Iansaoniscus paulae, Cardoso & Bastos-Pereira & Ferreira, 2022

Cardoso, Giovanna Monticelli, Bastos-Pereira, Rafaela & Ferreira, Rodrigo Lopes, 2022, Two new troglobitic species of Iansaoniscus from Brazilian caves (Crustacea, Isopoda, Pudeoniscidae), Subterranean Biology 43, pp. 127-143 : 127

publication ID	https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/subtbiol.43.81308
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:AAF4E607-B43C-4797-9903-05BD241F9CF1
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/4B0755B7-18B1-404D-B6F0-A6F7A86A4EF4
taxon LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:act:4B0755B7-18B1-404D-B6F0-A6F7A86A4EF4
treatment provided by	Subterranean Biology by Pensoft
scientific name	Iansaoniscus paulae
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Iansaoniscus paulae View in CoL sp. nov.

Figs 5 View Figure 5 , 6 View Figure 6 , 7 View Figure 7 , 8 View Figure 8

Diagnosis.

Cephalon with well-developed lateral lobes with round distal margin; frontal shield rounded, weakly developed; pereonite 1 epimeron without dorsolateral furrow; pereonite 1 and 2 without ventral lobes; antennula distal article with two lateral and one apical aesthetascs; third article longer than second; uropod exopod longer than endopod, longer than distal margin of telson.

Material examined.

Holotype: Brazil • 1 male (mounted in slide); Bahia state, municipality of Itaeté, Lapa do Bode cave (WGS84 -12.938889, -41.062222); 26th July 2007; RL Ferreira leg.; ISLA 95915 GoogleMaps . Paratypes: • 5 females; same data as holotype GoogleMaps ; ISLA 95916.

Etymology.

The new species is named after Dr. Paula Beatriz Araujo, UFRGS, for her contribution to the knowledge of Brazilian terrestrial isopods.

Description.

Maximum length: male, 3 mm; female 5 mm. Body outline as in Fig. 5A View Figure 5 , colorless, vestigial eyes (Fig. 5A, B View Figure 5 ). Cephalon with well-developed lateral lobes, round distal margin; frontal shield rounded, weakly developed (Fig. 5B View Figure 5 ). Pereonite 1 epimeron without dorsolateral furrow; pereonites 1 and 2 without ventral lobes (Fig. 5C, D View Figure 5 ); pereonite 3-7 with subquadrangular epimera. Pleonites 3-5 with epimera subquadrangular and directed backwards (Fig. 5A View Figure 5 ). Telson (Fig. 6A View Figure 6 ) slightly wider than long with concave sides, acute apex. Antennula (Fig. 5E View Figure 5 ) with three articles, distal article longer than second article, with two lateral and one apical aesthetascs. Antenna (Fig. 5F View Figure 5 , 6B View Figure 6 ) surpassing pereonite 3 when extended backwards, fifth article of peduncle as long as flagellum, flagellum with three articles; faint suture between second and third, third article longest, aesthetascs on second and third articles. Mandibles (Fig. 6C, D View Figure 6 ) with molar penicil of 4 branches, left mandible with 2+1 penicils, right with 1+1 penicils. Maxillula (Fig. 6E View Figure 6 ) outer branch with 4 + 5 teeth (two apically cleft); inner branch with two penicils. Maxilla (Fig. 6F View Figure 6 ) with bilobate apex, outer lobe wider than inner lobe, rounded and covered with thin setae; inner lobe bearing thick setae. Maxilliped (Fig. 6G View Figure 6 ) basis rectangular; palp basal article with two setae distinct in length; endite rectangular, long medial seta, distal margin with two teeth. Pereopods 1-7 (Fig. 7A, B View Figure 7 ) merus and carpus with sparse setae on sternal margin; carpus 1 with longitudinal antennal grooming brush, distal setae cleft; dactylar organ and ungual seta simple not surpassing outer claw. Uropod (Fig. 7C View Figure 7 ) protopod distal margin and exopod proximal margin with lateral groove; endopod inserted proximally, exopod 1.4 × longer than endopod and distinctly surpassing distal margin of telson.

Male: Pleopod 1 (Fig. 7D View Figure 7 ) exopod ovoid, twice wider than long; endopod almost four times longer than exopod, distal portion slightly bent outwards, apex with small setae. Pleopod 2 exopod (Fig. 7E View Figure 7 ) triangular bearing one seta on outer margin, endopod flagelliform, almost three times longer than exopod. Pleopod 3-5 exopods as in Fig. 7F-H View Figure 7 .

Habitat and conservation issues.

The Lapa do Bode cave consists of a dolomite cave with 1,430 meters of horizontal projection, with conduits of labyrinthine pattern. It is inserted in an upper unit of the Una geological group of carbonate rocks from the Salitre Formation (Fig. 9 View Figure 9 ) ( Auler 2019). This cave presents five entrances (Fig. 8B, C View Figure 8 ) inserted in a rock wall parallel to the Una River, which flows close to the entrances (Fig. 8A View Figure 8 ). Although most of the cave is dry, the cave atmosphere is considerably moist due to water ponds in some inner areas. The temperature inside the cave is around 24.5 °C. The cave has been used for touristic purposes for the last decades, and the areas where individuals of I. paulae sp. nov. were found (inner portions of the cave, quite distant from the entrances) are also visited by tourists. They were observed walking on moist soil (Fig. 8D View Figure 8 ) and in some bat guano piles. Although the touristic activities apparently have not been altering intensively the cave features, there is concern that it could impact the species, especially by trampling (by visitors) due to the reduced size of the specimens and absence of structures guiding visitors to walk in specific pathways. The main available food resource is bat guano, that are concentrated in the inner chambers of the cave. It is worth mentioning that the Lapa do Bode cave presents ten cave-restricted species, among springtails, harvestmen, spiders, a beetle, a millipede, a silverfish, a palpigrade and a fish. However, only three of those species are currently described: the carabid beetle Coarazuphium cessaima (Gnaspini, Vanin & Godoy, 1998); the pholcid spider Metagonia diamantina (Machado, Ferreira & Brescovit, 2011); and the catfish Rhamdiopsis krugi (Bockmann & Castro, 2010).