, 2014. All deposited in Nantong University.

Description. Body length up to 1.9 mm. Background colour pale yellow. Antenna pale yellow except distal part of Ant. IV with a slight blue pigment. Whole head dark blue except a small yellow patch on dorsal side. Blue pigment present along lateral sides of body. Coxa, trochanter and femur and tibiotarsus with slight blue pigment. Manubrium blue and dens pale yellow ( Figs. 1−4).

Head. Antenna 0.45−0.67 times as long as body. Ratio of length of antennal segments I:II:III:IV = 1:1.4−1.6:1.3−1.7:2.1−2.6. Distal part of Ant. IV with sensory setae, normal ciliate setae and apical bulb bi-lobed ( Fig. 9). Dorsal cephalic chaetotaxy with 6−10 antennal (An), 5 median (M1−M4, an additional seta between M2 and M3) and 8 sutural (S0−S5, S 4i, S 5i) mac. Interocular setae as pst. Eyes 8+8, G and H smaller ( Fig. 10). Labral setae as 4/5, 5, 4, all slender; prelabral setae ciliate, other smooth; labral papillae not clearly seen ( Fig. 11). Lateral process of labial palp straight, thicker than normal setae, with tip not reaching apex of labial papilla ( Fig. 12). Labial triangle setae as in Fig. 13, all finely ciliate.

Thorax. Dorsal macrochaetae shown as in Fig. 14. Th. II with 2 (m2, m 2i) medio-median, 2 (m4, m 4i) mediolateral and 17−19 posterior mac on each side. Th. III with 15−16 median and 7 (m5, a6, a 6i, p5, p6, m6p, m6pe) lateral mac on each side. Trochanteral organ with 52−68 smooth spiny setae ( Fig. 15). Unguis with 4 inner teeth, one pair located 0.42−0.45 distance from base of inner edge of unguis, distal unpaired two respectively at about 0.70 and 0.90 distance from base. Unguiculus acuminate and outer edge serrate. Tenent hair thick with clavate tip, almost equal length to unguis ( Fig. 16).

Abdomen. Abd. IV 4.3−5.5 times as long as Abd. III along dorsal midline. Dorsal mac shown in Figs 17−19. Abd. I with 4 (m2, m3, m4, a5) mac. Abd. II with 4 (a2, m3, m3e, m3ep) dorso-central, 1 (m5) lateral mac and 2 sensory chaetae. Abd. III with 2 (a2, m3) dorso-central, 5 (am6, pm6, p6, m7, p7) lateral mac and 3 sensory chaetae ( Fig. 17). Abd. IV with 16−19 central and 17−19 lateral mac ( Fig. 18). Dorsal mac of Abd. V as in Fig. 19. Ventral tube anteriorly with 3 large and 28−29 small ciliate setae ( Fig. 20), posteriorly with 2 apical smooth setae and many ciliate setae of different sizes ( Fig. 21), and apically with 6 smooth and 12−17 ciliate setae of different sizes ( Fig. 22). Tenaculum with 4 teeth and 1 large striate seta ( Fig. 23). Manubrial plaque with 13−20 (rarely 9) ciliate setae and 3−5 (rarely 2) pseudopores on each side ( Fig. 24). Dens without spines, distal uncrenulated part of dens 1.0−1.6 times mucro in length. Mucro bidentate, two subequal teeth and tip of basal spine reaching subapical tooth ( Fig. 25).

Scales. Scales pale black, spinulate type ( Zhang, et al, 2011), present on head, body, antennae, legs, ventral tube and manubrium ( Fig. 26).

Habitat. In rotten stem of maize and leaf litter.

Etymology. Named after the similarities between new species and W. shi, Pan, Zhang & Chen, 2006 .

Remarks. The new species can be easily distinguished from other Willowsia species by its colour pattern and dorsal chaetotaxy. It is most similar to the Chinese species, W. shi, Pan, Zhang & Chen, 2006 in colour pattern on trunk and four macrochaetae on Abd. I, but differs in that only the distal part of Ant. IV has blue pigment, and has 7 setae on labial triangle, m1 is absent on Th. II and a3 absent on Abd. III in W. pseudoshi sp. nov. whereas blue pigment is present on whole antenna, 5 setae are present on labial triangle, m1 is present on Th. II and a3 present on Abd. III in W. shi . Besides these differences, other differences listed in Table 1.

Twelve specimens were examined for chaetotaxy. The chaetotaxy on Abd. I−III is stable and the variations on Th. II−III and Abd. IV are slight.