Protaphorura genheensis sp. nov.

Figs 15–27

Type material. Holotype female, 6 paratypes females and 5 paratypes males on slides. China: Inner Mongolia: Hulunbuir: Genhe City (50°44’N, 121°30’E), 20 September 2013, soil in the mixed coniferous and broad leaved forest, Wu Donghui et al. leg.

Description. Body color white in alcohol. Size 1.60–1.75 mm in females, 1.30–1.40 mm in males; holotype 1.60 mm. Body slender and elongated.

Pseudocellar formula dorsally: 33/012/33342, ventrally: 10/000/0000 (Figs 15, 20, 25); subcoxa 1 of legs with 1, 1, 1 pso respectively (Fig. 15). Parapseudocellar formula ventrally: 1/000/ 111101m (Figs 20, 25); subcoxa 1 of legs with 1, 1, 1 psx respectively (Fig. 15). Pseudopores formula dorsally: 00/011/1111, ventrally: 0/111/01m 1m1m (Figs 15, 20, 25).

Head. Antennae nearly as long as head. Ant. IV with a subapical organite; basolateral ms about 1/4 of segment length from base, above the second proximal row of chaetae (Fig. 19). Ant. III sensory organ composed of 5 papillae, 5 guard chaetae, 2 small sensory rods, 2 granulated sensory clubs and lateral ms (Fig. 17). Ant. I with 11 chaetae. Ant. II with 19 chaetae. Antennal bases with distinct granulation (Fig. 15).

PAO composed of 24–32 simple vesicles (Fig. 18). 4+4 p-chaetae between postero-internal pso on head (Figs 15, 21). Mandible with strong molar plate and 4 apical teeth. Maxilla bearing 3 teeth and 6 lamellae. Maxillary palp simple with 1 basal chaeta and 2 sublobal hairs. Labral chaetae formula 4/342. Labium with 7 proximal, 4 basomedian (E, F, G and f) and 6 basolateral chaetae (a, b, c, d, e, e’) (Fig. 16); labial type A, papillae A–E respectively with 1, 4, 0, 3, 3 guard chaetae (Fig. 16). Postlabial chaetae 5+5 along ventral groove (Fig. 25).

Body chaetotaxy. Dorsal chaetotaxy usually with some asymmetry, well differentiated into macro-, meso- and microchaetae. Chaetae s very weakly marked. Th. II–III terga with ms laterally (Figs 15, 22). Th. I tergum with 11–14 chaetae (Fig. 15). Abd. I–III and V terga without s’ (Fig. 15). Abd. IV–V terga with several asymmetrical chaetae along the axial line, Abd. IV tergum with m0 axial chaeta, Abd. V tergum with m0 and p0 axial chaetae, Abd. VI tergum with m0 axial chaeta (Figs 15, 26). Ratio M/sp on Abd. V as 1.6–1.8, M/ AS as 2.8–3.2 (Figs 15, 26). Straight lines passing through the bases of chaetae a1 and m1 parallel on Abd. VI tergum (Figs 15, 26). Th. I–III sterna with 1+1, 1+1, 2+2 chaetae, respectively. Ventral tube with 9–10+9–10 distal chaetae and 2(1)+2(1) basal chaetae, without anterior chaetae. Furca reduced to cuticular pocket with 2+2 dental chaetae––1+1 chaetae located on a cuticular fold, remaining 1+1 chaetae located distinctly below of fold; three manubrial rows of chaetae present posteriorly to dental chaetae (Figs 20, 27). Female genital plate with 19–24 chaetae, male genital chaetae plate with 32–46 chaetae. Male ventral organ absent. Anal valves with numerous acuminate chaetae; each lateral valve with a0, 2a1 and 2a2; upper valve with chaetae a0, 2a1, 2b1, 2b2, c0, 2c1, 2c2 (Fig. 20).

Appendages. Subcoxa 1 of legs I–III with 5, 7 and 5 chaetae, subcoxa 2 with 1, 5 and 5 chaetae, respectively. Tibiotarsi of legs I–III with 22 (11, 8, 3), 24 (11, 8, 5) and 23 (11, 8, 4) chaetae, respectively (Figs 23, 24). Unguis with inner tooth and lateral teeth. Unguiculus slender and pointed, as long as inner edge of unguis, without inner basal lamella (Figs 23, 24). Anal spines set on distinct papillae, about 0.5–0.7 times as long as inner edge of unguis (Figs 15, 26).

Etymology. The name of the new species refers to the name of the city where it was found.

Remarks. P. genheensis sp. nov. belongs to the ‘oligopseudocellar’ group as having fewer pso on Th. II–III (Gulgenova & Potapov, 2013). It mostly resembles to the two Palaearctic species, P. dzherga Gulgenova & Potapov, 2013 and P. jacutica Martynova, 1976, by the dorsal pso formula (33/012/33342); but it can be recognized easily by the number of pso on the subcoxa 1 of legs as 1,1,1 (0,0,0 in P. dzherga and P. jacutica), the ventral psx formula as 10/000/ 111101m (00/000/ 11000 in P. dzherga and 10/000/ 10000 in P. jacutica). It is also close to the species P. buryatica Gulgenova & Potapov, 2013 as having 1,1,1 pso on the subcoxa 1 of legs; they can be distinguished by the number of pso on the posterior head (3+ 3 in the new species and 2+ 2 in P. buryatica) and the ventral psx formula (00/000/ 10010 in P. buryatica).

It is similar to the individuals of Protaphorura taimyrica (Martynova, 1976) who have the dorsal pso formula as 33/012/33342 (see the remarks of Chinese Protaphorura taimyrica below). But they can be separated easily by the ventral psx formula (1/000/ 111101m in the new species and 1/000/10(1)0001m in Protaphorura taimyrica (according to Babenko & Kaprus’ 2014)). The main diagnostic characters of them are shown in Table 1.