Karschia (Karschia) shannan Fan, Zhang & Zhang, 2024, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Fan, Wenlong
name: Zhang, Chao
name: Zhang, Feng
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Solifugae
Karschiidae
Karschia
Karschia shannan

description: Karschia (Karschia) shannan sp. nov.
Materials
Type status: Holotype. Occurrence: recordedBy: Xiangbo Guo; sex: male; lifeStage: adult; occurrenceID: 1C596901-1780-5A92-8615-CB5AC70B46E9; Taxon: scientificName: Karschia (Karschia) shannan; Location: country: China; stateProvince: Xizang Autonomous Region; county: Gongga; municipality: Shannan; locality: Jiangtang Town; verbatimElevation: 3560 m; verbatimCoordinates: 29.3213 ° N, 90.6874 ° E; Identification: identifiedBy: Wenlong Fan; Event: year: 2023; month: July; day: 6; Record Level: language: English; institutionID: the Museum of Hebei University (MHBU); institutionCode: MHBU-Sol-XZ 2023070601
Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: recordedBy: Xiangbo Guo; sex: 1 male, 1 female; lifeStage: adult; occurrenceID: F48EB559-A918-5B3B-933C-9E7D9F1C91AC; Taxon: scientificName: Karschia (Karschia) shannan; Location: country: China; stateProvince: Xiang Autonomous Region; county: Gongga; municipality: Shannan; locality: Jiangtang Town; verbatimElevation: 3560 m; verbatimCoordinates: 29.3213 ° N, 90.6874 ° E; Identification: identifiedBy: Wenlong Fan; Event: year: 2023; month: July; day: 6; Record Level: language: English; institutionID: the Museum of Hebei University (MHBU); institutionCode: 1 male MHBU-Sol-XZ 2023070602 1 female MHBU-Sol-XZ 2023070603
Description
Adult male (holotype) (Fig. 1 A, B, Figs 2, 3, Fig. 10 A, B and E).
Measurements. Total body length 19.16, CH 1.84, CL 5.67, CW 1.72, PL 2.67, PW 3.31, A / CP 6.84, CL / CH 3.08. Pedipalp 19.42 (4.21, 6.80, 4.28, 1.14), leg Ⅰ 14.45 (2.97, 4.17, 2.48, 1.20), leg Ⅱ 12.74 (2.81, 3.25, 1.98, 0.98), leg Ⅲ 16.06 (3.51 4.34, 2.35, 0.96), leg Ⅳ 23.06 (4.33, 7.04, 3.63, 1.72).
Coloration. General body colouration pale yellowish with opisthosoma slightly darker; a chestnut pigmentation may be present on distal areas of the propeltidium, on the pedipalps (from the femur to the tarsus) and dorsal surface of the legs (from the femur to the tarsus) (Fig. 1 A and B). Cheliceral manus predominantly yellowish, with some black areas and, in retrolateral view, with three black longitudinal stripes; cheliceral fingers with apices burnt umber (Fig. 2 A and B). Opisthosomal tergites black and the side of sternites black (Fig. 1 A and B).
Prosoma. Propeltidium wider than long (i. e. ratio of PL / PH 0.81), with very thin, ﬁliform hair-like setae and some bifurcated tip setae of different sizes perpendicular to the surface of the propeltidium (Fig. 2 D). Anterior arci with four spiniform setae of different sizes on each side of ocular tubercle; posterior arci bears a row of 12 longer, thin, ﬁliform setae (partial shedding) (Fig. 2 D). Ocular tubercle with four anterior medial spiniform setae, one central medial spiniform seta and two posterior medial spiniform setae (Fig. 2 D). Lateral lobes partially fused to the propeltidium and each lobe with one spiniform seta (Fig. 2 D). Mesopeltidium and metapeltidium wider than long; mesopeltidium rhomboidal; metapeltidium rectangular.
Cheliceral dentition and processes. Fixed finger with median teeth series comprising three primary teeth (FP, FM and FD), graded as FD ﹤ FP ﹤ FM, plus two secondary FSM teeth and two secondary FSD teeth; profondal teeth series with four teeth (a very reduced PFM, a tiny PFP, two tiny PFSP) (not annotated on Figs.); retrofondal teeth series with four teeth (RFA, RFM, RFP, RFSP); mucron with a small dorsal crest and apex (FT tooth) curved and hook-shaped (Fig. 2 A, B, Fig. 3 A and B). Movable ﬁnger with median teeth series comprising two primary teeth (MM and MP), plus two secondary MSM and three MSP teeth; mucron with a centrally depressed prolateral flange (Fig. 2 A, B, Fig. 3 A and B).
Cheliceral setose areas and stridulatory plate. Retrolateral and dorsal surface of the manus with large bifurcated tip setae and short simple tip bristle-like setae (rlm series); retrolateral and dorsal surfaces of the ﬁxed ﬁnger with simple tip setae of different sizes (rlf series) (Fig. 2 A and Fig. 3 A); prolateral surface with an array of setal types, as follows: proventral distal setae (pvd) consisting of two rows of plumose setae, the ventral-most reaching the distal PFSP tooth and the dorsal-most reaching the prolateral interdigital condyle (pic); two fcp (i. e. modified pvd); proventral subdistal setae (pvsd comb) forming a single row with about 13–15 spindly setae; the promedial setae (pm) series made up of thin, barbed, simple tipped bristle-like setae; the proximal prodorsal area is covered with some long, simple tipped, non-barbed bristle-like setae (pdp); stridulatory apparatus with 4 well-developed ridges occupying the anterior ventral region of the stridulatory plate (Fig. 2 B and Fig. 3 B). Distal limit of the prolateral setose area of the movable finger reaching the MSM tooth; movable finger prodorsal (mpd) setal series consisting of plumose setae arranged in a rather staggered row, adjacent to abundant non-plumose setae of the movable finger promedial (mpm) and proventral (mpv) setal series (Fig. 2 B and Fig. 3 B).
Cheliceral flagellar complex. Of the composite type, sessile, without fringe, but with a very small lateral apophysis (Fig. 2 C and Fig. 3 E). Flagellum rotatable, long, rolled and structure immovably attached prodorsally to the fixed finger (Fig. 2 B and Fig. 3 B). Two medium-length flagellar complex plumose (fcp) setae located ventrally to the flagellum and two swollen-based flagellar complex spiniform (fcs) setae arising dorsoproximally to the flagellar attachment point (Fig. 2 B, C, Fig. 3 B and E).
Opisthosoma. Entire surface covered with almost adpressed fine setae and numerous long, curved, bifurcate setae and tergites with abundant setae. Sternite Ⅲ with two posterior paramedian groups of needle-like ctenidia, being gradually larger towards the posterior margin (Fig. 2 E and Fig. 3 H); sternite Ⅳ with a row of 13 short and thick columnar ctenidia (Fig. 2 F and Fig. 3 I).
Pedipalps. All segment covered with short fine setae and long, thick setae. Tarsus ventrally with nine short strong spines without symmetrical arrangement; metatarsus with seven ventral spines, 2 / 1 / 2 / 1 / 1 pattern and with densely packed papillae (Fig. 10 A and B).
Legs. Totally covered with long, thick setae and short setae. Leg Ⅰ spineless with two small claws. Tibiae Ⅱ, Ⅲ and Ⅳ with a pair of distal spiniform setae ventrally, tibiae Ⅱ and Ⅲ each with one distal spiniform seta dorsally. Metatarsi Ⅱ and Ⅲ with a series of three dorsal spiniform setae, a pair of distal spiniform setae ventrally and some paired short, thick, spiniform setae over their entire ventral surface, metatarsus Ⅳ also with these paired spiniform setae over its entire ventral surface and two distal spiniform setae ventrally. Additionally, ventral coxae of leg Ⅲ with special tubular setae (Fig. 10 E): which are absent in other congeners, instead with only fine and bifurcate setae (e. g. Fig. 10 F).
Adult female (paratype female) (Fig. 1 C, D, Figs 3, 4). Mostly same as males, except where noted.
Measurements. Total body length 18.02, CH 2.36, CL 6.51, CW 2.01, PL 2.65, PW 4.36, A / CP 5.28, CL / CH 2.76. Pedipalp 15.62 (3.01, 4.74, 3.64, 1.39), leg Ⅰ 11.03 (2.41, 3.42, 2.03, 0.89), leg Ⅱ 9.37 (1.60, 2.59, 1.09, 0.93), leg Ⅲ 12.94 (2.79, 3.12, 1.73, 1.13), leg Ⅳ 21.74 (4.56, 6.09, 3.65, 1.53).
Coloration. General body colouration as the male (Fig. 1 C and D).
Cheliceral dentition and processes. Fixed finger with median teeth series comprising three well-developed primary teeth (FP, FM and FD), FD tooth smaller, while FM and FP similarly sized, plus two secondary FSD and two FSM teeth, all secondary teeth smaller than primary teeth, distal-most of each pair smallest; retrofondal teeth series uninterrupted with five teeth (RFSP, RFP, RFM, two RFA); profondal teeth series with five teeth (three PFSP, PFP, PFM) (Fig. 3 C, D, Fig. 4 A, B and C). Movable ﬁnger with median teeth series comprising two primary teeth (MM and MP), both similar in size, plus four secondary MST, two secondary MSM and three secondary MSP teeth (Fig. 3 C, D, Fig. 4 A, B and D).
Opisthosoma. Genital operculum typical triangular-shaped and with no clear demarcation between the plates; the rear edge of the genital sternite not chitinised and without clear opening (Fig. 3 F and Fig. 4 F). Sternite Ⅲ without ctenidia; only sternite Ⅳ with a row of 16 long and needle-like ctenidia, extending across the entirety of the adjacent sternite, reaching its posteror border. (Fig. 3 G and Fig. 4 G).
Pedipalps. Tarsus and metatarsus without spines and papillae.
Legs. Coxae of leg Ⅲ without special tubular setae.
Diagnosis
Karschia shannan sp. nov. differs in the male from all Karschia species by the ventral coxae of leg Ⅲ with special tubular setae (Fig. 10 E). The new species can be further diagnosed by their pedipalpal metatarsi with densely packed papillae (Fig. 10 B), the apex of their cheliceral fixed finger (FT) tapering (Fig. 2 B and Fig. 3 B), the reduced number of ctenidia on sternite Ⅳ - only with 13 short and thick columnar ctenidia (Fig. 2 F and Fig. 3 I) and flagellum proximally with a small lateral apophysis; flagellar complex plumose setae (fcp) medium-length (Fig. 2 B, C, Fig. 3 B and E). Females can diagnosed by the genital operculum, which, although typically triangular-shaped, has no clear demarcation between the genital plates, while the genital opening is not visible between, nor distal to the genital plates (Fig. 4 F and Fig. 3 F). Otherwise, females have long (i. e. reaching the posterior border of the adjacent sternite) and needle-like ctenidia on sternite Ⅳ (Fig. 4 G and Fig. 3 G).
Etymology
Noun in apposition, taken from Shannan City where this type materials of the new species were collected.
Distribution
China (Xizang) (Fig. 5).
description: Published as part of Fan, Wenlong, Zhang, Chao & Zhang, Feng, 2024, Two new species of Karschia Walter, 1889 from Xizang, China (Solifugae, Karschiidae), pp. e 129933 in Biodiversity Data Journal 12 on page e129933, DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.12.e129933