Paravietnura notabilis, Smolis, Adrian & Kuznetsova, Nataliya, 2018

Smolis, Adrian & Kuznetsova, Nataliya, 2018, Paravietnura gen. n., a new intriguing genus of Neanurini from the Caucasus (Collembola, Neanuridae, Neanurinae), ZooKeys 739, pp. 41-54 : 44-45

Paravietnura notabilis sp. n. Figs 1-7, 8, 19, 20Table 1, 2, 3

Type material.

Holotype: female on slide, Russia, NW Caucasus, Adygeya, Caucasus Nature Reserve, Lagonaki Plateau ('Kamennoye More’ ridge), 1843 m.alt., litter of rocky pine forest with birch, N44.06159° E40.02103°, 03.07.2014, leg. M. Potapov, N. Kuznetsova, A. Kremenitsa 2014, leg. (MSPU). Paratype: juvenile on slide, ibid., southern slope, 1847 m alt., mixed forest (pine, birch), coniferous litter, N44.06096° E40.02112°, 21.07.2015, leg. M. Potapov, N. Kuznetsova, A. Kremenitsa, L.Vanyavina (DIBEC).

Etymology.

The name reflects the notable morphology of this new generotype species.

Diagnosis.

Body stumpy and relatively short. Macrochaetae long, thick and widely sheathed. Buccal cone long, labrum ogival. Labrum with two prelabral chaetae. Tubercle (Af +2Oc) on head with chaetae B, Ocm and Ocp, chaetae A absent. Tubercles (Dl+L+So) on head with ten chaetae, chaetae So2 absent. Furca rudimentary with minute and difficult to detect microchaetae, without chaetopores.

Description.

General. Body length (without antennae): 0.55 (juvenile) to 0.85 mm (holotype). Colour of the body bluish. 2+2 black eyes of medium size (Fig. 1).

Chaetal morphology. Dorsal ordinary chaetae of four types: long macrochaetae (Ml), short macrochaetae (Mc), very short macrochaetae (Mcc) and mesochaetae. Long macrochaetae of large length (distinctly longer than length of segment), thick, slightly arc-like or straight, widely sheathed, strongly serrated and apically rounded (Figs 1, 4, 6). Macrochaetae Mc and Mcc morphologically similar to long macrochaetae, but much shorter. Mesochaetae similar to ventral chaetae, thin, smooth and pointed. S–chaetae of tergites thin, smooth, and very short, from three to six times shorter than nearby macrochaetae (Figs 1, 5).

Antennae. Dorsal chaetotaxy of Ant. III–IV as Fig. 3 and Table 2. S–chaetae of Ant. IV long and moderately thickened, S4 and S7 slightly longer than others (Fig. 3). Apical vesicle distinctly bilobed. Ventral chaetotaxy of Ant. III as Fig. 2 and Table 2, sensillum sgv notably long and s-shaped.

Mouthparts. Buccal cone particularly long with labral sclerifications ogival (Fig. 20). Labrum chaetotaxy: 2/2, 4. Labium with three basal, three distal, and three lateral chaetae, papillae x absent (Fig. 19). Maxilla styliform, mandible thin and tridentate.

Dorsal chaetotaxy and tubercles. Chaetotaxy of head as Fig. 1 and Table 1. Chaetotaxy of Th. and Abd. as Table 3. Thorax and abdomen with chaetae De2 and De3 not free (Fig. 1). On Abd. I–III, the line of chaetae De1-chaeta s perpendicular to the dorsomedian line. On Abd. IV chaetae Di1 distinctly longer than on Abd. V (Figs 1, 4, 6). On Abd. V chaetae Di3 present or absent (Fig. 1). Cryptopygy present, strongly developed.

Ventral chaetotaxy. On head, groups Vea, Vem and Vep with 3, 2, 4 chaetae respectively. Group Vi on head with six chaetae. On Abd. IV, furca rudimentary with minute microchaetae (Fig. 7). On Abd. IV, tubercle L with five chaetae. On Abd. V, chaetae L’ absent.

Legs. Chaetotaxy of legs as in Table 3. Claw without internal tooth. On tibiotarsi, chaeta M present and chaetae B4 and B5 relatively short and pointed.

Remarks.

See Remarks of Paravietnura insolita sp. n.

Ecological note.

The new species seems to be very local and connected with specific climatic or vegetation conditions (rocky pine-birch forest, Fig. 8) since it has been never recorded outside locus typicus despite many investigations conducted in different parts of the Caucasus.