Mecophilus tupiniquim, Calvanese & Brescovit & Bonato, 2019

Calvanese, Victor C., Brescovit, Antonio D. & Bonato, Lucio, 2019, Revision of the Neotropical species of Aphilodontinae (Geophilomorpha, Geophilidae), with eight new species and a first phylogenetic analysis of the subfamily, Zootaxa 4698 (1), pp. 1-72 : 40-41

Mecophilus tupiniquim new species

( Figs 30 , 32 , 40F , 42G , 43D , 44 K–L)

Type specimens. Holotype: ♀, from Morro do Cruzeiro , São Roque, São Paulo, Brazil, 15/11/2017, V. Calvanese col., ( IBSP 6172 ) . Paratypes: 4♂ ( IBSP 6173 ), same data as holotype .

Type locality. Brazil: São Paulo: São Roque: Morro do Cruzeiro : 23°32’18”S, 47°8’43”W .

Material examined. BRAZIL: São Paulo: São Roque, Morro do Cruzeiro (23°32’18”S, 47°8’43”W), 15/11/2017, V. Calvanese col., 1♀ [holotype] ( IBSP 6172 ), 4♂ [paratypes] ( IBSP 6173 ) .

Etymology. The epithet is an adjective and means “originating in Brazil ” in the Tupi-Guarani language.

Diagnosis. A species of Mecophilus with: known body length in adults 7.0– 7.5 mm; cephalic plate subrectangular ( Figs 32B , 40F ); forcipular tergite subrectangular ( Figs 32B , 40F ); denticle of tarsungulum relatively large and positioned close to basis of tarsungulum ( Figs 30A , 32D ); distal denticle of trochanteroprefemur and denticle of femur close to each other ( Figs 30A , 32D ).

Recorded specimens: 5, including 1♀ and 4♂, from a single locality.

Distribution. Brazil—São Paulo: São Roque.

Description of holotype. Female (IBSP 6172).

Entire body: length 7.5, maximum width 0.17. Cephalic plate: sub-rectangular, length 0.20 and maximum width (at about mid-length) 0.13 (length/width ratio 1.53). Antenna: length 0.48, ca. 2.4 times as long as cephalic plate; AA II–XIII length/width ratio 0.55–0.70; LAA ca. 4.2 times as long as AA XIII.

Clypeus: 2+2 LS, 1+1 PS, 5+5 SCS. Mandible: PL with ca. 20 denticles. First maxillae: TFM length 0.02 and width 0.02; DA with 3 apical and 1 subapical SL; MPC with 2 apical and 1 subapical SL. Second maxillae: left TSM length 0.02 (1.15 times as long as TFM) and maximum width (basal margin) 0.01; left T3 length 0.01 (0.75 times as long as T2) and width 0.01 (0.70 times as wide as T2); both TSM with 1 apical and 1 subapical large SE.

Forcipular segment: FTE length 0.07 (0.36 times as long as cephalic plate) and width 0.15 (length/width ratio 0.48); FPT length 0.05 (0.25 times as long as cephalic plate) and width 0.09; FCX length 0.25 and width 0.20 (length/width ratio 1.25); FRL length 0.22, surpassing anterior margin of cephalic plate, and maximum width (basal margin) 0.08; FRL with two denticles in TFF and one in TI; FD1 relatively large, pointed and without SE, positioned relatively close to FD2; FD2 bilobed, with 1 large apical and 1 large subapical SE; FD3 bilobed, with 1 large apical and 3 smaller subapical SE; DTA relatively large, near the basis of TA; TA 0.48 times as long as TFF.

Walking legs: 35 pairs; left FL length 0.17, 0.83 times as long as second leg; left leg 17 length 0.21. Tergum from the first to penultimate leg-bearing segment: TE 17 length 0.09 and width 0.17 (length/width ratio 0.52), with one anterior row of 8 SE and one posterior row of little smaller SE; PT 0.57 times as long as TE and with two parallel rows of 6 SE. Sternum from the first to penultimate leg-bearing segment: STF rectangular, length 0.10 and width 0.08 (length/width ratio 1.2); ST 17 length 0.13 and width 0.09 (length/width ratio 1.4).

Ultimate leg-bearing segment: MTL trapezoidal, length 0.07 and maximum width 0.10 (length/width ratio 0.66); UPS exposed and not divided, length 0.01 and width 0.10. Ultimate legs: with two tarsal articles and terminal claw; slightly thickened when compared to penultimate leg; length 0.43, 1.83 times as long as penultimate leg; each CXP with 5or 6 little COP that are weakly grouped near MTL and 1 COP further away. Postpedal segments: GF with 3+3 distal SE.

Known variation. Ultimate legs: each coxopleuron with 5–7 COP in adults (1♀, 4♂). Male: ultimate legs with a single tarsal article, little more thickened than in female, without pretarsus; GM biarticulated; GM1 with 4 or 5 SE in one row; GM2 with 7 distal SE.

Figures

FIGURE 30. A–C, Mecophilus diagnostic characters. Mecophilus tupiniquim n. sp. Male paratype (IBSP 6173): A, forcipules, ventral; B, first leg-bearing segment, ventral; C, intermediate part of trunk, ventral. Abbreviations: DTA: denticle of tarsungulum; FD1: distal denticle of trocantheroprefemur; FD2: denticle of femur; FD3: denticle of tibia; ST: sternite; STF: sternite of first leg-bearing segment. Scale bars: 0.04 mm (A–C).

FIGURE 32. A–G, Mecophilus tupiniquim n. sp. Male paratype (IBSP 6173): A, habitus, ventral; B, anterior part of body, dorsal; C, same, ventral; D, denticles of left forcipule, ventral; E, terminal part of body, ventral. Female holotype (IBSP 6172): F, terminal part of body, ventral; G, pretarsus of ultimate leg, lateral. Abbreviations: FD1: distal denticle of trochanteroprefemur; FD2: denticle of femur; FD3: denticle of tibia; DTA: denticle of tarsungulum; FPT: forcipular pretergite; FTE: forcipular tergite; PT: pretarsus. Scale bars: 1 (A), 0.1 (B–C, E–F), 0.02 (D, G) mm.

FIGURE 40. A–F, anterior part of body, dorsal: A, Dicellophilus carniolensis (Koch, 1847) (PD); B, Aphilodon pereirai n. sp. (IBSP); C, Philacroterium cribellatum Attems, 1926 (SAM); D, Mairata itatiaiensis n. sp. (IBSP); E, Mecophilus neotropicus (MSNG); F, Mecophilus tupiniquim n. sp. (IBSP). Abbreviations: FPT: forcipular pretergite; FTE: forcipular tergite. Scale bars: 0.5 mm (A–F).

FIGURE 42. A–I, forcipule, ventral: A, Ribautia centralis (Silvestri, 1907) (INPA); B, Geoperingueyia dentata Verhoeff, 1938 (MNRJ); C, Mairata butantan n. sp. (IBSP); D, Aphilodon indespectus n. sp. (IBSP); E, Aphilodon silvestrii n. sp. (IBSP); F, Aphilodon micronyx Brölemann, 1902 (IBSP); G, Mecophilus tupiniquim n. sp. (IBSP); H, Philacroterium weberi (Silvestri, 1909) n. comb. (KZN); I, Philacroterium maritimum (Lawrence, 1963) n. comb. (KZN). Abbreviations: FE: femur; TA: tarsungulum; TI: tibia; TFF: trochanteroprefemur+femur; TR: trocantheroprefemur. Scale bars: 0.2 (A–F, H–I), 0.1 (G) mm.

FIGURE 43. A–D, forcipular denticles, ventral: A, Ribautia centralis (Silvestri, 1907) (INPA); B, Geoperingueyia dentata Verhoeff, 1938 (MNRJ); C, Aphilodon pereirai n. sp. (IBSP); D, Mecophilus tupiniquim n. sp. (IBSP). Abbreviations: DTA: denticle of tarsungulum; FD1: distal denticle of trochanteroprefemur; FD2: denticle of femur; FD3: denticle of tibia; PDT: proximal denticle of trochanteroprefemur. Scale bars: 0.2 (A–C), 0.02 (D) mm.

FIGURE 44. A–P, ultimate leg-bearing segment, ventral: A, Dicellophilus carniolensis (Koch, 1847) (PD), male; B, Pachymerium ferrugineum (Koch, 1835) (PD), female; C, Macronicophilus abbreviatus Pereira, Foddai & Minelli, 2000 (INPA), male; D, Henia vesuviana (Newport, 1844) (PD), male; E, Strigamia crassipes (Koch, 1835) (PD), male; F, Geoperingueyia dentata Verhoeff, 1938 (MNRJ), female; G, Geoperingueyia dentata Verhoeff, 1938 (MNRJ), male; H, Philacroterium maritimum (Lawrence, 1963) n. comb (KZN), female; I, Philacroterium brevipes (Verhoeff, 1938) n. comb. (KZN), male; J, Philacroterium cribellatum Attems, 1926 (NHMW), male, (photo by N.Akkari); K, Mecophilus tupiniquim n. sp. (IBSP), female; L, Mecophilus tupiniquim n. sp. (IBSP), male; M, Mairata itatiaiensis n. sp. (IBSP), female; N, Mairata itatiaiensis n. sp. (IBSP), male; O, Aphilodon micronyx Brölemann, 1902 (IBSP), female; P, Aphilodon pereirai n. sp. (IBSP), male. Scale bars: 0.2 mm (A–P).