Sinella pseudobrowni, Zhang, Feng, 2013

Zhang, Feng, 2013, Five new eyed species of Sinella (Collembola: Entomobryidae) from China, with a key to the eyed species of the genus, Zootaxa 3736 (5), pp. 549-568 : 556

Sinella pseudobrowni sp. nov.

Figs 3, 34− 46

Types. Holotype: female on slide, China: Anhui: Qimen: Likou Town: Lixi village, 29 ° 59.241 ’N, 117 ° 29.224 ’E, 12.viii. 2011, F. Zhang, D.- Y. Yu and Y.-H. Ren leg. (sample number C 9671, C 9672). Paratypes: 1 male and 4 females on slide and 4 in alcohol, same data as holotype.

Description. Body length up to 1.30 mm. Body white and often with orange pigment ( Fig. 3).

Antenna 1.7 times as long as cephalic diagonal. Antennal segments ratio as I: II: III: IV = 1: 1.67 –2.00: 1.42–1.89: 2.92–3.56. Long smooth straight chaetae 4 ventral on Ant.II. Two internal S of Ant.III organ strongly expanded ( Fig. 34).

Omma 2 + 2, longitudinal and close to each other. Papilla E with 4 guard chaetae; lateral process of labial palp thick as normal chaetae. Labial chaetae smooth, R/M= 0.60–0.75; chaetae X, X 2 and X 4 ciliate and smaller than others. Cephalic groove with 7 (6) chaetae; anterior three smooth and others ciliate ( Fig. 35). Dorsal cephalic chaetotaxy with 3 median (M) mac. Clypeal chaetae 8, 3 of them ciliate ( Fig. 36).

Trochanteral organ with 11–15 smooth spiny chaetae; 8–12 in arms and 3 between them ( Fig. 37). Partial inner differentiated tibiotarsal chaetae apparently “smooth” with ciliations closely appressed to axis. Most distal whorl with 10 ciliate chaetae. Unguiculus outer edge smooth. Tenent hairs pointed, subequal to unguiculus in length ( Fig. 38). Abd.IV 2.7–3.1 times as Abd.III in length along dorsal midline. Ventral tube anteriorly with 7 + 7 ciliate chaetae, two of them much larger ( Fig. 39); posteriorly with 9 smooth chaetae, distal four in a row ( Fig. 41); each lateral flap with 8 smooth chaetae ( Fig. 42). Manubrium laterally and dental lobe respectively with 1 and 1 straight smooth chaetae. Manubrial plaque with 2 pseudopores and 3 (2) ciliate chaetae. Distal smooth part of dens 2.0 times of mucro in length. Mucro bidentate with two teeth subequal; basal spine short with tip reaching the subapical tooth ( Fig. 40).

Th.II with 3 medio-medial (m 1, m 2, m 2 i), 3 medio-lateral (m 4, m 4 i, m 4 p) and about 18 posterior mac; mac p 2 ep 2 rarely present. Th.III with 25 mac; p 5 as mic ( Fig. 43). Abd.I with 6 (a 3, m 2–4, m 2 i, m 4 p) mac; ms anteroexternal to s-chaeta. Abd.II with 3 (m 3, m 3 e, m 3 ep) central and 1 (m 5) lateral mac. Abd.III with 1 (m 3) central, 3 (am 6, pm 6, p 6) lateral mac, 1 ms and 2 s-chaetae ( Fig. 46). Abd.IV with 3 central (M, A 6, B 5), 5 lateral mac (F 1, E 2–4, E 2 p) and at least 14 s-chaetae; most s-chaetae much longer than those on anterior terga ( Fig. 44). Abd.V with 3 s-chaetae; set p 1 p+ with only p 4 p present ( Fig. 45).

Ecology. In shrubs and leaves.

Etymology. Named after the similarities to S. browni .

Remarks. This new species is closest to S. browi Chen & Christiansen, 1993 in 2 + 2 omma, claw structure, manubrial plaque, mucro, presence of smooth chaetae on manubrium, and chaetotaxy of dorsal head and Th.II– Abd.III. It differs from the latter in presence of apparently “smooth” inner tibiotarsal chaetae, 3 + 3 central mac on Abd.IV and ciliate X and X 2 posterior to labium. It also resembles S. plebeia Chen & Christiansen, 1993 in presence of “smooth” inner tibiotarsal chaetae, claw structure, ciliate X, X 2 and X 4 posterior to labium, chaetotaxy of dorsal head, Th.II and Abd.I–III, and anterior face of ventral tube, but differs from it in 2 omma not separate from each other, smooth labial chaeta R, p 5 as mic on Th.III, 3 + 3 central and 5 + 5 lateral mac on Abd.IV, and 9 smooth chaetae on posterior face of ventral tube.