Toliaranella mahnerti, Lorenz & Loria & Harvey & Harms, 2022

Lorenz, Michelle, Loria, Stephanie F., Harvey, Mark S. & Harms, Danilo, 2022, The Hercules pseudoscorpions from Madagascar: A systematic study of Feaellidae (Pseudoscorpiones: Feaelloidea) highlights regional endemism and diversity in one of the " hottest " biodiversity hotspots, Arthropod Systematics & amp; Phylogeny 80, pp. 649-691 : 649

Toliaranella mahnerti sp. nov.

Type material examined.

MADAGASCAR: Toliara Province [Atsimo-Andrefana Region]: Holotype ♂ (CAS 9071763 [MGF001]), allotype ♀ (ZMH-A0016746), paratypes: 4 ♂, 2 ♀ (CAS 9071763 [MGF001]), 3 ♂, 1 ♀ (ZMH-A0016747 - ZMH-A0016750), Antafoky, 23°28′45″S 44°3′58″E, 9 February 2002, Frontier Project.

Additional material examined.

MADAGASCAR: Toliara Province [Atsimo-Andrefana Region]: 3 nymphs (CAS 9071531 [MGF004]), Antafoky , 23°29′16″S 44°04′39″E, 9 February 2002, Frontier Project ; 3 ♂, 1 ♀, 6 nymphs (CAS 9071523 [MGF020]), Sept Lacs , 23°31′42″S 44°09′20″E, 8 March 2002, Frontier Project ; 5 ♂, 3 ♀, 6 nymphs (CAS 9071770 [MGF028]), Sept Lacs , 23°31′29″S 44°09′33″E, 10 March 2002; Frontier Project ; 3 ♂, 3 ♀, 10 nymphs (CAS 9071522 [MGF030]), Manderano , 23°31′38″S 44°05′15″E, 10-14 March 2002, Frontier Wilderness Project ; 6 ♂, 6 ♀, 8 nymphs (CAS 9071753 [MGF033]), Manderano , 23°31′27″S 44°05′34″E, 29 May-1 June 2002, Frontier Wilderness Project ; 3 ♂, 4 ♀, 5 nymphs (CAS 9072461 [MGF034]), Manderano , 23°31′24″S 44°05′40″E, 8-12 June 2002, Frontier Wilderness Project ; 1 ♂, 2 nymphs (CAS 9071731 [MGF037]), Sept Lacs, 23°31′15″S 44°8′35″E, 20-24 August 2002, Frontier Wilderness Project; 3 nymphs (CAS 9071780 [MGF040]), 1 nymph (CAS 9072465 [MGF043]), Fiherenana , 23°10′37″S 43°57′39″E, 21-24 October 2002, Frontier Wilderness Project ; 2 ♂, 2 ♀, 2 nymphs (CAS 9071745 [MGF050]), Fiherenana , 23°14′07″S 43°52′15″E, 1-4 December 2002, Frontier Wilderness Project ; 2 ♂, 1 ♀, 3 nymphs (CAS 9071774 [MGF056]), Ranobe , 23°02′03″S 43°36′43″E, 5-9 February 2003, Frontier Wilderness Project ; 2 ♂, 1 nymph (CAS 9071517 [MGF061]), Lake Ranobe , 23°02′23″S 43°36′39″E, 17-21 February 2003, Frontier Wilderness Project ; 3 ♂, 4 ♀, 1 nymph (CAS 9072418 [MGF064 (14120(1))]), Lake Ranobe, 23°02′21″S 43°36′42″E, 25-28 April 2003, Frontier Wilderness Project; 1 nymph (CAS 9071722 [MGF070]), Lake Ranobe , 23°02′44″S 43°36′58″E, 17-21 May 2003, Frontier Wilderness Project ; 1 ♀, 1 nymph (CAS 9071644 [MGF074]), Fiherenana, 23°13.351′S 43°52.853′E, 5-7 August 2003, Frontier Wilderness Project; 1 nymph (CAS 9071649 [MGF077]), Fiherenana , 23°10.619′S 43°57.685′E, 18-19 August 2003, Frontier Wilderness Project ; 1 ♂, 1 ♀ (CAS 9072464 [MGF092]), Ranobe , 23°02.667′S 43°36.917′E, 26-29 January 2004, Frontier Wilderness Project ; 21 ♂, 8 ♀, 47 nymphs (CAS 9071597 [BLF5850]), Foret de Mite , 23°31′27″S 44°07′17″E, 27 February-3 March 2002, Fisher, Griswold et al .

Diagnosis.

Very similar to T. pumila sp. nov. but larger (e.g., body length 1.76/2.23 ♂/♀ versus 1.56/1.96 ♂/♀ in T. pumila sp. nov.; femur length 0.49/0.61 ♂/♀ versus 0.44/0.53 ♂/♀ in T. pumila sp. nov.); more slender femora (1.66/1.69 ♂/♀ times longer than broad versus 1.63/1.63 ♂/♀ in T. pumila sp. nov.).

Etymology.

This species is a patronym honoring Volker Mahnert who worked on African pseudoscorpions.

Description.

The following description is based on holotype and allotype. - Carapace (Fig. 23A ): 1.33-1.42 (♂), 1.32-1.37 (♀) times longer than broad. - Pedipalps (Fig. 23C, D ): See trichobothrial pattern in description of T. pumila sp. nov.; Chelal fixed finger with 10-11 chelal teeth in the OR, 12-16 in the MR and 8-14 in the IR; movable finger with 6-8 in the OR, 9-11 in the MR and 8-10 teeth in the IR; 7 equally sized and one larger terminal tooth on fixed finger and 8 equally sized terminal teeth on movable finger. - Dimensions (mm): Holotype ♂: Body length 1.77; abdomen length 1.21, width (with pleura) 1.13, width (without pleura) 0.99; carapace length 0.52, width 0.39. Pedipalp: trochanter 0.26; femur length 0.49, width 0.30; patella 0.41; chela (without pedicel) 0.44; hand length 0.10, width 0.13; movable finger 0.36. Leg I: trochanter 0.08; femur 0.17; patella 0.15; tibia 0.15; tarsus 0.24. Leg IV: trochanter 0.15; femur 0.12; patella 0.26; tibia 0.23; tarsus 0.30. Allotype ♀: Body length 2.34; abdomen length 1.70, width (with pleura) 1.13, width (without pleura) 1.22; carapace length 0.59, width 0.43. Pedipalp: trochanter 0.26; femur length 0.61, width 0.37; patella 0.47; chela (without pedicel) 0.48; hand length 0.12, width 0.15; movable finger 0.39. Leg I: trochanter 0.10; femur 0.17; patella 0.20, tibia 0.18; tarsus 0.27. Leg IV: trochanter 0.18; femur 0.14; patella 0.31; tibia 0.32; tarsus 0.34.

Variation.

Body length 1.64-1.88 (♂), 2.04-2.54 (♀); abdomen length 1.14-1.25 (♂), 1.44-1.86 (♀); width (with pleura) 1.03-1.15 (♂), 1.29-1.51 (♀); width (without pleura) 0.87-0.99 (♂), 1.14-1.31 (♀); 1.21-1.33 (♂), 1.26-1.42 (♀) times longer than broad; carapace length 0.50-0.53 (♂), 0.56-0.60 (♀); width 0.35-0.39 (♂), 0.42-0.44 (♀); 1.33-1.43 (♂), 1.32-1.40 (♀) times longer than broad. Pedipalp: trochanter 0.21-0.26 (♂), 0.24-0.29 (♀); femur length 0.46-0.52 (♂), 0.56-0.65 (♀); width 0.28-0.32 (♂), 0.34-0.37 (♀); 1.53-1.79 (♂), 1.61-1.78 (♀) times longer than broad; patella 0.37-0.41 (♂), 0.47-0.50 (♀); chela (without pedicel) 0.41-0.45 (♂), 0.48-0.52 (♀); hand length 0.07-0.11 (♂), 0.11-0.14 (♀); width 0.11-0.13 (♂), 0.14-0.15 (♀); 0.58-0.92 (♂), 0.79-0.93 (♀) times longer than broad; movable finger 0.33-0.36 (♂), 0.39-0.41 (♀).

Habitat.

Specimens were found in leaf litter in spiny forest thicket, degraded and undegraded gallery forest, and in disturbed and undisturbed riparian forest; elevation 20-160 m. All close to a river stream.

GenBank Code.

OP589954, OP589955, OP589956, OP589957, OP589958. The species differs from all congeners by more than 5.2% in the H3 dataset.

Distribution.

Presently known from 17 localities in the Atsimo-Andrefana Region (formerly Toliara Province): type locality (MGF001) in southwestern Madagascar close to the Onilahy River delta and additional localities in the radius of 9 km upstream along the right side of the Onilahy River and around the Fiherenana River (MGF004, MGF020, MGF028, MGF030, MGF033, MGF034, MGF037, MGF043, MGF040, MGF050, MGF056, MGF061, MGF064, MGF070, MGF074, MGF077, MGF092).

Figures

Figure 23. Drawings of Toliaranella mahnerti sp. nov.: A carapace from dorsal; B leg IV; C left chela from dorsal with trichobothrial pattern; D right pedipalp from dorsal. Scale bars: 0.2 mm (A - C); 0.4 mm (D).