Deuteraphorura kozmani Parimuchová, Barjadze & Kováč, 2023

Parimuchová, Andrea, Barjadze, Shalva, Maghradze, Eter & Kováč, Ľubomír, 2023, Two new species of the genus Deuteraphorura Absolon, 1901 (Hexapoda, Collembola, Onychiuridae) from Georgian caves with remarks on the subterranean biodiversity of the Caucasus Mountains, European Journal of Taxonomy 879, pp. 64-82 : 74-75

Deuteraphorura kozmani Parimuchová, Barjadze & Kováč sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:BD48C182-8833-4537-9C44-024938DC47CD

Fig. 5 , Table 2

Etymology

The species was named after the type locality, the Kozmani Cave in Georgia.

Type material

Holotype GEORGIA • ♂; Imereti, Kharagauli, Kozmani Cave ; 42.10092528° N, 43.28852625° E; 14 Sept. 2021; Eter Maghradze leg.; hand collecting on detritus; IBE FS UPJS.

Paratypes GEORGIA • 6 ♀♀, 2 ♂♂; same collection data as for holotype; IZISU • 8 ♀♀, 1 ♂; same collection data as for holotype; IBE FS UPJS .

Description

Body length 1.8–2.6 mm in females, 1.5–2.0 in males (average 2.0 mm; n = 18), shape cylindrical ( Fig. 5a ). Colour white to pale brownish in ethyl alcohol. Cuticular granulation fine and uniform, slightly dense around pseudocelli. Antennae almost as long as head, area antennalis relatively well marked. PAO with 14–16 compound vesicles. Ant. I with 8 chaetae in one row, Ant. II with 14–15 chaetae. AOIII with 5 papillae, 5 guard chaetae, 2 sensory rods almost as long as papillae, 2 rough sensory clubs and lateral ms ( Fig. 5b ). Lateral ms on Ant. IV placed basally at the level of second row of chaetae. Apical organite simple in unprotected cavity. Maxillary outer lobe simple with 1 basal chaeta and 2 sublobal hairs. Labium of AB-type, with 6 proximal chaetae. Basomedian field with 4 chaetae, basolateral field with 5 chaetae. Head ventrally with 5 postlabial chaetae.

Pso formula dorsally as 33/133/4(3)4(5)3-45(6)3(4) ( Fig. 5a ); ventrally as 12/011/3222; head ventrally with 1 anterior, 1 postero-medial and 1 postero-lateral pso. Psx weakly visible. Subcoxae 1 of I–III pairs leg with 2,2,2 pso.

Dorsal body chaetae only weakly differentiated into macro and mesochaetae. Th. I with 6–7 chaetae per half. ThII–AbdIII with 3 + 3 medial chaetae respectively. VT with 5–6 chaetae per half, basal chaetae mostly absent. Chaetae on Th. I–III sterna absent. Furca remnant with 2 + 2 thin chaetae in one row.

MVO present only in fully adult males in form of 20–25 thickened, long and forked chaetae only on Abd. III sternum ( Fig. 5c ). Subcoxae 1 of legs I–III with 4, 4, 4 chaetae, subcoxae 2 with 3,14–17, 15–17 chaetae, trochanters with 8–10 chaetae each and femora with 14–15, 13–15, 13–15 chaetae, respectively. Tita I–III with 18, 19, 17 chaetae including 9 chaetae in distal whorl. Tita I with 6 + M chaetae in B row and 2 chaetae in C row, Tita II with 7 + M chaetae in B-row and 2 chaetae in C-row, Tita III with 6 + M chaetae in B row and 1 chaeta in C row. Claw without teeth. Empodium with basal lamella, tip of filament reaching two-thirds of the claw length ( Fig. 5d ).

Ecology and distribution

The species is known only from the type locality, occurring on guano and decaying organic material. It does not display any obvious troglomorphic adaptations.

Remarks

Both species belong to the species group of Deuteraphorura with 3 pso on hind margin of the head and possessing the pso on the first thoracic tergum. The vast majority of these species occupy caves in southern and central Europe. As morphological characters vary within both new species, reliable distinguishing from each other is possible only by ventral pseudocellar formula and shape of MVO in matured males. Deuteraphoruracolchisi sp. nov. has simple thickened chaetae in MVO, while modified chaetae in D.kozmani sp. nov. are longer and weakly forked at the tip. Similar to the new species, D. dashtenazensis Arbea, Yahyapour & Shayanmehr, 2020 has MVO only on Abd. III, but it differs in number of chaetae on this organ. Diagnostic morphological characters of both new species and other species of this group are listed in Table 2 .

Figures

Fig. 5. Deuteraphorura kozmani Parimuchová, Barjadze & Kováč sp. nov. a. Dorsal chaetotaxy. b. AOIII. c. MVO (enlargment of modified chaeta). d. Tita and claw of leg III (DIC contrast image; chaeta in C-row not visible from this view).