Tasmanentulus tasmanicus
Creators: name: Shrubovych, Julia
name: D'Haese, Cyrille
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Protura
Acerentomidae
Tasmanentulus
Tasmanentulus tasmanicus

description: Tasmanentulus tasmanicus (Tuxen, 1967)
(Figs. 63–80, Table 3)
Gracilentulus tasmanicus Tuxen, 1967: p. 31 –34, Figs. 37–41. Material examined
Two females and one Larva II. New locality: Australia, Tasmania, Derwent Bridge, Cradle Mountain, Lake St Clair National Park, Lake St Clair, Shadow Lake track, sifter + Berlese, leaf litter under Nothofagus, N 42.10881°, E 146.16175°, 758 m elev., 31.III.2015, collected by C. D’Haese.
Additional description. Head with short setae, cephalic setae l3 setiform and short, sd4 and sd5 sensilliform and short, seta d6 absent, length ratio of posterior setae d7: sd7 as 1.0:2 (Figs. 63–65). Pseudoculus circular, with short posterior extension, PR = 14 (Fig. 63). Maxillary palps with tuft of apical setae; labial palps reduced to three setae and sausage-shaped basal sensillum (see Tuxen 1967: Fig. 37). Maxillary gland with rounded calyx, long posterior filament without posterior dilation, CF = 8.4 (see Tuxen 1981: Fig. 26).
Foretarsus with sensillum b’, t1 claviform (Fig. 66), t3 long and parallelogram-like (Fig. 67). Other sensilla slender and parallel-sided. Sensillum a extending past base of t2. Sensillum b shorter than c, reaching base of seta γ3. Sensillum c reaching base of sensillum e. Sensillum c inserted just distal to base of sensillum b, sensillum d inserted close to base of sensillum c. Sensillum a’ extending past base of b’. Sensillum b’ extending past base of sensillum c’, apex of sensillum c’ extending past the base of claw (see Tuxen 1967: Fig. 39). Length formula of sensilla: t3 <t1 <(g = a’) <b <a <(c = e = f = b’ = c’) <(d = t2). Setae β1 and δ4 slender, setiform and shorter than other δ- setae (β1 and δ4 5 μm, seta δ1 10 μm). Pores on foretarsus near bases of sensillum a and sensillum t3. Claw short, without inner tooth, empodial appendage short. BS = 0.3, TR = 2.2, EU = 0.1.
Chaetotaxy formula given Table 3. Setae on nota strongly differing in length. Pronotal setae 1:2 = 1.0:2.3. Meso- and metanotal setae P1a and P2a minute, oblong (Fig. 68), P2a situated very close to P3, seta P5 gemmate (Figs. 69, 70). Seta P4 on metanotum long, not modified (Fig. 70). Mesonotum with sl and al pores (Fig. 69), metanotum with sl pore only. Pro- and mesosterna without pores, metasternum with sc pore (Fig. 72). Setae A2 on thoracic sterna sensilliform and short, 4 μm in length; prosternal M2 sensilliform, length 2 μm, about half that of A2 (Figs. 71, 72).
Accessory setae P1a, P2a and P4a on abdominal tergites I–VI sensilliform and short, their lengths 2 μm, on tergite VII setiform and short, lengths 4 μm. Seta P3 on abdominal tergites II–VI inserted anteriorly to other setae of P -row, P3 on tergites I and VII on the same level with other setae of P -row (Fig. 73). Abdominal tergite VII with two connecting lines in anterior part (Fig. 73). Pores psm present on abdominal tergites I–VII close to seta P1a, al pores on tergites II–VII, psl on tergites V–VII (Fig. 73).
Abdominal legs with 4, 2, 2 setae. Subapical seta on second and third pairs of abdominal legs twice the length of the apical seta, subapical seta length 30 μm, apical setae 15 μm (Fig. 76). Shape and length of accessory setae P1a on abdominal sternites I–VII the same as on abdominal tergites I–VII: on sternites I–VI sensilliform and short, on sternite VII setiform and longer (Figs. 77, 78). Abdominal sternite I with spm pore, sternites II–IV and VII with asymmetrical spsm pore (Figs. 74, 75, 78), sternites V–VI with a pair of spsm pores situated close to bases of setae P1a (Fig. 77).
Striate band on segment VIII with visible striae and hook-shaped design (Figs. 79, 80). Pore psm on tergite VIII with several accompanying teeth. Posterior margin of abdominal sternite VIII and laterotergites smooth (Fig. 79). Comb on tergite VIII with 14 long, slender teeth (see Tuxen 1967: Fig. 40). Abdominal sternites IX–XII with smooth hind margin and with setae of different lengths, medial setae half the length of lateral setae. Segment XII with medial pore on dorsal lobe of segment XII and a pair of sternal anterolateral pores.
Body measurements (2 females) (in μm): body length 1150; head 168; pseudoculus 8; posterior part of maxillary gland 20; head setae d7 10, sd7 20; pronotal setae 1 41, 2 18, metanotal setae P1 50, P1a 2, P2 54; foretarsus 118, claw 35, empodial appendage 3.
Remarks. These additions to the morphology of T. tasmanicus are described from specimens collected in a locality close to type locality in Tasmania, Mt. Wellington (Tuxen 1967). These additions include morphological characters and measurements not analyzed or described earlier in the original description and redescriptions (Tuxen 1967): shape of maxillary gland, chaetotaxy of head, thoracic sterna, length and shape of body setae, and porotaxy and lineation of abdominal tergites. The species is characterized by the absence of an additional seta d6 on head, presence of seta P1a on abdominal tergites I–VI, short foretarsal sensillum a reaching to the base of sensillum t2, short sensillum b reaching the base of seta γ3, and shape of comb with 14 long, slender teeth. Due to possession of four setae on reduced labial palps and the presence of posterior setae on sternite VIII (in some specimens) the species could be included in genus Tasmanentulus. The species differs from the other Australian Tasmanentulus species, T. similis (Tuxen, 1967) by possession of foretarsal sensillum b’ and 8 A -setae on abdominal tergites VI–VII.
The New Zealand species T. intermedius Tuxen, 1986 differs from the two Australian Tasmanentulus species in possession of broad foretarsal sensillum a’, presence of seta Ac on tergite VII (7 A -setae; 8 A -setae in T. tasmanicus and 6 A -setae in T. similis) and fewer of teeth on comb (7–9 teeth compared with 14–15 and 9–10, respectively).
description: Published as part of Shrubovych, Julia & D'Haese, Cyrille, 2024, Phylogeny of Australian Acerentomidae species (Protura: Acerentomidae), with a key to identification, pp. 86-104 in Zootaxa 5453 (1) on pages 97-100, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5453.1.4, http://zenodo.org/record/11233458