Trogolaphysa piracurucaensis sp. nov. Nunes & Bellini

Figs. 44‒66

Type material. Holotype female on slide, Brazil, Piauí State, Piracuruca municipality, Parque Nacional de Sete Cidades (04°05’56.94”S; 41°42’33.42”W), Caatinga (transitional zone between Caatinga and Cerrado biomes), 12‒14.v.2015, R.C. Nunes coll. Paratypes on slides, one male, two females and one juvenile, same data as holotype. Type material deposited at CC/ UFRN.

Description. Total length (head + trunk) of type series ranging between 2.23‒2.64 mm (holotype 2.23 mm). Habitus typical of the genus (Fig. 44). Specimens yellowish to brownish with blue pigment covering the antennae, lateral borders of the Th. II‒III and Abd. I‒III, proximal half of subcoxae I‒III and proximal portion of the tibiotarsi I‒III; eyepatches dark (Fig. 44). Heavily ciliate apically rounded or truncate scales covering Ant. I‒II, base of Ant. III, ventral and dorsal head, dorsal trunk, ventral manubrium and dens. Legs and collophore without scales.

Head (Figs 45‒52). Antennae shorter than body length, antennal ratio as I: II: III: IV = 1: 1.67‒3.45: 1.48‒ 3.09: 2.55‒5.27 (holotype 1: 1.73: 1.91: 3.35). Ant. IV annulated and not subsegmented, without apical bulb, with 1 subapical shallow sensory organite and at least three types of chaetae: blunt sensilla, pin sensilla and ciliated chaetae (Fig. 45). Ant. III sense organ with 2 rods, 3 surrounding guard sensilla (one of them as small pin sensillum), plus some surrounding blunt sensilla and ciliated chaetae (Fig. 46). One specimen atypically with 2 rods, 1 small pin sensillum, 1 isolated guard sensillum close to pin sensillum and 2 sets of 3 guard sensilla (Fig. 47). Four prelabral ciliated chaetae. Labral formula 4 (a1–2), 5 (m0–2), 5 (p0–2), all smooth chaetae, posterior row larger (Fig. 48); two medial labral spines on papillae. Labial basolateral and basomedian labial fields with chaeta r reduced, M1–2, E, L1–2 ciliated, a1–5 smooth; one specimen with M3 ciliated chaeta on only one side of head (Fig. 49). Labial palp with five smooth proximal chaetae. Labial palp papillae (and guard chaetae) formula as: H(2), A(0), B(5), C(0), D(4), E(4) + l.p.; lateral process finger-shaped reaching the papilla base. Outer maxillary lobe with basal and distal subequal and smooth; sublobal plate with 2 smooth appendages (Fig. 50). Ventral postlabial chaetotaxy with about 26 ciliated chaetae of different sizes on latero-median field plus scales (not represented); two transversal rows of posterior ciliated chaetae, one with 0‒4 and another with 0‒2 chaetae; cephalic groove with 3+3 anterior, 1+1 medial, and 1+1 posterior marginal ciliated chaetae, medial and posterior larger than the anterior ones (Fig. 51). Eyes 8+8, G‒H lenses smaller, A‒F subequal, with 4 interocular chaetae. Dorsal chaetotaxy with 16‒18 antennal (An), 5 anterior (A0–3, A5), 4 medio-ocellar (M1–4), 4 sutural (S2–5), 2 post-sutural (Ps2, Ps5), 5 postoccipital anterior (Pa1–3, Pa5–6), 2 postoccipital medial (Pm1, Pm3) and 5 postoccipital posterior (Pp1–5) chaetae (Fig. 52).

Thorax chaetotaxy (Figs 53‒54). Central mac formula from Th. II to Abd. IV as 7, 0/0,2,4,4. Th. II with 1 ms, 1 anterolateral sens (al), 2 anterior (a2?, a5), 2 medial (m2, m4) and at least 9 posterior (p3 complex, p5–6e) chaetae. Chaeta a5 and six chaetae from p3 complex as mac. Presence of 1 modified sensillum-like chaeta close to chaetal collar, at the dorsal midline, plus two posterior mic of uncertain homology, labelled with a “? ” (Fig. 53).

Th. III with 1 anterolateral sens (al), 2 anterior (a1, a4), 2 medial (m1, m6) and 3‒4 posterior (p1–3, p6; p 1 may be absent) chaetae (Fig. 54).

Abdomen chaetotaxy (Figs 55‒59). Abd. I with 1 ms, 1 anterior (a6), 4 medial (m2–4, m6) and 1 posterior (p6) mic (Fig. 55). Abd. II with 1 anterosubmedial sens (as), 5 anterior (a2–3, a5–7), 3 medial (m2–3, m5) and 2 posterior (p5–6) chaetae; ‘ el? ’ present as ciliated mes (Fig. 56). Abd. III with 1 ms, 1 anterosubmedial sens (as), 2 anterior (a5, a7), 7 medial (m2–3, m5, am6, pm6, m 7i –7), and 3 posterior (p6–7) chaetae; ‘ el? ’ present as mic (Fig. 57). Abd. IV with 1 posterior (ps), 1 anterosubmedial (as) plus several median sens; mac formula as 2 ‘A’ (A3, A5), 2 ‘B’ (B4–5), 1 ‘T’ (T6), 1 ‘Te’ (Te4), 1 ‘D’ (D3), 3 ‘E’ (E2–4), 3 ‘F’ (F1–3) and 1 ‘Fe’ (Fe2); about 10 posterior ciliate chaetae (Fig. 58). Abd. V with 1 anterosubmedial (as) and 1 accessory sens (acc.p5), acc.p4 absent; 5 anterior (a1, a3, a5–6e), 5 medial (m2–3, m5–5e) 5 posteroanterior (p3a–5a, p6ai–6ae) and 6 posterior (p1, p3–5, ap6–6e) chaetae (Fig. 59).

Legs (Figs 60‒61). Subcoxae I, II and III with 2 pseudopores each. Trochanteral organ with 35‒40 spine-like chaetae (Fig. 60). Ungues with 4 inner teeth, one pair at the base, 1 unpaired median and 1 minute unpaired distal smaller tooth; outer side with 3 teeth, one basal larger and 1 pair of basal-median teeth. Unguiculi acuminate, with smooth lamellae. Tenent hairs capitate and weakly ciliated. Tibiotarsus III with a smooth inner distal chaeta, near the unguiculus (Fig. 61).

Collophore (Figs 62‒63). Anterior side with 17‒19 ciliated chaetae; 3+3 distal larger (Fig. 62); lateral flap with about 7 ciliated and 7 smooth chaetae (Fig. 63); posterior face without smooth chaetae and with approximately 80 ciliated chaetae.

Furcula (Figs 64‒66). Manubrium without large spines; ventral side with 3+3 apical chaetae; dorsal face with lateral rows of large ciliated mac, short and lanceolate ciliated, and ciliated chaetae of different sizes; manubrial plate with 5 ciliated chaetae and 3 pseudopores (Fig. 64). Dens dorsally with one outer row of 21‒27 robust ciliated spine-like mac (holotype with 21) and one scale-like chaeta distally; inner row with 25‒29 ciliated spines (holotype with 26) and one acuminate ciliated chaeta (Fig. 65). Mucro square with 4 teeth, 3 in one dorsal row and 1 internal median (Fig. 66).

Etymology. The species was named after its type locality, Piracuruca municipality, Piauí State, Northeast Brazil.

Distribution and habitat. See distribution and habitat of Cyphoderus equidenticulati sp. nov. and Pseudosinella triocellata sp. nov.

Remarks. Trogolaphysa piracurucaensis sp. nov. resembles T. ernersti Cipola & Bellini, 2017 (in: Bellini & Cipola 2017) from Ceará State, Brazil; and T. quisqueyana Soto-Adames, Jordana & Baquero, 2014 from Dominican Republic by 8+8 eyes, labial basomedian field with chaetae M1 and M2 ciliated, maxillary and sublobal chaetotaxy, Th. II with 6 mac in p3 complex, Th. III and Abd. I without mac, Abd. IV with 4 inner mac (A3, A5, B4, B5), unguiculus shape, and mucro with 4 teeth (Soto-Adames et al. 2014, Soto-Adames 2015, Bellini & Cipola 2017). Trogolaphysa pirarucaensis sp. nov. still resembles mostly T. ernesti by Ant. IV annulated (simple in T. quisqueyana), lack of pigmentation on mouth cone and Abd. IV (present in T. quisqueyana), and in several features of dorsal chaetotaxy of Th. II‒III and Abd. I‒V. However, the new species differs by: 1) trochanteral organ with 35‒40 spine-like chaetae (49 in T. ernesti and 28 in T. quisqueyana); 2) Collophore anterior side with 3+3 distal mac (4+ 4 in T. ernesti and 2+ 2 in T. quisqueyana); 3) Dens inner row with 25‒29 and outer row with 21‒27 spines, while in T. quisqueyana there are 35‒42 inner and 25‒28 outer spines; 4) manubrial plate with 3 pseudopores and 5 chaetae (2 pseudopores and 6 chaetae in T. ernesti). In addition, the ventral head post-labial chaetotaxy of the new species presents 3+3 anterior chaetae surrounding the ventral groove (2+ 2 in T. ernesti); unguiculi lamellae are all smooth (one serrated in T. ernesti); and D1 chaeta on Abd. IV as mic (mac in T. ernesti). A summarized comparison among Trogolaphysa piracurucaensis sp. nov., T. ernesti and T. quisqueyana is shown in Table 2.

Data based in: 1 Soto-Adames et al. (2014), 2 Bellini & Cipola (2017). Legends:? = unknown, mic = microchaeta(e), mac = macrochaeta(e).

Trogolaphysa piracurucaensis sp. nov. can also superficially resembles T. hirtipes Handschin, 1924 from Southern Brazil, by body mostly yellowish, Ant. IV annulated, and mucro with 4 teeth, but can be readily distinguished by the presence of dens with two rows of spines (one in T. hirtipes).