Philotella Najt & Weiner 1985
Creators: name: Babenko, Anatoly
name: Shveenkova, Yulia
name: Potapov, Mikhail
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Collembola
Poduromorpha
Neanuridae
Philotella

description: A key to the East Palaearctic species of the genus Philotella *
1 Th. II–III with 1+1 axial setae (Fig. 58)........................................... japonica (Tamura) comb. nov.
- Th. II–III with more axial setae.......................................................................... 2
2 Th. II–III with 3+3 axial setae (p2 present) (Fig. 56)......................................................... 3
- Th. II–III with 2+2 axial setae (p2 absent) (Fig. 57)......................................................... 12
3 Abd. I–III with 3+3 axial setae (p2 present) (Fig. 59)......................................................... 4
- Abd. I–III with 2+2 axial setae (p2 absent) (Fig. 60)......................................................... 7
4 Tibiotarsi with 18–18–17 setae, i.e. seta M absent (Fig. 61).................................. olgae Kniss & Thibaud
- Tibiotarsi with 19–19–18 setae, i.e. seta M present.......................................................... 5 5 Dark coloured species with 5+5 ocelli; dorsolateral group on Th. II–III with two ordinary setae additionally to sensillum (Fig. 62); Abd. I–III with one seta between axial group and sensillum (Fig. 64)............................ obesa Babenko
- White species with or without ocelli; dorsolateral group on Th. II–III with 3–4 ordinary setae additionally to sensillum (Fig. 63); Abd. I–III with two seta between axial group and sensillum (Fig. 65)........................................ 6 6 3+3 uncoloured ocelli present; PAO rounded with 7–9 vesicles (Fig. 66)............................. pallida sp. nov.
- Ocelli absent; PAO elliptical with 12–15 vesicles (Fig. 67)......................................... caeca sp. nov.
7 Tibiotarsi with 18–18–17 setae, i.e. seta M absent (Fig. 61).................................................... 8
- Tibiotarsi with 19–19–18 setae, i.e. seta M present.......................................................... 9
8 5+5 ocelli; Abd. I–III with one setae between axial group and sensillum (Fig. 68); Abd. IV with 2+2 setae between sensilla (Fig. 70)............................................................................... miracli Najt & Weiner
- (2)3+3 ocelli; Abd. II–III with two setae (a3 and p3) between axial group and sensillum (Fig. 69); Abd. IV with 3+3 setae between sensilla (Fig. 71)................................................................... amurica sp. nov.
9 Main part of labium with 2+2 setae between sensorial elements, i.e. labium of the first type (Fig. 72)................. 10
- Main part of labium with 1+1 setae between sensorial elements, i.e. labium of the second type (Fig. 73)............... 11
10 3+3 ocelli present; two marginal setae of the second row on labrum clearly longer (Fig. 74); lateral sensilla on Th. II and sensilla of Abd. IV shorter and clearly thickened (Fig. 76)............................................... cedrina sp. nov.
- 5+5 ocelli present; three setae in the second labral row are longer (Fig. 75); all dorsal sensilla similar (Fig. 77)...................................................................................................... pax sp. nov.
11 Lateral sensilla on Th. II and dorsal ones on Abd. IV short and strongly thickened (Fig. 78); granulation moderate.................................................................................................. alba sp. nov.
- All sensilla on terga similar in shape; tegument granulation very coarse............................ aliniensis sp. nov.
12 Dorsolateral group on Th. II–III with sensilla p 3 in forward position (Fig. 79)............ porcella (Fjellberg) comb. nov.
- Dorsolateral group on Th. II–III with sensilla p 3 in backward position below ordinary setae (Fig. 80)................. 13
13 Dark blue coloured species with 3+3 or 5+5 ocelli.......................................................... 14
- Body «bluish gray», paler ventrally; 2+2 ocelli present.............................. grana (Lee & Kim) comb. nov.
14 Tibiotarsi with 18–18–17 setae, i.e. seta M absent (Fig. 61); 5+5 ocelli......................................... 15
- Tibiotarsi with 19–19–18 setae, i.e. seta M present; 3+3 ocelli.................................. oligotricha sp. nov.
15 Labium of the first type with 2+2 setae between sensorial elements (Fig. 72); Abd. IV–V with only 1+1 setae between sensilla (Fig. 81)....................................................................... deharvengi Najt & Weiner
- Labium of the second type with 1+1 setae between sensorial elements (Fig. 73); Abd. IV–V with 2+2 setae between sensilla (Fig. 82)............................................................................ tertia Najt & Weiner
* Species of the Micranurida / Philotella complex of the region with elongated antennal sensilla not included in the key:
Two more species of this complex, which position in the existing generic classification is not clear, are known in East Asia. These are M. montana Lee & Kim, 1984 and M. tuberculata Lee & Kim, 1984, both described from South Korea and both showing elongated antennal sensilla. Therefore, neither fits the diagnosis of the genus Micranurida sensu Deharveng (1982). This was well known to the authors, who wrote that the situation “… prevents us from assigning the present taxon neither to Rusekella nor to Micranurida sensu Deharveng ”, but “… to leave it, for the time, with Micranurida sensu Massoud which certainly is polyphyletic ” (p. 18). Najt & Weiner (1985) also considered that these species did not fit the diagnosis of the genus Philotella, even when it was expanded to include species with reduced ocelli.
M. montana is a large species (up to 2.3 mm) with 5+5 ocelli and very peculiar chaetotaxy. For instance, it has a2 setae on Th. II–III, which is not at all characteristic of this generic complex (Fjellberg 1985a). The dorsal chaetotaxy of M. tuberculata, which has 2+2 ocelli, is more similar to that of species of the genus Philotella, but its serrate maxilla with 8–9 minute teeth (p. 18) is not typical of the genus.
Species that do not correspond to the diagnosis of the genus Micranurida sensu Deharveng (1982), but are listed at www.collembola.org within this genus, are also present in other areas of the Holarctic. In Europe, these are M. anophthalmica and M. forsslundi; in North America, M. furcifera and M. valiana Fjellberg, 1985. All of them have elongated antennal sensilla, which is more consistent with the existing diagnosis of Philotella. Obviously, while maintaining the validity of the latter genus, in the future it will be necessary to clarify the generic status of all forms listed above.
description: Published as part of Babenko, Anatoly, Shveenkova, Yulia & Potapov, Mikhail, 2022, New species of the genus Philotella Najt & Weiner, 1985 (Collembola, Neanuridae, Pseudachorutinae) from the Russian Far East, pp. 525-550 in Zootaxa 5174 (5) on pages 547-549, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5174.5.3, http://zenodo.org/record/6986712