Neobisium (Neobisium) adjaricum, Kolesnikov & Christophoryová & Przhiboro & Turbanov, 2022

Kolesnikov, Vasiliy B., Christophoryova, Jana, Przhiboro, Andrey A. & Turbanov, Ilya S., 2022, The pseudoscorpions of the Caucasian Sphagnum bogs: part I. Description of Neobisium (Neobisium) adjaricum sp. nov. and redescription of the holotype of N. (N.) vilcekii Krumpal, 1983 (Arachnida, Pseudoscorpiones, Neobisiidae), ZooKeys 1100, pp. 165-190 : 165

Neobisium (Neobisium) adjaricum sp. nov.

Figs 3A , 4 , 5 , 6

Material examined.

Holotype. ♂ (ZISP 1437), Georgia, Adjara, near Kobuleti, Ispani 2 bog, 41.86461°N, 41.79763°E, main bog, site 3 (600 m E of W Alnus belt), flat Sphagnum carpet, sample I-11, 10.V.2019, A. Przhiboro leg.

Paratypes. 1 ♂ (ZMMU TI-65), 1 ♀ (ZISP 1438), Georgia, Adjara, near Kobuleti, Ispani 1 bog, 41.85805°N, 41.78750°E, site 1 (150 m E of NW bog edge), dry Sphagnum hummocks, sample I-18, 11.V.2019, A. Przhiboro leg. ; 1 ♂ (ISEA Ps. 001.0037), the same locality, habitat, and collector, sample I-37, 10.X.2019 .

Diagnosis.

Carapace with moderately long and apically rounded epistome; two pairs of eyes present, lenses of posterior eyes with low convexity; movable cheliceral finger without large median tooth; pedipalpal femur and patella smooth (sometimes very rare and weak granules on outer side of femur); chelal hand with faint reticulate ornament; notch on median side of patella reaching almost middle of patellar club length; movable finger distinctly longer than hand+ but almost equal to femur in length; trichobothrium ist situated distal to middle of fixed chelal finger; distal half of fixed chelal finger with teeth almost equal in size and shape; anterolateral process of coxa of leg I pointed and slightly enlarged, its mediolateral process slightly prominent, denticulate; sternite II with 5 setae; pedipalpal femur 4.5-5.1 × as long as broad (0.77-1.00/0.15-0.22), chelal hand+ 1.62 × as long as broad (0.62-0.71/0.38-40); movable chelal finger length 0.79-0.95.

Description.

♂ and ♀. Coloration: carapace distinctly darker than tergite I and slightly paler than pedipalp; pedipalpal segments uniformly coloured.

Carapace (Figs 4A , 6C, H, J ): with posterior border partially unsclerotised and pale, covered with fine reticulate ornament (Fig. 6H ), wider than long, 0.79 × (0.83-0.9 ×) as long as broad, with two pairs of corneate eyes, anterior eyes slightly larger than posterior ones; distance between anterior margin of anterior eye and anterior margin of carapace 0.05, diameter of anterior eye 0.10 (0.08-0.09), diameter of posterior eye 0.09 (0.07-0.09), distance between eyes 0.02; carapace with 27 (23-24) setae, its anterior margin with 6 (4-6) setae: 4 macrosetae and 2 marginal microsetae (one paratype without these microsetae); posterior margin with 9 (6-7) setae, chaetotaxy: m4m:6:6:9 (m4m:6:6:6, 4:6:6:7); epistome prominent, short and apically rounded, 0.025/0.040; glandular pores present; anterolateral corners with two small protuberances located below surface of carapace; carapace with 6 (5-6) microlyrifissures: one pair situated in ocular zone, close to anterior eyes, and two pairs located at posterior margin.

Tergites weakly sclerotised; all setae simple; tergite X with 2 (2-4) pseudotactile and 2 tactile setae; tergite XI with 4 tactile setae; chaetotaxy: 6:9:11:11:11:12:12:13:11:4T2T4:T2T2T2T:2 (6:8-9:10-11:11-12:11:12:11:10-12:11:4T1-2T4:T2T2T2T:2).

Sternites entirely smooth, weakly sclerotised; anterior operculum of males with 5 and posterior operculum of males with 17 (16-17) setae, of which 7 (6-7) setae located close to genital aperture (Fig. 4C ); sternite II of female with 6 setae, sternite III of female: (3)18(3). All setae simple; those on sternites IV-XI uniseriate; chaetotaxy: 5:(3)17(3):(3)12(3):16:16:16:16:16:6T1T6:T2T3T2T:2 (5-6:(3)16-18(3):(3)12-13(3):15-17:14-15:15:14-16:13-15:4-6T1T4-6:T3T2T3T:2).

Internal genitalia with moderately long lateral and median genital sacs, median sac wrinkled, same length as lateral sacs; genital opening with 4+4 internal setae (Fig. 4D ).

Pleural membrane granulated. Chelicera (Figs 5D-F , 6F ): hand with 7 acuminate setae; galea knob-like, with poorly developed hyaline convexity, sub-galeal seta situated distal to middle (T = 0.7); hand covered with faint reticulate pattern with pointed corners (Fig. 5D ); small tooth (tis) under interior seta (is) present, triangular (Fig. 6F ); fixed finger with 18 (17-19) teeth reaching finger base; movable finger with 7 (8-10) teeth reaching distal to middle of segment, large median tooth absent; serrula interior with 22 (22-25) blades, serrula exterior with 26 (25-28) blades; rallum with 8 blades, two distal ones denticulate, 6 posterior blades simple, smooth and acuminate, 2 or 3 proximal blades smallest.

Coxae (Fig. 4B ): pedipalpal coxa excluding manducatory process with 7 or 8 setae, manducatory process with 4 acuminate setae, seta at base of manducatory process longest; coxa I with moderately long triangular, sclerotised, apically pointed anterolateral process (0.06/0.04), and with denticulate mediolateral process; coxal chaetotaxy of legs: 6:6-8:7:10-11 (5-6:6-8:7:10-11). Each coxa of legs with one lyrifissure, pedipalpal coxa with one maxillary lyrifissure.

Pedipalp (Figs 5A-C , 6B, D, E, G, I ): femur and patella smooth (in one paratype, outer side of femur finely granulate), hand of chela covered with fine reticulate ornament (Fig. 6D ), pedicel of chela with distinct ornament; trochanter with small dorsal tubercle, 2.0 × (1.60-1.85 ×) as long as broad; femur with short pedicel, its margins of femur without tubercles, some setae mostly located in basal half of segment, without enlarged alveoli, one glandular pore located dorsodistally, 4.5 × (5-5.1 ×) as long as broad; patella with short and stout pedicel (0.20-0.22), patella distinctly shorter than femur, 1.43 × (1.54-1.66 ×) as long as broad, with 3 lyrifissures basally and 2 lyrifissures distally, notch on median side reaching very close to middle of club length. Chela+ 3.8 × (3.68-3.87 ×) and chela- 3.7 × (3.52-3.75 ×) as long as broad; movable finger distinctly longer than hand+, 1.31 × (1.27-1.33 ×), but almost equal to femur in length, 0.95 × (0.95-1.02 ×); hand+ 1.62 × (1.63-1.77 ×) and hand- 1.52 × (1.57-1.62 ×) as long as broad; retrolateral surface of hand with 3 glandular pores located around trichobothria eb and esb (two pores close to each other, one distant); fixed finger with 3 lyrifissures: fa located close to base in retrolateral view, fb located slightly proximal to ib, fd located distal to it; movable finger with 3 lyrifissures in retrolateral view: ma 2 located closer to trichobothrium b than to sb, ma 1 nearly at same level with sb (slightly proximal to sb), ma 3 closer to st than to sb, ma 1 slightly closer to ma 3 than to ma 2; one or two sensilla pc located between trichobothria sb and st, close to dental canals (one sensillum closer to sb, other closer to st; latter not present in all specimens); fixed finger with 48 (48-51) contiguous triangular teeth reaching level of trichobothrium ib, two outer distal teeth smallest, other teeth almost equal in size, all teeth with dental canal; movable finger with 45 (44-47) contiguous teeth not reaching level of trichobothrium b, teeth slightly reduced in size from tip of base of, distal 10-12 teeth triangular, other blunt and apically rounded, teeth with dental canal (except basal 6 or 7 small teeth); nodus ramosus of venom duct in fixed chelal finger short, situated very close to finger tip.

Trichobothriotaxy: fixed finger with 8 trichobothria, movable finger with 4 trichobothria; fixed finger with trichobothria esb and eb located close to each other and slightly proximal to ib, with isb on retrolateral surface, with ib closer to isb than to esb (in lateral and dorsal views), trichobothrium ist distinctly closer to est than to isb, distance ist - est similar to distance est - it, but less than twice as long as distance est - et in lateral view, trichobothrium ist situated distal to middle of finger (T = 0.57-0.60), ist located distinctly proximal to t, et located posterior to it, at approximately the same distance between est and it (in lateral and dorsal views), ist situated distal to middle of finger; movable finger with trichobothrium st situated slightly closer to t than to sb, trichobothrium sb slightly closer to b than to st (at almost equal distances), distance b - sb almost equal to distance st - t.

Legs (Figs 4E, F , 6A ): all claws of legs with small dorsal accessory tooth (Figs 4E , 6A ), arolia simple and shorter than claws. Leg I femur 4.00 × (4.44-5.50 ×) and patella 3.30 × (3.30-3.40 ×) as long as deep, femur 1.21 × (1.48-1.66 ×) as long as patella, tibia 4.12 × (4.28-4.37 ×), metatarsus 3.00 × (3.12-3.14 ×) and tarsus 4.28 × (4.0-4.28 ×) as long as deep, tarsus 1.25 × (1.20-1.27 ×) as long as metatarsus; leg IV femur 2.00 × (1.76-2.00 ×), patella 2.22 × (2.05-2.63 ×), femur+patella 4.22 × (3.94-4.50 ×), tibia 6.0 × (5.80-6.36 ×), metatarsus 3.75 × (3.75-4.12 ×) and tarsus 5.71 × (5.42-5.75 ×) as long as deep, tarsus 1.33 × (1.26-1.39 ×) as long as metatarsus; tibia IV with long tactile seta situated slightly proximal to middle (T = 0.40), metatarsus IV with long tactile seta situated basally (T = 0.125), tarsus with tactile seta situated proximal to middle (T = 0.38); sub-terminal setae branched, basal ramus short and smooth (Fig. 4F ).

Sexual dimorphism not pronounced. Measurements: body length 2.95 (2.87-2.90); carapace 0.65/0.82 (0.64-0.65/0.72-0.77); chelicera 0.45/0.24 (0.40-0.50/0.22-0.26), movable finger of chelicera 0.28 (0.26-0.30); pedipalp: trochanter 0.40/0.20 (0.37-0.40/0.20-0.25), femur 0.90/0.20 (0.77-1.00/0.15-0.20), patella 0.63/0.24 (0.50-0.60/0.20-0.23), chela+ 1.52 (1.40-1.55), chela- 1.48 (1.34-1.50), hand+ 0.65/0.40 (0.62-0.71/0.38-0.40), hand- 0.61 (0.60-0.65), movable finger 0.86 (0.79-0.95); leg I: trochanter 0.18/0.15 (0.18-0.22/0.15), femur 0.40/0.10 (0.40-0.55/0.09-0.10), patella 0.33/0.10 (0.27-0.33/0.08-0.10), tibia 0.33/0.08 (0.30-0.35/0.07-0.08), metatarsus 0.24/0.08 (0.22-0.25/0.07-0.08), tarsus 0.30/0.07 (0.28-0.30/0.07); leg IV: trochanter 0.40/0.15 (0.40/0.18), femur 0.36/0.18 (0.30-0.40/0.17-0.20), patella 0.40/0.18 (0.37-0.50/0.18-0.19), femur+patella 0.76 (0.67-0.90), tibia 0.60/0.10 (0.58-0.70/0.10-0.11), metatarsus 0.30/0.08 (0.30-0.33/0.08), tarsus 0.40/0.07 (0.38-0.46/0.07-0.08).

Comparison.

The new species is most similar to N. (N.) vilcekii and N. (N.) speleophilum to the following characters: tarsal claw IV with dorsal accessory tooth, palpal femur without granulate, trichobothrium ist located distinctly proximal to t. The new species differs from N. (N.) vilcekii in the following characters: shorter pedipalpal femur (0.77-1.00 vs. 1.35-1.72 in N. (N.) vilcekii ), shorter hand+ (0.62-0.71 vs. 1.07-1.45) and movable finger (0.79-0.95 vs. 1.32-1.57), higher ratio of length of movable finger to hand+ (1.27-1.33 × vs. 1.06-1.23 ×), lower ratio of length to width of chelal hand+ (1.62-1.77 × vs. 1.81-2.15 ×), longer epistome (moderately long vs. short), smaller number of setae on sternite II (5 vs. 10-15), longer anterolateral process on coxa I (0.06/0.04 vs. 0.04/0.05), smaller number of setae on pedipalpal and leg coxae (see Table 1 ), smaller number of setae on manducatory process of pedipalp (4 vs. 5), and the presence/absence of large median tooth on movable finger of chelicera (absent vs. present) ( Krumpál 1983; Nassirkhani and Snegovaya 2021). The new species differs from N. (N.) speleophilum in the following characters: shorter chela+ (1.40-1.55vs. 1.72-1.80 in N. (N.) speleophilum ), hand+ (0.62-0.71 vs. 0.73-0.80), and movable finger (0.79-0.95 vs. 1.12-1.20), lower ratio movable finger/hand+ (1.27-1.33 × vs. 1.45-1.53 ×), sternite II with 5 setae vs. 11 or 12, longer (as long as lateral sacs) median sac of male genitalia vs. short (lateral sac longer than median) ( Krumpál 1986; Nassirkhani et al. 2020).

Distribution.

Known only from two adjacent Sphagnum bogs, Ispani 1 and Ispani 2, situated near the town of Kobuleti in the Republic of Adjara (Georgia).

Habitats.

In Ispani 1 bog, N. (N.) adjaricum sp. nov. was collected in its northwestern part (site 1), with large relatively dry hummocks (20-40 cm high, 1-2 m wide) and moist flat spaces between them (Fig. 2A ). The new species was collected only from hummocks. The hummocks consisted mainly of loose Sphagnum (with predominant S. papillosum , S. austinii , and S. palustre ; in particular, the latter species was predominant in sample I-37, where one paratype was collected; Fig. 2B ), with common Juncus effusus L., Molinia caerulea arundinacea (Schrank) K. Richt., Rhododendron spp., and Pteridium tauricum V.I. Krecz. Sphagnum was dry to slightly wet, with pH 2.9-3.0 and mineralization of 0.04-0.08 ppt.

In Ispani 2 bog, N. (N.) adjaricum sp. nov. was collected from a flat site in its (site 3; Fig. 1A ) covered by a flat carpet of Sphagnum , with S. papillosum and S. palustre predominant, and with the thinned stands of M. caerulea arundinacea (Fig. 1B ). Sphagnum was wet to moist, with a pH of 4.0 and mineralization of 0.07 ppt.

The new species seems to be rare, considering that only 1-3 specimens were collected at each site, in 10 quantitative samples (sample size of 0.05 m2). As distinct from other pseudoscorpion species, all specimens of N. (N.) adjaricum sp. nov. were collected only from quantitative samples and no specimens were collected by other techniques (sifting, pitfall trapping, and/or rearing from substrata in the lab).

Etymology.

The Latin adjective adjaricum indicates that the new species is named after the Republic of Adjara (= Ajaria), Georgia, where it was discovered.

Figures

Figure 1. The habitat of Neobisium (Neobisium) adjaricum sp. nov.: Ispani 2 bog near the town of Kobuleti (Republic of Adjara, Georgia) A general view of site 3 (10 May 2019) B Sphagnum carpet, with exact location where the holotype was collected (sample I- 11) indicated by an arrow (10 May 2019). Photographs by AP.

Figure 2. The habitat of Neobisium (Neobisium) adjaricum sp. nov.: Ispani 1 bog near the town of Kobuleti (Republic of Adjara, Georgia) A general view of site 1 (30 April 2019) B Sphagnum hummock, with exact location where two paratypes were collected (sample I- 18) indicated by an arrow (11 May 2019). Photographs by AP.

Figure 3. A habitus of Neobisium (Neobisium) adjaricum sp. nov., holotype male, dorsal view B permanent slide mount with Neobisium (Neobisium) vilcekii Krumpal, 1983, holotype male. Scale bar: 1 mm.

Figure 4. Neobisium (Neobisium) adjaricum sp. nov., holotype male A carapace, dorsal view B coxae of pedipalp and legs I-IV, ventral view C sternites II-IV, ventral view D male genitalia, ventral view E right leg IV (without trochanter), dorsal view F sub-terminal seta on pedal tarsus IV. Abbreviation: dat - dorsal accessory tooth. Scale bars: 1.0 mm (A-C, E); 0.1 mm (D, F).

Figure 5. Neobisium (Neobisium) adjaricum sp. nov., holotype male (A-D) and paratype male (E, F) A left chela, dorsal view B right chela, lateral view C right pedipalp (without chela), dorsal view D left chelicera, dorsal view E fixed finger of left chelicera, partial dorsal view F movable finger of left chelicera, partial dorsal view. Abbreviations: trichobothria on fixed chelal finger: eb - exterior basal, esb - exterior sub-basal, est - exterior sub-terminal, et - exterior terminal, ib - interior basal, isb - interior sub-basal, ist - interior sub-terminal, it - interior terminal; trichobothria on movable chelal finger: b - basal, sb - sub-basal, st - sub-terminal, t - terminal; gs - galeal seta; pc - coupled sensilla. Scale bars: 1.0 mm (A-C); 0.1 mm (D-F).

Figure 6. Neobisium (Neobisium) adjaricum sp. nov., holotype male, light microscope images A distal part of left pedal tarsus IV, dorsal view B basal part of pedipalpal patella, dorsal view C epistome, dorsal view D surface of chelal hand, dorsal view E basal part of right chelal fixed finger, lateral view F part of left chelicera (part), dorsal view G part of chelal fingers, lateral view H surface of carapace, dorsal view I pedicel of chela, lateral view J right eyes, dorsal view. Abbreviations: trichobothria on fixed chelal finger: eb - exterior basal, esb - exterior sub-basal, isb - interior sub-basal; trichobothria on movable chelal finger: st - sub-terminal; dat - dorsal accessory tooth; fa, fb - lyrifissures; gs, ls, is, sbs - cheliceral setae; pc - coupled sensilla; tis - tooth close to seta is on chelicera; arrows show glandular pores. Scale bar: 0.1 mm.