Trichopetalum jerryblatti, Shear, 2010

Shear, William A., 2010, 2385, Zootaxa 2385, pp. 1-62 : 26-28

Trichopetalum jerryblatti , new species

Figs. 30–33, Map 2

Types: All specimens VMNH. Male holotype and male and female paratypes from Locust Springs Recreation Area, 8 mi NNW of Hightown, Highland Co., Virginia, collected 7 April 1975 by R. L. Hoffman. The following specimens may be considered paratypes: VIRGINIA: Highland Co. : Type locality, 23 June 1973, male; type locality, 28 August 1972, male. Alleghany Co. : 3 mi N of Clifton Forge, 4 January 1950, R. L. Hoffman, male, female. WEST VIRGINIA: Greenbrier Co. : Virgin forest tract on North Anthony Creek , 5 mi NNE of Neola, 1 October 1972, W. Shear & W. Ash, male, female. Mercer Co. : Camp Creek State Forest , 4 April 1971, W. Shear, male .

Diagnosis: Trichopetalum jerryblatti has deeply divided gonopod angiocoxites, as in T. stannardi , but lacks the strongly modified sixth legpair of that species, and the angiocoxite is of a distinctly different form. Both species superficially resemble species of Zygonopus in gonopod form, but Zygonopus species have 30 trunk segments, and Trichopetalum species , 28.

Etymology: This species is dedicated to the late Jeremiah L. Blatt, friend and mentor of the author early in his scientific career at Concord College, Athens, West Virginia.

Male from Locust Springs Recreation Area, Virginia: Length, 5.0 mm, width, 0.44 mm. Color white, very faint brownish reticulations visible with magnification. Ocelli 10 in two moderately curved rows. Legpairs 3–7 encrassate, pairs 4, 5 the largest; pair 7 only slightly larger than postgonopodal legs. Gonopods ( Figs. 30– 32) with sternum and coxae as usual; coxal setulae long, almost hairlike; angiocoxites deeply divided, lateral division apically slightly enlarged, emarginate, median division thinner, shorter, acuminate. Fimbriate branch large, prominent. Colpocoxite similar to that of lunatum , toothed and acute. Ninth legpair ( Fig. 33) typical. Tenth and eleventh coxae with glands, tenth legpair telopodite somewhat reduced.

Female from Locust Springs Recreation Area, Virginia: Length, 5.4 mm, width, 0.5 mm. Ocelli 11, 12, single ocellus beneath two rows. Nonsexual characters as in male.

Distribution: See list of types, above, and Map 2. This species may be expected in other counties along the Virginia-West Virginia border. Close sympatry with Trichopetalum dux is possible, as that species is recorded from the nearby Virginia counties of Montgomery and Bland, and both species from Alleghany Co.

Notes: Trichopetalum jerryblatti strongly resembles species of Zygonopus in gonopod anatomy, especially Z. weyeriensis . Two Zygonopus species , weyeriensis and packardi , occur within the distribution of T. jerryblatti , but both are cave-limited, eyeless, and have 30, not 28, trunk segments. Nevertheless, the close relationship of Trichopetalum and Zygonopus is affirmed by this new species’ gonopods, and strongly suggests that both genera originated from a common ancestor that more closely resembled Zygonopus than Trichopetalum .

At Little Anthony Creek, T. jerryblatti was collected from litter under white pine, beech and maple. The Locust Springs Recreation Area is at an altitude of 3700–3900’, in a forest of northern hardwoods with scattered spruce. Camp Creek State Forest, however, is a typical cove forest at about 2400’ elevation, dominated by yellow poplar, oaks, and hickories.