Armadillo mayeti Simon 1885
Creators: name: Charfi-Cheikhrouha, Faouzia
name: Hamaied, Sonia
name: Medini-Bouaziz, Lamia
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Malacostraca
Isopoda
Armadillidae
Armadillo
Armadillo mayeti

description: Armadillo mayeti Simon, 1885
(Figures 1 (A–B), 2(A–C), 3(A–E), 4(A–E), 5(A–E), 6(A–C))
Material examined
Specimens collected at Soukra (Sfax) in sandy habitat near hedges under cladodes of Opuntia ficus-indica: 6 ♂♂ 14 ♀♀, 6/XI/2016; 2 ♂♂ 4 ♀♀, 8/IV/2018; 3 ♀♀, 5/I/2020; 5 ♀♀, 17/X/2020; 2 ♂♂ 4 ♀♀, 20/III/2021; Regaiet (35.005°N, 10.444°E) in stony habitat: 1 ♀, 19/ X/1996; Solb (33.185°N, 11.1110°E) in stony habitat: numerous specimens 26/III/1997; 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀, 25/III/1998; Oued ElAkarit (34.023°N, 9.586°E) 2 ♀♀, 27/III/1997.
Redescription (based on specimens from Soukra, Sfax)
Body length male 9.7 mm, female 8 mm. Convex body without elongated antenna and uropods; endoantennal conglobation (Figure 1 (A)).
Colouration uniform, light orange brown (Figure 1 (A, B)); pereopods and antenna unpigmented (Figure 1 (B)).
Tergal surface covered with fine granulations and short triangular scale-setae better visible under scanning microcope (Figures 2 (A), 6(C)).
Cephalon much wider than long; width:length ratio about 4:1; upper edge straight; devoid of antennal lobes, frontal line well defined, delimiting narrower frontal area; eyes with 10 ommatidia (Figure 2 (A)).
Pereion: pereonites I–VII epimera with noduli laterales inserted near posterior margins; pereonite I grooved on lateral margin on all its length, deeper in its posterior part; schisma deep with rounded lobes, inner lobe surpassing posterior margin of outer lobe. Epimera II welded forward and separated backward with V-shape clearly visible on live specimens, with inner lobe not surpassing posterior margin of epimera (Figure 2 (B)).
Pleon: Male pleonite I with caudal bi-lobed lamellar process on ventral position, triangular with pointed apex and covering the basis of genital papilla (Figure 2 (C)). Pleonites III–V (Figure 1 (A)) with rectangular epimera well developed. Five pairs of lungs on exopodites of pleopods not well discernable in preserved specimens.
Telson hourglass-shaped, broader than long, ratio about 2:1, basal part three-times longer than distal one, distal margin straight (Figure 6 (E)).
Antennula (Figure 3 (B)) with second article shorter than proximal and distal one; 9 aesthetacs inserted subapically on distal article.
Antennal peduncle with 5 articles, fifth article 1.25 longer than bi-articulated flagellum, distal article of flagellum nearly three-times as long as proximal (Figure 3 (A)).
Mandibles with molar penicil bearing several hairy branches, dense cushion of setae inserted between molar and incisor processes; right mandible bearing 9 + 1 penicils (Figure 4 (A)), left mandible 4 + 4 penicils (Figure 4 (B)). Maxillula (Figure 4 (D)) inner endite bearing 2 long penicils; outer endite composed of 4 + 6 simple teeth. Maxilla (Figure 4 (E)) apically bilobate bearing thin setae in distal margin; outer lobe slightly more than twice as wide as inner lobe. Maxilliped (Figure 4 (C)) basis rectangular; endite distal edge bearing 2 short setae; palp with 1 seta in the first article. Pereopods stout, not pigmented. Pereopod 1 (Figure 5 (A)) carpus with sternal brush of short setae, longitudinal antennal grooming brush; carpus 1 and 7 around 1.5-times longer than merus. Male pereopod 7 ischium without distinct specialisation, basis without distal sternal lobe (Figure 5 (B)). Stridulation apparatus visible only under scanning electron microscope on propodus of pereopods 4 and 5, forming one row of chain scales (Figure 6 (A, B)). Regarding its chemical composition, the scale contains numerous elements with a high carbon rate (58.71%) followed by calcium (19.63%), oxygen, aluminium, etc. (Table 1).
Male pleopod 1 exopodite short, nearly as long as wide, distal outer margin concave, triangular distal part with broad base and rounded tip (Figure 5 (C)); endopodite nearly three-times as long as exopodite with distal portion narrowed, slightly bent outwards (Figure 5 (D)). Pleopod 2 exopodite elongate, concave on outer margin, inner margin straight with elongated and narrowed distal portion; endopodite narrow, as long as exopodite, with tapering distal apical section (Figure 5 (E)).
Uropod covering gap between telson and pleon; protopod flattened with concave medial margin, distal part longer than wide with truncated apex; endopodite inserted ventrally, and covered with setae (Figure 3 (E)); exopodite tiny, inserted dorsally, near of narrowest part of telson (Figure 3 (C, D)).
Distribution
A.rmadillo mayeti is endemic to southern Tunisia. It is currently collected, in small numbers, at Soukra and Regayet (Sfax), Oued EL Akarit (Gabes) and Solb (Ben Guirdane). To date, Sfax governorate, represents the northern limit of its distribution.
description: Published as part of Charfi-Cheikhrouha, Faouzia, Hamaied, Sonia & Medini-Bouaziz, Lamia, 2024, Redescription of the terrestrial isopod Armadillo mayeti Simon, 1885 and its comparison with Armadillo officinalis Duméril, 1816 from Tunisian populations, pp. 1961-1977 in Journal of Natural History 58 (41 - 44) on pages 1963-1964, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2024.2404258, http://zenodo.org/record/14241505