Rhinoppia elifae sp. n.

(Figs 16–21)

Diagnosis: Rostrum tridentate; length of median dent of rostrum equal to lateral ones, bothridial costula absent; sensilli pectinate; all prodorsal setae smooth; anterior margin of notogaster reaches to the anterior margin of the bothridia; genital setae six pairs.

Measurements – Body length: 284–324 (holotype: 316), body width: 128–160 (holotype 148). Ten specimens were measured.

Prodorsum (Figs 16, 17): Rostrum with tridentate that separated by two deep incisions; the median and lateral dents equal in size, sharply ended. Rostral setae long, finely barbed in their basal half and slightly curved towards. Lamellar and interlamellar setae smooth, short and thin. Distance between lamellar and interlamellar setae shorter than that between rostral and lamellar setae. A few tubercles located anterior to bothridia. Sensilli pectinate, with long stalk and their distal half being dilated; seven long setae unilaterally, among them proximal setae longer than distal ones.

Notogaster (Fig. 16): Elongate-oval, with a narrowed anterior part, penetrates the prodorsum’s base, up to the level of bothridia. Ten pairs of thin, smooth notogastral setae. A number of muscle sigillae present along lateral margins of notogaster.

Ventral side (Fig. 18): Length of infracapitulum 66, width 48. Pedotectum 1 narrowed anteriorly. Epimeral borders easily visible and well sclerotized. Apodemata apo 1, apo 2, apo sj and apo 4 well developed. Epimeral regions with internal muscle sigilla; epimeral setal formula 3–1–3–3. Genital plate 26 in length, 34 in width, with five pairs of setae. Anal plate 58 in length, 52 in width, with two pairs of setae. One pair of aggenital and three pairs of adanal setae. Distance between genital and anal plates 68. Lyrifissures iad situated in paraanal position. Adanal setae ad 1 in postanal, ad 2 in paraanal and ad 3 in preanal positions.

Legs: All legs monodactylous. Setation of leg segments is given in Figs 19–22.

Material examined: Holotype and 14 paratypes, soil under Pinus nigra, N 39°48.154’, E 034°48.733’, 1500 m, 12 May 2006, Yozgat, Turkey.

Etymology: We dedicate this new species to our collaborator and friend ELIF KOÇOĞLU (Turkey), who helped our field work in different ways.

Remarks: Rhinoppia elifae sp. n. is close morphologically to R. tridentata (SUBÍAS et MINGUEZ, 1985) in having pectinate sensilli and tridentate rostrum. The characters differentiating these two species are listed in Table 3.