Neocheiridium gullahorum Sammet, 2020

Sammet, Kaarel, Kurina, Olavi & Klompen, Hans, 2020, The first Nearctic record of the genus Neocheiridium (Pseudoscorpiones: Cheiridiidae), with description of Neocheiridium gullahorum sp. n., Biodiversity Data Journal 8, pp. 48278-48278 : 48278

Neocheiridium gullahorum Sammet sp. n.

Materials

Type status: Holotype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: OSAL 0128942 ; recordedBy: Hans Klompen; sex: female; preparations: in ethanol; Location: higherGeography: USA, South Carolina, Beaufort Co.; island: Hilton Head Island; municipality: Sea Pines; verbatimLatitude: 32°08'00"N; verbatimLongitude: 80°47'40"W; decimalLatitude: 32.1332; decimalLongitude: -80.7945; Event: samplingProtocol: Tullgren funnel; year: 2004; month: 12; day: 29; habitat: litter and soil in hollow tree; Record Level: type: PhysicalObject; institutionID: Ohio State University, Museum of Biological Diversity; institutionCode: OSU; basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: OSAL 0128944 ; recordedBy: Hans Klompen; sex: male; preparations: in ethanol; Location: higherGeography: USA, South Carolina, Beaufort Co.; island: Hilton Head Island; municipality: Sea Pines; verbatimLatitude: 32°08'00"N; verbatimLongitude: 80°47'40"W; decimalLatitude: 32.1332; decimalLongitude: -80.7945; Event: samplingProtocol: Tullgren funnel; year: 2004; month: 12; day: 29; habitat: litter and soil in hollow tree; Record Level: type: PhysicalObject; institutionID: Ohio State University, Museum of Biological Diversity; institutionCode: OSU; basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: IZBE0310757 ; recordedBy: Hans Klompen; sex: female; preparations: mounted to slide; Location: higherGeography: USA, South Carolina, Beaufort Co.; island: Hilton Head Island; locality: Sea Pines ; verbatimLatitude: 32°08'00"N; verbatimLongitude: 80°47'40"W; decimalLatitude: 32.1332; decimalLongitude: -80.7945; Event: samplingProtocol: Tullgren funnel; year: 2004; month: 12; day: 29; habitat: litter and soil in hollow tree; Record Level: type: PhysicalObject; institutionID: Estonian University of Life Sciences, Entomological Collection; collectionCode: IZBE; basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen

Description

Diagnosis: Neocheiridium species with sharp triangular teeth on the distal end of the palpal chela, becoming trapezoidal and gradually flatter towards the proximal end, metazonal depression open to posterior margin, 7 trichobothria on the fixed pedipalp finger and 1 on the movable finger. Palpal chelae length-width ratio with pedicel 2.4-2.6. Body length at least 1 mm, no more than 7 setae on the half-tergites, 4 teeth on the cheliceral fixed finger, female galea without apical branches, tubercles on tergites I-III similar to tubercles of other tergites, two pairs of setae between eyes and cucullus.

Female (holotype and 1 paratype). Body length 1.12 (1.21) mm (Fig. 2 A andB). Carapax wider than long, 0.36 (0.37) × 0.5 (0.54) mm, dark chestnut brown, with small very weakly bilobed cucullus, two small eyes, well-developed procurved furrow and "shoulders" (Fig. 2 A). Integument tuberculate, the tubercles irregularly polygonal to star-shaped, often longitudinally connected. Metazonal depression parabolic (triangular), open to posterior margin, with longitudinally fusiform granulation, no lateral depressions, posterior margin of the carapax weakly convex, almost angular, with sparse small tubercles. Most setae with cerotegument, giving them leaf-like appearance. Two pairs of setae on the anterior margin of carapax (cucullus), followed by 2 pairs of setae before the eyes and one pair between the eyes. Position of setae in the posterior part of carapax more irregular, total number of setae 19-20 (Fig. 2 C).

Abdomen with 10 tergites visible from above (Fig. 2 B). I (half)tergites with 2-3 setae in relatively medial position, II tergites with 4 setae, III tergites with 6 setae, IV-VI tergites with 7-8 setae, tergites VII with 6 setae, VIII tergites with 6 setae, IX tergites with 5 setae, X tergites with 3. Setae on carapax and marginal region of abdomen leaf-like and strongly curved, setae on the medial region of tergites and sternites leaf-like and weakly curved. Tubercles on tergites irregularly polygonal and often forming longitudinal to diagonal rows of 2-3 tubercles.

Pedipalps with irregular granulation (the largest tubercles more than 3 × larger than the smallest), femur 0.25 (0,26) / 0.09 (0.1), patella 0.22 (0.23) / 0.11 (0.11) (Fig. 3 A). Palpal chelal length 0.32 (0.37), finger 0.16 (0.13). Palpal fixed finger distal teeth longer and conical-recurved, from the 7-8th teeth onwards trapezoidal and gradually lower, 17 on fixed finger (plus one small distal lateral tooth) (Fig. 3 B). Fourteen teeth on the movable finger, distally two small forward directed teeth, followed by larger triangular teeth that become more recurved and lower basally (Fig. 3 C). Fixed finger with 4 external and 3 internal trichobothria, movable finger with 1 external trichobothrium.

Coxae tuberculate (round regularly spaced tubercules), coxa I with sparse tubercules, more concentrated on edges, bearing 4 setae, other leg coxae and palpal coxae more densely tuberculate (Fig. 2 A, Fig. 2 Fig. 4 C), manducatory process with 3 setae, coxa II with 3 setae, III with 3 setae (?), IV with 6 setae and medially fused. Anus surrounded by two pairs of setae (Fig. 4 D) Leg I: femur 0.16 (0.19) / 0.06 (0.07), tibia 0.14 (0.16) / 0.05 (0.06), tarsus 0.15 (0.16) / 0.04 (0.04) (Fig. 4 B). Leg IV: femur 0.26 (0.27) / 0.083 (0.095), tibia 0.16 (0.17) / 0.055 (0.58), tarsus 0.15 (0.16) / 0.04 (0.45), suture between femur and patella barely visible (Fig. 4 B).

Anterior genital operculum with two irregularly rectangular chitinised plates and medial subparallel lyrifissures, with 6-8 small setae, broadly fused to the next sternite. Posterior operculum with two elongate sclerotised plates bearing 3 setae and two parallel lyrifissures (Fig. 4 C).

Male (allotype): with similar body proportions, but smaller body length (without chelicerae) ~1.1 mm, carapax 0.33 × 0.49 mm. Body surface sculpture similar to female. Half-tergites I with 2 setae, II - III 4 setae, IV-VII 7 setae, VIII 6 setae, IX 5 setae, X 4 setae. Palpal trochanter 0.08 × 0.09 mm, femur 0.29 × 0.09, patella 0.20 × 0.10, chela 0.34 × 0.14 (length with pedicel 0.37), fingers 0.16. Trichobothria in the same positions as for female, but isb a bit lower (Fig. 5 A and B). Genital operculum with 12 setae and a central group of 10 shorter setae, posterior operculum with a small medial notch (Fig. 5 C).

Etymology

The specific name derives from the word „gullah“ used to describe the people and traditional culture of the type locality, with genitive plural ending - orum.

Figures

Figure 2. Neocheiridium gullahorum n. sp. female A. habitus, ventral view (holotype); B. habitus, dorsal view (female paratype); C. carapax dorsal (holotype); D. rallum (female paratype); E. chelicera (female paratype).

Figure 3. Neocheiridium gullahorum n. sp pedipalp (female holotype) A. dorsal view; B. lateral view of the distal part of the fixed finger; C. lateral view of the distal part of the movable finger.

Figure 4. Neocheiridium gullahorum n. sp A. leg I; B. leg IV (female paratype); C. genital area (female paratype); D. sternite XI (holotype).

Figure 5. Neocheiridium gullahorum n. sp A. Pedipalp chela, external lateral view (male paratype); B. pedipalp chela, internal lateral view (male paratype); C. external genitalia (male paratype).