Pararoncus taeyoungi Jeong & Harms, 2024

Jeong, Kyung-Hoon, Harms, Danilo & Yoo, Jung-Sun, 2024, New species of the pseudoscorpion genus Pararoncus (Pseudoscorpiones, Syarinidae) from Korea, Evolutionary Systematics 8 (1), pp. 91-100 : 91

Pararoncus taeyoungi Jeong & Harms sp. nov.

Type material.

Holotype. Female (NIBRIV0000905716). Korea: Gangwon-province: Mt. Bangtae, 295-5, Bangdong-ri, Girin-myeon, Inje-gun, 37°55'19.39"N, 128°24'14.01"E, litter sample (sifting and Berlese-Tullgren Funnel trap). Alt 621 m a.s.l. 01. Oct 2022. KH Jeong leg.

Paratypes. NIBRIV0000905717 (one male adult), NIBRIV00009050718 (two females, and two males), same data as holotype.

Etymology.

This species is named after the former Korean Basketball League player Tae Young Moon who has the longest wingspan ratio in the Korean Basketball League.

Diagnosis.

This species is most similar to Pararoncus leonardi sp. nov., but has different characteristics from the following characters; the body size, and ratio of the tarsus of leg I. P. leonardi sp. nov. has a bigger body size (3.63-3.98 mm in P. leonardi vs 2.77-3.32 mm in P. taeyoungi ) and larger ratio of tarsus I (5.4-8.8 L/D in P. leonardi vs 3.8-4.9 L/D in P. taeyoungi ) than P. taeyoungi sp. nov., respectively.

Description (Fig. 5).

Female (holotype). Colour. Reddish-brown. Pedipalps with reddish-brown color, hind margin of abdomen segments with dark brown.

Cephalothorax. Carapace 1.07 times longer than broad; without furrows but with four well-developed eyes with lenses; epistome long and pointed; carapacal chaetotaxy 6-6: 26; seta long and acuminate; six lyrifissures. Manducatory process with two long, acuminate setae; 8 setae on the pedipalpal coxa; coxal chaetotaxy 10: 10: 8: 12.

Chelicera. Cheliceral cuticle smooth; seven setae on the cheliceral palm, one seta in the middle of the movable finger; 20 marginal teeth on the movable finger, one big tooth in the middle of the row on the movable finger; 18 marginal teeth on the fixed finger, all teeth equal in size on the fixed finger. Galea absent. Rallum with six blades, almost the same size; serrula exterior with 30 blades.

Pedipalp. Trochanter 2.17, femur 3.43, patella 1.32, chela 3.34 times longer than broad, movable finger 1.64 times longer than hand. Fixed finger with eight trichobothria, movable finger with four trichobothria; ist, ib on the antiaxial position of the fixed finger; ib between isb and esb, but closer to esb; ist on the medial position of the fixed finger, almost the same distance between et and eb; et, est, and it forming a same group, but it little closer to et; eb and esb forming a group, on the basal of the fixed finger; t, st, sb, b almost same distance, but t and st little close together.

Marginal teeth small, and contiguous; juxtadentate teeth on both finger; acute teeth on the fixed finger; acute teeth on the anterior, rounded teeth on the posterior of the movable finger;; movable finger with 62, fixed finger with 60 marginal teeth; one accessory-like tooth on the side of the tip of the movable finger.

Legs. Leg I: trochanter 1.34, femur 3.66, patella 3.13, tibia 5.13, metatarsus 3.46, tarsus 3.85 times longer than deep; leg IV: trochanter 2.05, femur + patella 3.15, tibia 5.31, metatarsus 3.39, tarsus 5.08 times longer than deep. Typical for the family. Tarsus and metatarsus of leg I almost the same size; the arolium undivided, shorter than the claws; the pseudotactile seta on the basal position of the tarsus and metatarsus of leg IV, on the medial position of the patella of leg IV.

Abdomen. Anterior pleural membrane papillo-granulated; posterior pleural membrane papillo-striate; all tergites and sternites undivided; all seta long and acuminate; tergal chaetotaxy 6: 12: 12: 16: 15: 15: 15: 14: 16: 14: 5: 2; sternal chaetotaxy 4: 16: 18: 18: 19: 19: 17: 17: 17: 5: 2.

Dimensions (in mm). Body length 2.84; cephalothorax: carapace 0.82/0.77, anterior eye 0.07, posterior eye 0.07; chelicera: total 0.63/0.32, movable finger 0.43; pedipalp: trochanter 0.53/0.25, femur 0.82/0.24, patella 0.79/0.60, chela 1.63/0.48, movable finger 1.01, hand 0.62; leg I: trochanter 0.21/0.15, femur 0.50/0.14, patella 0.40/0.13, tibia 0.47/0.09, metatarsus 0.21/0.06, tarsus 0.20/0.05; leg IV: trochanter 0.39/0.19, femur + patella 0.82/0.15, tibia 0.82/0.15, metatarsus 0.36/0.11, tarsus 0.42/0.08.

Variation (two females, paratypes). Cephalothorax. Carapace 1.02-1.20 times longer than broad.

Pedipalp. Trochanter 2.50-2.52, femur 3.77-3.99, patella 2.56-2.67, chela 3.37-3.39 times longer than broad, movable finger 0.89-1.57 times longer than hands. Movable finger with 60-63, fixed finger with 52-55 marginal teeth.

Legs. Leg I: trochanter 1.58-1.60, femur 3.49-4.42, patella 2.81-2.92, tibia 5.03-5.04, metatarsus 3.00-3.42, tarsus 3.82-4.35 times longer than deep; leg IV: trochanter 2.30-2.33, femur + patella 3.03-3.09, tibia 5.96-6.98, metatarsus 3.51-3.80, tarsus 4.89-5.16 times longer than deep.

Dimensions (in mm). Body length 2.77-2.29; cephalothorax: carapace 0.71-0.90/0.69-0.75, anterior eye 0.09-0.10, posterior eye 0.09; chelicera: total 0.60-0.68/0.29-0.31, movable finger 0.45-0.49; pedipalp: trochanter 0.61-0.62/0.24, femur 0.98-1.08/0.26-0.27, patella 0.89-0.93/0.33-0.36, chela 1.88-1.91/0.55-0.57, movable finger 0.90-1.15, hand 0.73-1.01; leg I: trochanter 0.23/0.14-0.15, femur 0.53-0.59/0.13, patella 0.38-0.39/0.13-0.14, tibia 0.48-0.49/0.09-0.10, metatarsus 0.23-0.24/0.07-0.08, tarsus 0.23-0.27/0.06; leg IV: trochanter 0.41-0.45/0.18-0.20, femur + patella 0.90-0.95/0.29-0.31, tibia 0.84-0.87/0.10, metatarsus 0.34-0.38/0.10, tarsus 0.43-0.45/0.08-0.09.

Variation (Two males, paratypes). Cephalothorax. Carapace 1.18-1.22 times longer than broad. Carapacal chaetotaxy: 6-6: 26.

Pedipalp. Trochanter 2.40-2.54, femur 3.85-3.92, patella 2.43-2.72, chela 3.46-3.97 times longer than broad, movable finger 1.23-1.39 times longer than hands. Female: movable finger with 60-63, fixed finger with 52-55 marginal teeth; male: movable finger with 65-68, fixed finger with 60-67 marginal teeth.

Legs. Male, leg I: trochanter 1.48-1.72, femur 2.97-4.34, patella 2.80-3.09, tibia 5.18-5.88, metatarsus 2.56-3.64, tarsus 4.15-4.96 times longer than deep; leg IV: trochanter 1.90-2.44, femur + patella 2.69-3.44, tibia 6.12-6.61, metatarsus 3.36-3.61, tarsus 3.38-5.02 times longer than deep.

Male genitalia. Typical shape in the genus Pararoncus . An opening area on sternite VI; short and dense setae on sternite III, IV; 15 on sternite III, 22 on sternite IV. Small and rounded ejaculatory canal atrium; long and slender lateral genital sacs; small and undivided medial genital sac.

Dimensions (in mm). Body length 2.53-3.32; cephalothorax: carapace 0.76-0.91/0.65-0.75, anterior eye 0.08-0.09, posterior eye 0.08-0.10; chelicera: total 0.56-0.65/0.29-0.34, movable finger 0.39-0.46; pedipalp: trochanter 0.56-0.64/0.23-0.26, femur 0.89-1.02/0.23-0.26, patella 0.82-0.83/0.30-0.34, chela 1.64-1.88/0.46-0.53, movable finger 0.96-1.09, hand 0.77-0.80; leg I: trochanter 0.21-0.24/0.14, femur 0.42-0.57/0.13-0.16, patella 0.31-0.43/0.11-0.14, tibia 0.47-0.53/0.08-0.10, metatarsus 0.28-0.36/0.06-0.08, tarsus 0.27-0.36/0.06-0.07; leg IV: trochanter 0.37-0.44/0.18-0.21, femur + patella 0.78-0.92/0.23-0.31, tibia 0.75-0.89/0.13-0.15, metatarsus 0.29-0.34/0.09-0.10, tarsus 0.27-0.42/0.08-0.10.

Habitat.

This species was collected from the moist leaf litter of Mt. Bangtae in the Taebaek Mountains.