Eluma caelata ( Miers, 1877 )

Taiti, Stefano & Rossano, Claudia, 2015, Terrestrial isopods from the Oued Laou basin, north-eastern Morocco (Crustacea: Oniscidea), with descriptions of two new genera and seven new species, Journal of Natural History 49 (33), pp. 2067-2138 : 2122

Eluma caelata ( Miers, 1877)

( Figures 32 and 33 )

Material examined

1 ♂, 1 ♀, St. 7, leg. S. Taiti, 29 April 2004 ( MZUF 9560 ) ; 2 ♂♂, St. 8, leg. S. Taiti and C. Rossano, 28 April 2004 ( MZUF 9561 ) ; 1 ♀, same locality and collectors, 28 September 2005 ( MZUF 9562 ) ; 3 ♀♀, St. 10, leg. S. Taiti and C. Rossano, 26 April 2004 ( MZUF 9563 ) ; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, St. 11, leg. S. Taiti, 27 April 2004 ( MZUF 9564 ) ; 4 ♂♂, 29 ♀♀, St. 18, cork-oak wood, leg. S. Taiti, 29 April 2004 ( MZUF 9565 ) ; 7 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀, St. 20, under stones along path to waterfall, leg. S. Taiti and C. Rossano, 2 May 2004 ( MZUF 9566 ) ; 1 ♀, St. 22, leg. S. Taiti and C. Rossano, 30.IX.2005 ( MZUF 9567 ) .

Distribution

Southern British Isles, western France, Portugal, Spain, north-western Africa, Canary Islands, Madeira, and Azores. Introduced to Tasmania and French Guiana ( Schmalfuss 2003). New record for the Rif region.

Remarks

The synonymy of Eluma purpurascens Budde-Lund, 1885 with Armadillidium caelatum Miers, 1877 was definitely established by Schmalfuss (2003) after examination of the type material of the latter species. The main characters of this species are illustrated here ( Figures 32 and 33 ) on specimens from St. 18 (Fahsa) for comparison with the new species Eluma praticola described below.

Figures

Figure 32. Eluma caelata from St. 18, ♀: (A) cephalon and pereonites 1, 2, lateral view; (B) cephalon and pereonite 1, frontal view; (C) pleonite 5, telson and uropods; (D) pereonite 7 with noduli laterales. ♂: (E) pereopod 7, caudal surface; (F) pereopod 7 ischium and merus, caudal surface; (G) pereopod 7 ischium and merus, rostral surface.

Figure 33. Eluma caelata from St. 18, ♂: (A) dorsal scale-seta; (B) pereopod 1; (C) genital papilla and pleopod 1; (D) pleopod 2; (E) pleopod 3 exopod; (F) pleopod 4 exopod; (G) pleopod 5 exopod.