Colomboscia gaigei Schmidt, 2007

Schmidt, Christian, 2007, Revision of the Neotropical Scleropactidae (Crustacea: Oniscidea), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 151, pp. 1-339 : 34-35

COLOMBOSCIA GAIGEI ( PEARSE, 1915) COMB. NOV.

Sphaeroniscus gaigei Pearse, 1915 .

Parsphaeroniscus gaigei – comb. Lemos de Castro (1967 *).

Scleropactes gaigei – comb. Schultz (1970) – Leistikow & Wägele (1999 *); Schmalfuss (2003 *).

Not: Scleropactes gaigei – Vandel (1972) (misidentification).

Material examined

Types: One ♀ or immature and one anterior half (paratypes, Colombia, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, on highest timber on San Lorenzo, altitude 2380 m, under leaves in ground, leg. F. M. Gaige, 23 July 1913, USNM 47946 ) .

Other samples: One immature ♂ ( Colombia, Magdalena, Sierra Grande de Santa Marta, near San Lorenzo , KT-8, altitude 2250 m, bamboo cloud forest, in litter and Sphagnum, leg. H. G. Müller, 18–25 August 1985, SMF 19378) ; one ♀ m ( Colombia, Magdalena, Sierra Grande de Santa Marta, near San Lorenzo , KT-7, altitude 2200 m, wayside, from moss and litter, leg. H. G. Müller, 18–25 August 1985, SMF 19379) ; one ♀ m, one ♀, one juvenile ♂ ( Colombia, Magdalena, Sierra Grande de Santa Marta, near San Lorenzo , KT-8, altitude 2250 m, bamboo cloud forest, in litter and Sphagnum, leg. H. G. Müller, 18–25 August 1985, SMF 19380) ; one ♂, one juvenile ♂, two ♀ m ( Colombia, Magdalena, Sierra Grande de Santa Marta, near San Lorenzo , KT-10, altitude 2250 m, bamboo cloud forest, from moss and litter, leg. H. G. Müller, 22 August 1985, SMF 19381) ; one ♀ m ( Colombia, Magdalena, Sierra Grande de Santa Marta, near San Lorenzo , KT-10a, altitude 2250 m, bamboo cloud forest, in leaf litter, leg. H. G. Müller, 23 August 1985, SMF 19382) ; one ♀ m ( Colombia, Magdalena, Sierra Grande de Santa Marta, near San Lorenzo , KT-11, altitude 2250 m, bamboo cloud forest, in leaf litter, leg. H. G. Müller, 24 August 1985, SMF 19383) .

Description ( Figs 79–85 )

Adult female approx. 4.5–6.5 mm long (N = 5), 2.5– 3.3 mm wide (N = 6), cephalothorax 1.25–2.53 mm wide (N = 6). Male; 4.6 × 2.4 mm, cephalothorax 1.25 mm wide.

Colour poorly preserved. Articles 4 and 5 of the second antenna have brown pigment; traces of brown pigment are found on the anterior part of tergite and coxal plates 1. Habitus similar to that of Scleropactes parvus , able to conglobate to a lemon shape. Cephalothorax with distinct lateral lobes; transverse furrow evenly curved, deep and reaching the posterior margin of the eyes. First coxal plate with anterior corner delimited. Tergites with large but shallow tubercles. Hind margins of tergites fringed with scale setae that are broader than long. Eyes composed of 16–21 ommatidia.

First antenna three-jointed, second article shortest, distal article with a pair of apical aesthetascs and a group of (seven?) slightly smaller, subapical aesthetascs. Second antenna flagellum three-jointed, apical cone slightly shorter than entire flagellum, with a pair of very small lateral free sensilla. Mandibles both with pars incisiva of four cusps, lacinia mobilis with three (?) cusps, hairy lobe, one hairy seta between the lobe and the pars molaris, and pars molaris represented by a tuft of hairy setae. Left mandible with larger lacinia mobilis and with two hairy setae on the hairy lobe, right mandible with smaller lacinia mobilis and one hairy seta on the hairy lobe. First maxilla lateral endite with lateral group of five simple teeth and one slender seta, and median group of six more slender setae, five of them distally cleft. One tooth of lateral group distictly smaller, about half as long as the others. On caudal face with one small subapical seta beside the median group. Distal quarter of the lateral margin fringed with hairs. Mesal endite with laterodistal corner rounded, mediodistal corner bearing two penicils. Second maxilla distally bilobate, mesal lobe with field of sensilla, both lobes with hairs. Maxilliped basis with some scale setae, scales and, especially on the distal margin, long tongue-shaped scales; laterodistal corner with a fringe of hairs. Maxilliped palp with only one large seta on the proximal article. On second article, proximal tuft on inner margin composed of two setae, distal tuft of several setae on a common socket, and one smaller seta beside the socket; lateral margin with one slender and one stout seta. Apical article with distal tuft of several setae, one of them distinctly larger. Maxilliped endite roughly rectangular, hairy, with a small seta on the caudal face and a penicil on the distal face. (The exact size and shape of the penicil could not be seen, because in both examined specimens this part was damaged or covered with dirt.)

Pereiopod 1 carpus with broad, oblique brush of scales on the frontal face (for cleaning the second antennae). Males with dense ventral scale-fields on pereiopod 1–3 ischium, merus and carpus, and on pereiopods 6 and 7 ischium. Male pereiopod 7 ischium with subapical depression and merus with a dorsolateral, sharp, triangular lobe, on the frontal face. Pereiopod dactyli with inner claw slightly longer than outer claw, curved ungual seta with a slender seta of about half its length beside it, long dactylar seta bearing three fringes of setules in its distal half, and some more setae and scales.

Pleopod 1 exopodite with a weakly delimited margin, probably a respiratory field; on the other exopodites; no distinct lateral fields. Male pleopod 1 exopodite about as long as wide, rounded, distally fringed with small hairs. Pleopod 1 endopodite distal portion straight, with a row of 38 minute setae along the dorsal spermatic furrow. Pleopod 2 exopodite (distorted on the slide) somewhat shorter than the slender endopodite, with a single, large marginal seta. Pleopods 3–5 exopodite with one marginal seta each. Pleopod 5 exopodite in the caudal face with a transverse band of pectinate setae arranged in two indistinct rows. Lateral lobe of sympodite with four small setae in pleopod 1 and one small seta in pleopods 2–5.

Pleotelson short, with sinuate posterior margin. Pleon-epimera 5 with slightly convex inner margin. Uropod sympodite distal margin with narrowly rounded tip, exopodite longer than visible part of the sympodite. Endopodites in dorsal view ending at the same level as the sympodites.

Reproduction

Seven females were collected between 18 and 25 August 1985. Six of them have a marsupium. Only one has five eggs; two have an empty marsupium.

Habitat

Seven specimens were collected in bamboo cloud forest, in leaf litter or moss, one at a wayside (habitat not further specified), one in a coniferous forest (with Cupressus), and one in ‘timber’, altitude 2200– 2380 m.

Geographical distribution (Map Fig. 75 )

Until now found only in the vicinity of San Lorenzo, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia.

Remark

Differences to Scleropactes parvus are the distinctly tuberculate tergites, the broader coxal plate 4, and a row of transverse scale setae on the hind margins of the tergites.

The identification of the single male specimen by Vandel (1972) is incorrect; Vandel did not mention that he had re-examined the type specimen, and nor did the original description contain any information on male characters.

Figures

Figure 75. Geographical distribution of Colomboscia and Scleropactoides: 1, Colomboscia gaigei; 2, C. cordillierae, parva; 3, andina; 4. Scleropactoides curvatus.

Figure 79. Colomboscia gaigei (Pearse, 1915): ♀ patatype, c. 4.2 × 2.1 mm (Colombia, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, San Lorenzo, altitude 2380 m, leg. F. M. Gaige, 23 July 1913, USNM 47946).

Figure 80. Colomboscia gaigei (Pearse, 1915): ♀m, 5.6 × 2.8 mm, cephalothorax 1.33 mm wide, habitus lateral, pleon dorsal (Colombia, Magdalena, Sierra Grande de Santa Marta, near San Lorenzo, KT-11, altitude 2250 m, bamboo cloud forest, in leaf litter, leg. H. G. Müller, 24 August 1985, SMF 19383); ♂, 4.6 × 2.4 mm, cephalothorax 1.25 mm wide, cephalothorax (Colombia, Magdalena, Sierra Grande de Santa Marta, near San Lorenzo, KT-10, altitude 2250 m, bamboo cloud forest, from moss and litter, leg. H. G. Müller, 22 August 1985, SMF 19381).

Figure 81. Colomboscia gaigei (Pearse, 1915): ♂, 4.6 × 2.4 mm, cephalothorax 1.25 mm wide, mouthparts, first antenna (Colombia, Magdalena, Sierra Grande de Santa Marta, near San Lorenzo, KT-10, altitude 2250 m, bamboo cloud forest, from moss and litter, leg. H. G. Müller, 22 August 1985, SMF 19381).

Figure 82. Colomboscia gaigei (Pearse, 1915): ♂, 4.6 × 2.4 mm, cephalothorax 1.25 mm wide, pereiopods 1–3, pereiopod 2 dactylus caudal, uropod ventral (Colombia, Magdalena, Sierra Grande de Santa Marta, near San Lorenzo, KT-10, altitude 2250 m, bamboo cloud forest, from moss and litter, leg. H. G. Müller, 22 August 1985, SMF 19381).

Figure 83. Colomboscia gaigei (Pearse, 1915): ♂, 4.6 × 2.4 mm, cephalothorax 1.25 mm wide, pereiopods 4–6, pereiopod 4 dactylus frontal, uropod dorsal (Colombia, Magdalena, Sierra Grande de Santa Marta, near San Lorenzo, KT-10, altitude 2250 m, bamboo cloud forest, from moss and litter, leg. H. G. Müller, 22 August 1985, SMF 19381).

Figure 84. Colomboscia gaigei (Pearse, 1915): ♂, 4.6 × 2.4 mm, cephalothorax 1.25 mm wide, pereiopod 7, second antenna (Colombia, Magdalena, Sierra Grande de Santa Marta, near San Lorenzo, KT-10, altitude 2250 m, bamboo cloud forest, from moss and litter, leg. H. G. Müller, 22 August 1985, SMF 19381).

Figure 85. Colomboscia gaigei (Pearse, 1915): ♂, 4.6 × 2.4 mm, cephalothorax 1.25 mm wide, pleopods 1–5 (Colombia, Magdalena, Sierra Grande de Santa Marta, near San Lorenzo, KT-10, altitude 2250 m, bamboo cloud forest, from moss and litter, leg. H. G. Müller, 22 August 1985, SMF 19381).