Superodontella tayaensi, Arbea, Javier I., Brahim-Bounab, Hayette & Kroua, Salah Hamra, 2013

Arbea, Javier I., Brahim-Bounab, Hayette & Kroua, Salah Hamra, 2013, Collembola Poduromorpha from Guelma Province (Northeastern Algeria), with description of a new Superodontella species (Collembola: Odontellidae), Zootaxa 3709 (2), pp. 177-184 : 178-182

Superodontella tayaensi sp. nov.

Figs 1–14 , Tables 1 –2

Type locality. Northeastern Algeria: Taya, Guelma Province, 36º31'04'' N, 07º03'51'' E, 810 m.

Type material. Holotype female and 16 paratypes, Algeria, Guelma province, Taya, moss on soil, November 2009, Hayette Brahim-Bounab leg. (sample # ALG-HKTAYA11.09 M/S). Holotype and 12 paratypes deposited in LBEA, 2 paratypes in MZNA, 2 paratypes in JIAP.

Other material: 2 juveniles and 1 male on slide, Algeria, Annaba Province, Edough massif, 36º54'34'' N, 07º39'21'' E, 635 m, Quercus faginea and Quercus suber forest, années 2000–2004, Salah Hamra Kroua leg. The material is preserved in the collection of MZNA.

Diagnosis. Habitus typical for the genus Superodontella Stach 1949 . PAO amoeboid-like, with four lobes. 5+5 eyes present. Ant IV with eight subcylindrical curved sensilla (S-chaetae). Head without chaetae c2, chaetae c3 present. Buccal cone rather short. Labium (per half) with six papillate chaetae and four ordinary chaetae: F as macrochaeta, E, G and f as mesochaeta. Perilabial area with 3+3 subequal a-chaetae. Abd st II with 3+3 chaetae, Abd st III with 5+5 chaetae. Furca well developed with 3 identical chaetae on each dens. Each anal valve with two hr-chaetae. Tibiotarsi I, II and III with 12, 12 and 12 chaetae, respectively. Empodial appendage absent. Anal spines present.

Description. Holotype (female) length 1.00 mm, paratypes: males length 0.68–0.76 mm; females length 0.75– 1.12 mm. Colour in alcohol spotted pale bluish, ocular plate blue-black. Body integument strongly granulated. The central granulated area on head between d1 and d5 chaetae as in Fig. 5 , Abd tr V–VI granulation as in Fig. 13 .

Antennae about 2/3 of head length. Ant I, II and III with 7, 10 and 8 ordinary chaetae, respectively. Sensory organ of Ant III consisting of two small rounded internal sensory rods (S2 and S3) and two long straight external sensilla (S1 and S4), with ventral S5 microsensillum present ( Figs 3, 4 ); external sensillum (S4) as long as 3.2–4.8 internal sensory rod. Ant IV dorso-distally with small ovoid organite (or) and a short microsensillum (ms); eight subcylindrical, bent sensilla S2, S9 and S10 rather short, subequal; S1, S6 and S7 rather long and thick, subequal; S3 long and slender; and one externo-basal sensillum (here named S9’) long and slender; a very long ventrosubapical blunt chaeta (v); 15−16 long, slender, more or less blunt dorsal mou-chaetae; 10−11 short, pointed chaetae (including dorsal chaeta i), and 9 ventral, rather long, trumped-chaetae. Ant IV apex with a domed swelling of integument. Apical exertile vesicle absent. No eversible sac between Ant III and IV ( Figs 3, 4 ).

Ocelli 5+5. PAO as long as ocellus B, amoeboid shape with four lobes ( Fig. 7 ). Buccal cone rather short. Maxillae without lamellae; fulcrum with EPP 2–3 times shorter than IPP; mandibles reduced ( Fig. 8 ). Labrum very difficult to observe, labral chaetotaxy: 3,2,2, prelabral chaetae invisible. Labium (per half) with six papillate chaetae and four ordinary chaetae: F as macrochaeta, E, G and f as mesochaetae ( Fig. 6 ). Perilabial area with 3+3 subequal chaetae a (a1–3), 1+1 chaetae m (m3) and 2+2 chaetae p (p1–2) ( Fig. 6 ). Chaetae p1 about 1.8 times larger than chaetae a1.

Dorsal chaetotaxy as in Fig. 1 and Table 1. Ordinary chaetae subequal, smooth and pointed, not long on Th tr I–III and Abd tr I–IV, Abd tr V–VI with longer and slightly serrate chaetae. Formula of sensory chaetae s per half tergum: 022/11111. Microsensilla present on Th tr II and III. Head without chaeta a0 and with chaetae c3. Th tr I with 4+4 chaetae, Th tr II and III with 11+11 chaetae (m1, m5 and m6 present in m −row, m4 absent). Abd tr I–III with 8+8 chaetae (a4 absent), Abd tr IV with 10+10 chaetae (m1 chaetae present, m4 and p4 absent), chaetae s = p5.

Head chaetotaxy

sd d Oc c p

N. chaetae 3 4 3 1 4

Chaetae sd3,4,5 d1,2,3,5 oc1,2,3 c3 p1,2,3,4

Tergites chaetotaxy

Ventral chaetotaxy as in Fig. 2 . Th st I −III without chaetae. Ventral tube with 3+3 chaetae. Abd st I with 1+1 chaetae at the base of ventral tube, Abd st II with 3+3 chaetae, Abd st III with 5+5 chaetae. Furca well developed with 3 identical chaetae on each dens ( Fig. 9 ). Manubrium with 10+10 chaetae posteriorly. Mucro typical for the genus, as long as the dens. Tenaculum with 3+3 teeth. Each anal valve with two hr −chaetae ( Fig. 12 ).

Tibiotarsi I, II and III with 12, 12 and 12 pointed chaetae. Femora I, II and III with 7, 7 and 7 chaetae, trochanters I, II and III with 4, 4 and 4 chaetae, coxae I, II and III with 3, 5 and 5 chaetae, 2.subcoxae I, II and III with 0, 2 and 2 chaetae, 1.subcoxae I, II and III with 1, 2 and 2 chaetae, respectively. Legs without spine-like chaetae. Claws with a basal inner tooth and a single pair of lateral teeth ( Figs 10, 11 ). Empodial appendage reduced. Anal spine rather short with strong granular papillae ( Fig. 14 ).

Etymology. The species has been named after the type locality.

Discussion. The new species belongs to Deharveng’s (1981) group 1–– lamellifera group with two anal spines, three to five subequal dental chaetae. According to reduced number of dental chaetae this species is related to the subgroup formed by S. alpina Deharveng & Izarra, 1979 (Savoie, France), S. delamarei Rusek, 1991 ( Bohemia, Czech Republic), S. proxima Deharveng & Izarra, 1979 (Pyrénées-Orientales, France), S. selgae Arbea, 1990 (Navarra, Spain), S. subalpina Arbea, 1990 (Navarra, Spain) and S. vallvidrerensis Selga, 1966 (Northern Spain). Main differences between S. tayaensis sp. nov. and these species are summarized in Table 2. The new species is most similar to S. subalpina . They differ in the number of tibiotarsal chaetae and the sensilar chaetotaxy of Ant IV. The number of sensilla on Ant IV given in the literature for Superodontella species should be taken with caution because some chaetae tend to be longer, blunt and more refringent than ordinary chaetae, looking like thin schaetae difficult to distinguish from mou-chaetae.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 2. Superodontella tayaensi sp. nov.: 1, habitus and dorsal chaetotaxy, s = s-chaeta; ms = microsensillum; 2, habitus and ventral chaetotaxy.

FIGURES 3 – 12. Superodontella tayaensi sp. nov.: 3, left antennal segments III and IV, dorsally; 4, left antennal segments III and IV, ventrally; 5, central area of head between d 1 and d 5 chaetae; 6, labial and perilabial chaetotaxy; 7, postantennal organ and ocelli; 8, maxilla and mandible; 9, dens and mucro; 10, distal part of leg I; 11, distal part of leg III.

FIGURES 12 – 14. Superodontella tayaensis sp. nov.: 12, anal valves chaetotaxy; 13, abdominal terga V and VI; 14, anal spines.