Plusiocampa (Plusiocampa) strouhali cavicola Vornatscher, 1943

Sendra, Alberto, Antić, Dragan, Barranco, Pablo, Borko, Špela, Christian, Erhard, Delić, Teo, Fadrique, Floren, Faille, Arnaud, Galli, Loris, Gasparo, Fulvio, Georgiev, Dilian, Giachino, Pier Mauro, Kovac, L'ubomír, Lukić, Marko, Marcia, Paolo, Miculinić, Kazimir, Nicolosi, Giuseppe, Palero, Ferran, Paragamian, Kaloust, Pérez, Toni, Polak, Slavko, Prieto, Carlos E., Turbanov, Ilya, Vailati, Dante & Reboleira, Ana Sofia P. S., 2020, Flourishing in subterranean ecosystems: Euro-Mediterranean Plusiocampinae and tachycampoids (Diplura, Campodeidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 591, pp. 1-138 : 84-91

Plusiocampa (Plusiocampa) strouhali cavicola Vornatscher, 1943 Figs 135–152 ; Table 11

Plusiocampa strouhali cavicola Vornatscher, 1943: 235 .

Differential diagnosis against the type form ( Condé 1954a)

Troglomorphic subspecies. Antennae with 25–28 antennomeres. Until now, the only character used to separate P. (P.) strouhali strouhali from P. (P.) strouhali cavicola has been the number of antennomeres ( Condé 1954a). This characteristic had been used to sort out the subspecies ( Vornatscher 1943; Strouhal & Vornatscher 1975), and it was applied to the study material (see Table S 2 in Supplementary Material). On the basis of this weak taxonomic character, the population from Odelsteinhöhle in the Gesäuse National Park, Austria has been classified as P. (P.) strouhali cavicola .

Description

Troglomorphic subspecies. Body length: females 3.4–7 mm, males 3.45–6.15 mm, juveniles 2.95–3.7 mm. Epicuticle smooth under optical microscope; clothing setae thin, middle-sized, smooth or with a few distal barbs ( Fig. 144 ). Antennae with 30–35 antennomeres in adults ( Table 11 ). Length of antennae equal to or slightly shorter than body length in adults and juveniles. Sensillum of third antennomere subcylindrical, sharply pointed, in ventral position between macrosetae d and e. Central antennomeres 1.6× as long as wide. Twelve to twenty thin gouge sensilla (28–40 µm) in a single distal whorl on each medial and distal antennomere ( Figs 137, 139–140 ). Cupuliform organ with 8–10 spheroidal olfactory chemoreceptors with a complex central structure surrounded by folds with visible polygonal net with porous surface ( Figs 135–136, 138 ). Protruding frontal process with three distal, slightly tubercular macrosetae and a few posterior setae ( Figs 142–143 ).

Notal macrosetae ( Fig. 141 ): pronotum with 1+1 ma, 3+3 (3+2) la, 2+2 lp 2,3; mesonotum with 1+1 ma, 3+3 la 1,2,3, 2+2 lp 2,3, 1+1 smp submacrosetae (or 1+1 mp); metanotum with 1+1 ma, 1+1 la 3, 2+2 lp 2,3, 1+1 mp; all notal macrosetae long, with long barbs along distal four-fifths ( Fig. 144 ); marginal setae slightly longer than clothing setae, with thin barbs along distal half in lateral ones. Legs elongated, metathoracic legs reaching abdominal segment IX. Femur with one long dorsal macroseta, barbed along distal four-fifths. Tibia with 2–5 ventral macrosetae, barbed almost from base to tip. Calcars barbed from base to tip. Dorsal and lateral tarsal setae smooth. Unequal claws (1.1–1.4) with large lateral crests; ventral surface of claws noticeably ridged, dorsal surface slightly ridged but more evident on backward overhang of posterior claw; pretarsal processes smooth and setiform, with 0–4 thin, small basal barbs ( Figs 145–146, 148 ).

Distribution of abdominal macrosetae on tergites ( Figs 149–150 ): 1+1 post 1 on I–II; 1+1 (0+0) la, 1+1 post 1 on III; 1+1–2+2 la, 5+5 (4+5) post 1–5 on IV; 2+2 la, 5+5 post 1–5 on V–VII; 6+6 (7+6) post on VIII; 8+8–9+9 post on abdominal segment IX. All post macrosetae long, covered with long barbs along distal four-fifths; la macrosetae shorter and less barbed than post macrosetae.

Urosternite I with 7+7, urosternites II–VII with 5+5, urosternite VIII with 2+2 macrosetae. Apical setae of styli smooth, with basal tooth; subapical setae with 2–4 long proximal barbs; medial sternal setae with 4–6 long medial barbs ( Fig. 147 ).

Cerci up to 6.7 mm long (in 4.7 mm long female), with eight primary articles plus basal one, twice the length in juveniles (see Table 11 ). Articles with whorls of long macrosetae covered with thin barbs along distal two-thirds, combined with whorls of smooth, thin setae shorter than macrosetae In males, urosternite I ( Fig. 151 ) with large subcylindrical appendages, each bearing up to 60 glandular a 1 setae in a distal area. In females, urosternite I ( Fig. 152 ) with subcylindrical appendages thinner than male appendages, each bearing up to 20 glandular a 1 setae in a distal area.

.

Habitat and distribution

Subterranean subspecies found in 21 caves in the Austrian Alps, where it is the common form in caves of the Northern Calcareous Alps. The areas of the two subspecies are overlapping, which casts serious doubt on the validity of the subspecies.

Figures

Figs 135–140. Plusiocampa (Plusiocampa) strouhali cavicola Vornatscher, 1943, from Odelsteinhöhle, Styria, Austria (Coll. AS). 135. Apical and distal antennomeres. 136. Tip of apical antennomere. 137. Lateral distal view of medial antennomere. 138. Olfactory chemoreceptor. 139. Medial portion of a gouge sensillum, detail. 140. Central portion of a gouge sensillum, detail.

Figs 141–144. Plusiocampa (Plusiocampa) strouhali cavicola Vornatscher, 1943, from Odelsteinhöhle, Styria,Austria (Coll.AS). 141. Pronotum, mesonotum and metanotum, right side (s = setiform sensillum). 142. Head, frontal view. 143. Frontal process. 144. Detail of mesonotum, right side, with ma and la1,2,3 macrosetae. Scale bar: 141 = 0.2 mm.

Figs 145–148. Plusiocampa (Plusiocampa) strouhali cavicola Vornatscher, 1943, from Odelsteinhöhle, Styria, Austria (Coll. AS). 145. Distal portion of tarsus and pretarsus. 146. Dorsal view of a posterior claw, detail. 147. Lateral portion of urosternite VI with stylus and abdominal eversible vesicle. 148. Pretarsus, laterodorsal view.

Figs 149–150. Plusiocampa (Plusiocampa) strouhali cavicola Vornatscher, 1943, from Odelsteinhöhle, Styria, Austria (Coll. AS). 149. Urotergites I–IV, right side. 150. Urotergites V–VIII and abdominal segment IX, right side (s = setiform sensillum). Scale bar: 0.2 mm.

Figs 151–152. Plusiocampa (Plusiocampa) strouhali cavicola Vornatscher, 1943, from Odelsteinhöhle, Styria, Austria (Coll. AS). 151. ♂, 6.3 mm long; urosternite I, right side. 152. ♀, 6.3 mm long; urosternite I, left side. Scale bar: 0.1 mm.