Acanthocreagris cyrnea, Gardini, 2022

Gardini, Giulio, 2022, Two new species of Acanthocreagris from Corsica and mainland France, and notes on some congeneric species (Pseudoscorpiones: Neobisiidae), Fragmenta entomologica (Frag. Entomol., Roma) 54 (1), pp. 119-132 : 120-121

Acanthocreagris cyrnea sp. n.

Type material. FRANCE: Corsica: Holotype ♀, Patrimo- nio, Grotta di Punta Vecchiaia (42°43’02”N 9°19’28”E), 0 m, 7 Jul 2019 , Ligue Insulaire Spéléologique Corse leg. ( MNHN) . Paratypes: 1 ♂ (with both galeae and left pedipalp broken) 1♀, Oletta, Massif de Castiglione, Grotte Cast 1 (42°39’30.35”N 9°17’53.81”E), 120 m, 27 Apr 2019, J. Lips leg. (Coll. G. Gardini, Genoa) .

Diagnosis (♂ ♀). A subterranean troglomorphic Acanthocreagris from Corsica that differs from other French and Italian species of the genus in the following combination of characters: no eyes or eye-spots; galea (♀) long, apically with three branches, reaching the apex of the cheliceral movable finger; trochanter with 4 spiniform setae with simple and acuminate tips; pedipalpal femur gradually clavate, length 1.20 (♂) or 1.23 (♀) mm, 5.33 (♂) or 5.12 (♀) times as long as broad; patella 1.02 (♂) or 1.09 (♀) mm, 3.84 (♂) or 3.89 (♀) ×, ratio between club and pedicel 1.73 (♂) or 1.66 (♀); chela with pedicel 1.95 (♂) or 2.0 (♀) mm, 4.81 (♂) or 4.44 (♀) ×; movable chelal finger 1.18 (♂) or 1.20 (♀) mm; ratio between movable finger and hand with pedicel 1.34 (♂) or 1.25 (♀), ratio between femur and movable finger 1.01 (♂) or 1.02 (♀), ratio between pedipalpal femur and carapace 1.36 (♂) or 1.38 (♀); fixed and movable chelal fingers with 99 (♂) or 96 (♀) and 90 (♂) or 87 (♀) teeth, respectively .

Etymology. It takes its name from Cyrnus or Cyrnos (adj.: Cyrneus, -a, -um), one of the sons of Heracles, tutelary deity of Corsica, who chose the island as his residence and from whom the island took its name (Herodotus, Historiae 1.167).

Description of adults (♂ ♀). Carapace, chelicera, pedipalps and palpal coxae red-brown. Carapace 1.62 (♂) or 1.56 (♀) times as long as broad, without eyes or eye-spots, anterior margin with slightly prominent and broadly rounded epistome (Fig. 1); 22 macrosetae, anterior and posterior rows with 4 and 6 macrosetae, respectively. Chaetotaxy of tergites I–X 6–7:7–8:7:8–9:8– 9:9:9:10–12:10–12:9. Chaetotaxy of sternites II–XI (♂) 16:13:9:12:13:13:14:12:10:9, genital atrium with 3+3 setae; median genital sac reaching sternite V; chaetotaxy of sternites II–XI (♀) 11:12:6:14:15:17:16:15:11:8; sternites III and IV (♂ ♀) each with 3 or 4 microsetae in front on each stigma, sternites VI–VIII with 2 discal setae; anal cone with 2+2 setae. Chelicera (Fig. 2) 1.95 (♂) or 2.0 (♀) times as long as broad, palm with 6 setae; fixed finger with worn out teeth (♂) or 13 subequal teeth (♀), movable finger with worn out teeth (♂) or 10 (♀) teeth, of which the 3-4 distal larger; gs ratio 0.74 (♂) or 0.70 (♀), galea long, apically with three branches (♀; both galeae broken in ♂) (Fig. 3); rallum with 8 blades, the four distal ones laterally pinnate, the four proximal ones (apparently) smooth, of these the first shorter; serrulae interior and exterior with about 20 and 25 blades, respectively. Manducatory process with 3 setae. Coxal setae: pedipalp 7–8, I 5–6, II 6, III 5–6, IV 7; anterolateral process of coxa I sharp, apically pointed (Fig. 4). Pedipalp (Figs 5–7): trochanter with granular surface, 3.33 (♂) or 3.40 (♀) times as long as broad, without tubercles on paraxial face, with 4 spiniform setae with simple and acuminate tips; femur 5.33 (♂) or 5.12 (♀) times as long as broad, gradually clavate, with granular surface as in fig. 5; patella 3.84 (♂) or 3.89 (♀) times as long as broad, club elongate and slightly granular on paraxial face, pedicel granular, ratio between club and pedicel 1.73 (♂) or 1.66 (♀), ratio X/Y = 0.22 (♂) or 0.20 (♀); chela with pedicel 4.81 (♂) or 4.44 (♀) times as long as broad; hand of chela with pedicel 2.17 (♂) or 2.13 (♀) times as long as broad, elongated oval in dorsal view with a slightly convex paraxial profile, with granular surface as in figs 6–7; fixed chelal finger with 99 (♂) or 96 (♀) contiguous teeth with dental canals, venom duct short, nodus ramosus subterminal, subterminal sensillum as in fig. 7; movable chelal finger with 90 (♂) or 87 (♀) contiguous teeth with dental canals (Fig. 7) reaching back near b, the distal 14 teeth pointed; movable chelal finger with four sensilla, two of which subterminal (Fig. 7), the others at the level of the tenth (♂) or the eighth and eleventh tooth (♀) from the trichobothrium sb; trichobothria as in figs 6–7, relative position of trichobothria along chelal axis (♀): et 0.11/ it 0.20/ est 0.25/ ist 0.34/ isb 0.63/ ib 0.80/ esb 0.86/ eb 0.93/ t 0.23/ st 0.36/ sb 0.65/ b 0.86; ratio between movable finger and hand of chela with pedicel 1.34 (♂) or 1.25 (♀); ratio between pedipalpal femur and movable finger 1.01 (♂) 1.02 (♀); ratio between pedipalpal femur and carapace 1.36 (♂) 1.38 (♀). Leg IV (Fig. 8): trochanter 2.25 (♂ ♀) times as long as deep, femur + patella 3.86 (♂) or 4.34 (♀) times as long as deep, tibia 6.30 (♂) or 7.30 (♀) times, basitarsus 3.38 (♂ ♀) times, telotarsus 7.84 (♂) or 6.71 (♀) times as long as deep, tactile seta in the proximal half (TS = 0.23–0.29), ratio between basitarsus and telotarsus 0.60–0.65, subterminal seta furcate or trifid, slightly dentate, claws with a very small dorsal tooth.

Measurements (mm). Body length 2.6 (♂) or 3.0 (♀). Carapace 0.88 × 0.54 anteriorly (♂) or 0.89 × 0.57 anteriorly (♀). Chelicera 0.48 × 0.245 (♂) or 0.52 × 0.26 (♀), movable finger length 0.32 (♂) or 0.35 (♀). Pedipalp: trochanter 0.65 × 0.195 (♂) or 0.68 × 0.20 (♀); femur 1.20 × 0.225 (♂) or 1.23 × 0.24 (♀); patella 1.02 × 0.265 (♂) or 1.09 × 0.28 (♀); chela with pedicel 1.95 × 0.405 (♂) or 2.0 × 0.45 (♀) (depth 0.385 ♂, 0.415 ♀); hand with pedicel length 0.88 (♂) or 0.96 (♀); movable finger length 1.18 (♂) or 1.20 (♀). Leg IV: trochanter 0.36 × 0.16 (♂) or 0.35 × 0.155 (♀); femur + patella 0.87 × 0.225 (♂) or 0.89 × 0.205 (♀); tibia 0.82 × 0.13 (♂) or 0.84 × 0.115 (♀); basitarsus 0.305 × 0.09 (♂ ♀); telotarsus 0.51 × 0.065 (♂) or 0.47 × 0.07 (♀).

Remarks. Two species of the genus Acanthocreagris are currently known from Corsica, A. corsa Mahnert, 1974 and A. aelleni Mahnert, 1978 : the first eyed and epigean (see above), the second, described on a male from the Cave of Sisco, anophthalmic with moderate adaptive characters to the subterranean environment. These species have the cheliceral galea apically branched, with two or four branches ( A. corsa ), or with two branches ( A. aelleni ). Acanthocreagris cyrnea sp. n. is to be related to A. aelleni , from which it differs chiefly in the higher degree of troglomorphic modifications (comparisons between males): length of pedipalpal femur 1.20 mm (5.33 times as long as broad) in A. cyrnea , 0.79 mm (4.45 ×) in A. aelleni ; length of patella 1.02 mm (3.84 ×) in A. cyrnea , 0.68 mm (3.04 ×) in A. aelleni ; ratio between club and pedicel 1.73 in A. cyrnea , 2.09 in A. aelleni ; length of chela with pedicel 1.95 mm (4.81 ×) in A. cyrnea , 1.42 mm (4.32 ×) in A. aelleni ; ratio between pedipalpal femur and carapace 1.36 in A. cyrnea , 1.18 in A. aelleni . The relative position of trichobothrium isb along chelal axis is 0.63 in A. cyrnea (♀), ca 0.72 in A. aelleni (♂).