Lepidocyrtus lusitanicus
Creators: name: Mateos, Eduardo
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2008
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Entognatha
Collembola
Entomobryidae
Lepidocyrtus
Lepidocyrtus lusitanicus

description: Lepidocyrtus lusitanicus species-complex
Figs 30–35, Tab. 1
Diagnosis. Small Lepidocyrtus (1 mm of maximum body length) with mesothorax not projecting over the head and body color very variable, from white to purple and with variable color pattern (Figs 30–34; see: Figs 2–3, Figs 21–25 and Fig. 28). Antennae, legs and dorsal side of manubrium not scaled. Ant. IV with simple or bilobed nonretractile apical bulb. Labium with all setae of posterior row ciliated, with one or two M setae, with or without seta R. Labrum 4/554; prelabral setae ciliated, labral setae smooth; inverted U-shaped labral apical intrusion. Ventral cephalic groove with 3+3 setae, all ciliated or 2+2 ciliated and 1+1 (posterior) smooth. Head with 5–9 macrochaetae A. Interocular chaetotaxy with ciliated setae s, t, r, q, p, without scales. Dorsal macrochaetae formula: R0R1R2STSo/10/0301+3, with a pair of supplementary macrochaetae R1s between R0 and R1. Abd. II setae a2, m3 and m3e ciliated macrochaetae; seta a2p absent. Abd. IV without seta s, seta D1p ciliated and twice as long as other setae in the trichobotrial complex. Trochanteral organ V-shaped, formed by 5–8 smooth setae. Inner edge of the unguis with basal pair teeth and one or two unpaired teeth. Manubrial plate with 2 internal setae and 2–5 external setae.
The species-complex included the following taxa: L. lusitanicus lusitanicus, L. lusitanicus coloratus, L. lusitanicus nigrus, L. lusitanicus piezoensis, L. lusitanicus form A, L. selvaticus and L. bilobatus sp. nov (form A and form B).
Ecology and distribution. L. lusitanicus species-complex has a wide distribution in the Iberian Peninsula (see: Jordana et al. 1990, Arbea & Ariza 2007, Simón 2007). L. lusitanicus s. str. has been cited in one occasion from the Balearic Islands (Menorca Island: Monte Toro, Arbea & Jordana 1990) and in one occasion from the French Pyrenees (Haute Vallée de l’Aude: Usson, 850 m altitude, Bonnet et al. 1979). L. lusitanicus species-complex can be thought of as endemic to the Iberian region, including Balearic Island and French Pyrenees (Fig. 35). The specimens live on herbaceous vegetation or in soil; they can inhabit various types of forest or on beach herbaceous vegetation, and a very wide altitudinal range (from sea level up to 1800 meters above sea level). The intestinal contents of all the examined specimens consists of fungal hyphae and spores.
Discussion. The definition of L. lusitanicus species-complex is justified because, in all included taxa, abd. II setae a2, m3 and m3e are ciliated macrochaetae; in all other European Lepidocyrtus species seta a2 is smooth or ciliate mesochaeta, and seta m3e is smooth mesochaeta, so their presence as ciliated macrochaetae is a diagnostic character of L. lusitanicus species-complex within European Lepidocyrtus fauna. Globally, the L. lusitanicus species-complex shows five different color patterns (Figs 30–35); both L. lusitanicus and L. bilobatus sp. nov. show body color variability, especially the former, while L. selvaticus only includes unpigmented individuals.
description: Published as part of Mateos, Eduardo, 2008, Definition of Lepidocyrtus lusitanicus Gama, 1964 species-complex (Collembola, Entomobryidae), with description of new species and color forms from the Iberian Peninsula, pp. 38-54 in Zootaxa 1917 on pages 50-51, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.184638