Dicranocentrus indicus (Yosii, 1966)

Bellini, Bruno Cavalcante, Greenslade, Penelope, Baquero, Enrique, Jordana, Rafael & Souza, Paolla Gabryelle Cavalcante De, 2022, A synthesis of the current knowledge on the Australian Orchesellidae (Collembola, Entomobryoidea), Zootaxa 5115 (2), pp. 221-257 : 254

Dicranocentrus indicus species group

Dicranocentrus dolosus sp. nov., D. inermodentes , and D. indicus are quite similar to each other as discussed before. Dicranoncetrus indicus has the widest distribution of the three, specimens were collected from the Western coast of India ( Mumbai and its surroundings), Taiwan and Tonga (Polynesia) ( Bonet 1930; Yosii 1966). At the same time, several details of its morphology, especially regarding its dorsal chaetotaxy, remain unknown ( Yosii 1966; Mari-Mutt 1979), and it is possible such wide distribution and limited knowledge on the species morphology may hide a complex of species. This hypothesis is supported by the discovery of D. dolosus sp. nov., D. inermodentes , and an undescribed species ( Dicranocentrus sp. ) from Christmas Island, all similar and quite possibly related to D. indicus and collected in between the localities listed to the latter species. Dicranocentrus inermodentes was recorded from Caroline and Mariana Islands ( Micronesia) ( Uchida 1944; Mari-Mutt 1979), while D. dolosus sp. nov. and Dicranocentrus sp. were collected from Australian islands near to Java. The study of the population distribution and delimitations of these species, from the D. indicus group, may unveil further new species from countries and islands bordering the Indian and Pacific Ocean, and may be useful to investigate models of springtail species’ dispersion through disconnected marine littoral zones.