Coletinia mendesi Wygodzinsky, 1980

Molero-Baltanás, Rafael, Gaju-Ricart, Miquel, Fišer, Žiga, Bach de Roca, Carmen & Mendes, Luís F., 2022, Three new species of European Coletinia Wygodzinsky (Zygentoma, Nicoletiidae), with additional records and an updated identification key, European Journal of Taxonomy 798 (1), pp. 127-161 : 150

Coletinia mendesi Wygodzinsky, 1980

Fig. 12A–C

Coletinia mendesi Wygodzinsky, 1980: 10–12 , fig. 6.

Coletinia mendesi – Molero, Bach, Sendra, Montagud, Barranco & Gaju 2013: 43–45 , 47, figs 1a, 4, 6, 8, 134–140.

Material examined

SPAIN • 3 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀; Málaga Province , Marbella, in a nest of Lasius grandis ; 12 May 2018; C. Pradera leg.; UCO, Ref. Z2631 • 1 ♀; Córdoba Province , Córdoba city; 1 Jun. 2008; M. Gaju leg.; UCO, Ref. Z2643 • 3 ♂♂, 2 juvs; Córdoba Province , Palenciana; 28 Jun. 2001; UCO, Ref. Z2172 (already cited in Molero et al., 2013) .

Distribution

Endemic to southern Iberian Peninsula: S Portugal and SW Spain.

Variability remarks

Some observations of Spanish specimens have revealed that the apical emargination of the urotergite X of males can be variable and it is wide and shallow in some specimens ( Fig. 12A–B ). This implies that this character is not useful for distinguishing this species from C. setosula , as established in the original description of this Sicilian species.

One character not previously described of this species is the number and size of the macrochaetae of the mandibles. There are 5 or more bifid macrochaetae, at least 3 or them almost as long or, in some cases, slightly longer than the width of the mandible ( Fig. 12C ), while in the remaining known species of the genus this number is lower (usually 1–3) and they are shorter, at most about half the length of the mandible.

Habitat

Coletinia mendesi inhabits more superficial mediums than most of the remaining species of Coletiniinae , which usually live in caves or other subterranean habitats. Coletinia mendesi can be collected under stones and it had been previously collected in ant nests ( Mendes 1985), so it can be considered as an occasional or facultative myrmecophile. This is the first time it has been found with ants of the genus Lasius Fabricius, 1804 .

Figures

Fig 12. A–C. Coletinia mendesi Wygodzinsky, 1980, ♂ from Palenciana (Córdoba) (UCO, Ref. Z2643). A. Micrograph of the male urotergite X, focused dorsally.B. Idem ventrally; while the dorsal focus shows an almost straight hind margin, in the ventral focus a concave shape is visible between the posterolateral lobes. C. Micrograph of a mandible showing the macrochaetae of its outer margin, more numerous than in other species of the genus. D. Coletinia jeanneli (Silvestri, 1938), ♂. Urosternite VIII of the male according to the original design of Silvestri (1938). E. Coletinia tessella Molero, Bach & Gaju, 2013, ♂ from the type locality. Micrograph of urosternite VIII. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.