Salina (Salina) pseudomontana Mandal, Mandal & Kar sp. nov.

Figs 7–9, Table 1

Diagnosis. Body with symmetrical blue patches centrally on the Th. III, Abd. I–II and Abd. IV, lateral patches present on Abd. III–VI, tita with blue patches. Central mac formula (half body) 11, 8/ 6, 4, 0, 10. Mucro tridentate, square shaped.

Type material. Holotype: Female on slide: India, West Bengal, Darjeeling district, Ghum pahar forest (Fig. 2B); 27°00'55.5"N, 88°12'49.6"E; 1943 m a.s.l.; 24 Feb. 2025; G.P. Mandal leg.; reg. no. 3714 /H14; NZC . Paratypes: 3 Females on slides, 24 specimens in alcohol; same collection data as for holotype; reg. no. 3715 /H14; NZC .

Other examined material. Two females on slides: India, Sikkim, Namchi district, Jaubari village; 27°11′13.8'' N, 88°23′13.68'' E; 1946 m a.s.l.; 7 Nov. 2023; P. Mandal leg.; reg. no. 3791/H14; NZC.

Description. Average adult body length (head+trunk) 2.54 mm (n=4). General ground colour pale to greenish yellow, dark blue to violet pigment patches bordering the lateral sides of the head, thorax and dispersedly on the abdomen (Figs 7A, B). Blue pigment patches present medially on Th. III–Abd. I as four symmetric “boxes” (Fig. 7D) and on ocular areas. In darker forms, additional brown shaded curved patches present, joining the dark patches on Th. II–III and Abd. IV (median and posterior parts) (Figs 7A, D). Violet pigment scattered over the lateral side and joints of Ant. and legs, especially at the junctions of femora and tita, Abd. VI with dark lateral patches (Figs 7A, B).

Head. Dorsal chaetotaxy as in Fig 8A. Eyes with 8+8 omma, distal two omma larger, with interocular chaeta ‘p’ as mac, ‘r’,’t’ as mic. Ant. III–IV broken, ratio of Ant. I: Ant. II– 1: 1.04 (holotype). Six dorsal mac present on Ant. I and six smooth spiny chaetae present near the outer basal side (Figs 7C, 8B). Labral chaetae formula 4/5,5,4, prelabral chaetae ciliated, labral chaetae smooth. Md asymmetrical, left side with 5 apical and four stout basal teeth. Labial basal chaetotaxy as in Fig. 5B. Mx. outer lobe with 2 large chaetae plus three mic on basal plate (Fig. 8C).

Thorax. Dorsal chaetotaxy shown in Fig. 8D. Th. II with two ‘m’ (m1, m7) and 10 ‘p’ mac (p1, p1a, p1ai, p1e, p1i, p2, p3, p4, p5), plus one sens ‘al’. Th. III with two ‘a’ (a1, a3), one ‘m’ (m7) and seven ‘p’ mac (p1, p1ip, p2, p3, p3p, p4, p5). Trochanteral organ with 48–52 spine–like chaetae (Fig. 8F). Apex of tita, near claw, swollen, with a single smooth chaeta. Unguis with two basal and two inner unpaired teeth, plus one outer and two lateral teeth. Unguiculus excavate, tenent hair ciliated, 1.24 times the length of unguis (Fig. 8E).

Abdomen. Dorsal chaetotaxy as in Fig. 8D. Abd. I with six central mac (a1, a3, m2–m5). Abd. II with four mac (m3, m3e, m5, m6) and two bothriotricha (a5, m2). Abd. III with two lateral mac (pm6, p6), three bothriotricha (a5, m2, m5) and a sensory chaeta (Fig. 9B). Abd. IV with 10 central mac, 11 lateral mac and three bothriotricha (Fig.9B). Ventral tube with 3+3 large ciliated mac, 1+1 mes, 12 (each side) smooth chaetae on anterior side and 8+8 smooth posterior chaetae (Fig.9A). Ratio of manubrium: dens 1: 1.02. Manubrial plaque with three chaetae and two psp. Dens smooth with usual ciliated mac, with a proximal basal tubercle (Fig. 7F) and a distal square shaped bladder appendage. Mucro superficially trilobed (Figs 7E, 9C).

Etymology. The pigment pattern of the new species resembles Salina (S.) montana (Imms, 1912) Salmon, 1957, therefore, the name ‘ pseudomontana’ is proposed.

Remarks. Salina (S.) pseudomontana sp. nov. resembles S. (S.) montana and S. (S.) celebensis (Schaffer, 1898) in color pattern, though it markedly differs in chaetotaxy. Salina (S.) montana and S. (S.) celebensis have 6, 4, 3 and 5, 2, 2 central mac on Th. III, Abd. I and Abd. II, respectively, whereas the new species has 9, 6, 4 mac on the respective segments. On the other hand, the new species possesses a few similarities in Th. II and Th.III chaetotaxy with S. (S.) yosiii Salmon, 1964 and S. (S.) javana (Handschin, 1928) . Even so, the new species differs from them in the pigment pattern of the body viz. Salina (S.) pseudomontana sp. nov. exhibits square boxes of blue pigment centrally on Th.III–Abd. I, whereas S. (S.) yosiii have trapezoidal patches placed laterally. Salina (S.) insignis (Handschin, 1928) from Java and the new species also share a somewhat similar pigment pattern, but unlike the new species, the former species has 2 square–shaped spots on the Abd. IV and tergal margins without pigment. A comparison between of the Indian species of Salina, including the new species, is provided in Table 1.