Neobisium (Neobisium) knoflachae Gardini & Gardini, 2025, n. sp.
Creators: name: Gardini, Giulio
name: Gardini, Pietro
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Pseudoscorpiones
Neobisiidae
Neobisium
Neobisium knoflachae

description: Neobisium (Neobisium) knoflachae n. sp.
(Figs 30–36, 78)
Type locality: France, Corsica, Haute-Corse, Calvi, Forêt de Bonifatu, Bocca di Erbaghiolu (42°25’15.0”N 8°50’15.5”E).
Distribution. France: Corsica.
Diagnosis (♂ ♀). An epigean large-sized Neobisium from Corsica that differs from other Mediterranean species of the genus in the following combination of characters: carapace with 2–4 preocular and 11–14 setae on posterior margin; ocular and median rows of carapace with a total of 12 setae; epistome obtuse triangular; both eyes with convex lens and tapetum, anterior eyes at a distance approximately equal to their diameter from the edge of the carapace; tergites I–IV: 8–12:11–13:10–13:10–11; cheliceral palm with 7 setae, rallum with 8 (rarely 9) blades; fixed chelal finger irregularly heterodentate, with contiguous teeth; fixed and movable chelal fingers with 106–118 and 87–101 teeth, respectively; movable chelal finger with evident dentition along its entire length; pedipalpal femur 1.70–2.00 mm length (5.26–5.51 ×), patella 1.20–1.42 mm (3.24–3.43 ×), with narrow distal patella opening (X/Y = 0.52-0.60); chelal hand with very slightly raised sub-hemispheric granules giving the surface an “orange peel” appearance; pedipalpal hand with an oval profile and its maximum width just before the middle, both sides equally convex (dorsal view); movable chelal finger 1.94–2.21 mm; ratio between movable chelal finger and chelal hand with pedicel lengths 1.45–1.55; ratio between pedipalpal femur and movable chelal finger lengths 0.87–0.90; ratio between pedipalpal femur and carapace lengths 1.56–1.63; trichobothrium ist distal st, closer to the finger tip than to isb.
Type material. FRANCE — Corsica: municipality of Calvi: 1♀ (holotype), “Th-408 [Co-01/7]: 2.5.2001 / Corse: Calvi, Forêt de Bonifatu / uhb. Bocca di Erbaghiolu c. 1150m / Kiefernwald, unter Blockwerk / leg. B. Knoflach & K. Thaler / Neobisium 2”, (42°25’15.0”N 8°50’15.5”E) (MHNG); Paratypes: 1♀, same data as for holotype (coll. G. Gardini, Genoa); 1♂ 1♀, “Th-415 [Co-01/13] / Calvi 11.9.01 / V. Fango, Bardiana / 244m; B. & K. Thaler ” (42°21’51.2”N 8°47’07.0”E) (MHNG).
Derivatio nominis. Dedicated to the arachnologist Barbara Thaler-Knoflach (Innsbruck), who collected these specimens, generously donated to G. Gardini together with the Pseudoscorpions collected during the excursions she made, with Konrad Thaler, in the Mediterranean-Macaronesian area during the years 1985 to 2004 (Knoflach 2009); this material is now stored in the Muséum d’histoire naturelle, Geneva.
Description of adults (♂ ♀). Carapace, chelicerae, pedipalps and palpal coxae fawn brown, chelal fingers of the same colour of the hand; pedipalps smooth, except for the chelal hand, which has very slightly raised subcircular granules that give the surface an ‘orange peel’ appearance; pleural membrane granular. Carapace 1.43 (♂) or 1.30–1.38 (♀) times as long as broad (width measured anteriorly), with four eyes (Fig. 30) with tapetum; anterior eyes with convex lens (diameter 0.11–0.15 mm), the posterior ones weakly reduced (diameter 0.09–0.11); distance from anterior eyes to anterior margin of carapace 0.10–0.12 mm; anterior eyes are at a distance approximately equal to their diameter from the edge of the carapace; distance from anterior to posterior eyes 0.03–0.04 mm; anterior margin of carapace with obtuse triangular epistome (Fig. 30) apically rounded (0.030 –0.035 mm length), with few apical denticles; chaetotaxy 4:6:6:11–14, plus 2–4 pre- or subocular setae on each side. Chaetotaxy of tergites I–X (♂ ♀): 8–12:11–13:10–13:10–11:11–12:10–12:10–12:10–13:10–12:6–8. Chaetotaxy of sternites II–X (♂): 20:(3) 45(3):(3)20(3):22:21:20:20:17:17, median genital sac and setae of genital atrium not seen; chaetotaxy of sternites II–X (♀): 6–8:(3)22–24(3):(3)16–18(3):16–18:16–19:16–17:16:18:10. Chelicera (Fig. 32) 1.87–2.05 (♂ ♀) times as long as broad, palm with 7 setae; fixed finger with 10–15 teeth, the 7–10 proximal spaced, the 5–7 distal small and contiguous; movable finger with about 12 teeth, of which a large one just distal gs; gs ratio 0.68–0.70, spinneret subcircular, slightly prominent in female, more reduced in male; rallum with 8 (rarely 9) blades, the distal one laterally pinnate and isolated on a prominence, the second one serrate, the successive ones smooth, the proximal isolated and very short; serrulae interior and exterior with about 35 and 40 blades, respectively. Manducatory process with 5 setae. Coxal setae (♂ ♀): pedipalp 13–14, I 11–12, II 12–13, III 12, IV 14–17; anterolateral process of coxa I (Fig. 31) strongly prominent and pointed, anteromedial process slightly prominent and apically rounded, with evident spiniform processes. Pedipalp (Figs 33, 35–36): trochanter 2.35 (♂) or 2.43–2.55 (♀) times as long as broad, with a slightly prominent tubercle on antiaxial face; femur 5.51 (♂) or 5.26–5.48 (♀) times as long as broad; patella 3.41 (♂) or 3.24–3.43 (♀) times as long as broad, ratio X/Y = 0.52–0.60 (♂ ♀), with 8–9 sensilla on the dorsal face of pedicel; chela with pedicel 4.25 (♂) or 3.82–4.46 (♀) times as long as broad; hand of chela with pedicel 1.74 (♂) or 1.65–1.88 (♀) times as long as broad, with oval profile and its maximum width just before the middle, both sides equally convex (dorsal view); fingers curved in dorsal view, almost straight in antiaxial view (Figs 35–36); fixed chelal finger heterodentate (Fig. 36), with 106–118 (♂ ♀) pointed contiguous teeth, nodus ramosus subterminal; movable chelal finger with 87–101 teeth (♂ ♀), these are low, not sharp, and progressively lower towards the proximal part of the finger; all teeth with dental canals; trichobothria as in figs 35–36, relative position of trichobothria along chelal axis (♂ ♀): it 0.07–0.09/ et 0.08–0.11/ est 0.12 –0.16/ ist 0.19–0.225/ isb 0.83–0.855/ ib 0.87–0.93/ esb 0.935–0.95/ eb 0.95–0.96/ t 0.12–0.15/ st 0.24–0.28/ sb 0.66–0.72/ b 0.88–0.89; trichobothrium est at level of t; trichobothrium ist distal st, closer to the finger tip than to isb; trichobothrium isb just distal ib; ratio between movable finger and hand of chela with pedicel lengths 1.55 (♂) or 1.45–1.53 (♀); ratio between pedipalpal femur and movable finger lengths 0.89 (♂) or 0.87–0.90 (♀); ratio between pedipalpal femur and carapace lengths 1.58 (♂) or 1.56–1.63 (♀). Leg IV (Fig. 34): trochanter 2.75 (♂) or 2.37–2.71 (♀) times as long as deep, femur + patella 3.85 (♂) or 4.25–4.42 (♀) times as long as deep, tibia 8.45 (♂) or 8.00–8.64 (♀) times [TS = 0.41–0.44 (♂ ♀)], basitarsus 5.15 (♂) or 5.55–5.68 (♀) times [TS = 0.12–0.15 (♂ ♀)], telotarsus 7.66 (♂) or 7.30–7.50 (♀) times as long as deep [TS = 0.48–0.57 (♂ ♀)], ratio between basitarsus and telotarsus lengths 0.97 (♂) or 0.88–1.0 (♀), subterminal seta furcate with little indentations (Fig. 34), claws apparently without dorsal tooth.
Measurements. Body length 3.7–4.4 (♀) (male with contracted opisthosoma). Carapace 1.15 × 0.80 anteriorly (♂) or 1.04–1.28 × 0.75–0.95 anteriorly (♀). Chelicera 0.77 × 0.375 (♂) or 0.755–0.88 × 0.385–0.47 (♀); movable finger length 0.505 (♂) or 0.495–0.57 (♀). Pedipalp: trochanter 0.80 × 0.34 (♂) or 0.78–0.97 × 0.32–0.38 (♀); femur 1.82 × 0.33 (♂) or 1.70–2.00 × 0.31–0.38 (♀); patella 1.33 × 0.39 (♂) or 1.20–1.42 × 0.35–0.44 (♀); chela with pedicel 3.19 × 0.75 (depth 0.685) (♂) or 3.01–3.52 × 0.673 –0.920 (depth 0.645–0.85) (♀); hand with pedicel length 1.31 (♂) or 1.27–1.52 (♀); movable finger length 2.04 (♂) or 1.94–2.21 (♀). Leg IV: trochanter 0.66 × 0.24 (♂) or 0.57–0.66 × 0.24–0.275 (♀); femur + patella 1.52 × 0.395 (♂) or 1.49–1.70 × 0.33–0.40 (♀); tibia 1.31 × 0.155 (♂) or 1.24–1.47 × 0.155–0.17 (♀); basitarsus 0.67 × 0.13 (♂) or 0.625–0.75 × 0.11–0.135 (♀); telotarsus 0.69 × 0.09 (♂) or 0.71–0.75 × 0.095–0.10 (♀).
Remarks. Among the species of Neobisium of the Corsican-Sardinian complex showing a heterodentate fixed chelal finger and anterior eyes at a distance equal to their diameter from the carapace margin, Neobisium (Neobisium) knoflachae n. sp. is morphologically similar to Neobisium (Neobisium) settei Callaini, 1982, an epigean species described from Lac de Melo (central Corsica). It differs from N. settei mainly in the following characters: carapace with 2–4 preocular setae on each side (1 seta on each side in N. settei), pedipalpal femur 1.70–2.00 mm length (1.11–1.20 mm in N. settei), patella 1.20–1.42 mm length (0.85–0.90 mm in N. settei), movable chelal finger 1.94– 2.21 mm length (1.26–1.32 mm in N. settei), fixed and movable chelal fingers with 106–118 and 87–101 teeth, respectively (75–83 and 64–67 teeth, respectively, in N. settei), ratio between pedipalpal femur and carapace lengths 1.56–1.63 (1.24–1.40 in N. settei), relative position of trichobothrium ist 0.19–0.225 (0.305–0.34 in N. settei).
description: Published as part of Gardini, Giulio & Gardini, Pietro, 2025, The epigean pseudoscorpions of the genus Neobisium from Corsica and Sardinia with description of a new species (Pseudoscorpiones: Neobisiidae), pp. 93-127 in Zootaxa 5627 (1) on pages 107-110, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5627.1.3, http://zenodo.org/record/15325129