Pygmarrhopalites ruizporteroae Baquero and Jordana 2025, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Baquero, Enrique
name: Barranco, Pablo
name: Jordana, Rafael
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Collembola
Symphypleona
Arrhopalitidae
Pygmarrhopalites
Pygmarrhopalites ruizporteroae

description: 3.2.4. Pygmarrhopalites ruizporteroae Baquero and Jordana, sp. nov.
http://zoobank.org/ B317147C-F6D5-4FA1-A0AF-BD600FC23248, accessed on 12 February 2025.
Figures 8A–E, 9A,B, 10A–C, 11A–D, 12A–F and 13A–C.
Type Locality
Cueva del Tesoro, municipal district of Sorbas, Almería, Spain.
Type Material
Holotype: female, 28.xii.2001, slide labelled “PBTE-047”, Ruiz Portero leg. Paratypes, all Ruiz Portero leg. unless otherwise stated: Complejo GEP, PBGE-099, 11, 2; PBGE-102, 74, 2; PBGE-104, 0, 1; PBGE-105, 50, 2; PBGE-113, 0, 1; PBGE-114, 11, 2; PBGE-115, 45, 2; PBGE-116, 0, 1; PBGE-117, 62, 2; PBGE-118, 2, 2; PBGE-119, 0, 1; PBGE-120, 52, 2; PBGE-121, 8, 2; PBGE-122, 3, 1; PBGE-123, 10, 2; PBGE-124, 25, 2; PBGE-125, 22, 2; PBGE-126, 153, 2; PBGE-127, 2, 2; PBGE-128, 21, 2; PBGE-129, 5, 2; PBGE-130, 96, 2; PBGE-131, 9, 2; PBGE-132, 11, 2; PBGE-133, 1, 1; PBGE-134, 132, 2; PBGE-135, 195, 2; PBGE-136, 30, 2; PBGE-137, 188, 2; PBGE-138, 43, 2; PBGE-139, 274, 2; PBGE-140, 144, 2; PBGE-141, 35, 2; PBGE-142, 1, 2; PBGE-143, 77, 2; PBGE-144, 0, 2; PBGE-145, 0, 2; PBGE-146, 0, 1; PBGE-147, 0, 1; PBGE-148, 0, 2; PBGE-149, 0, 1; PBGE-150, 0, 1; PBGE-153, 14, 1; PBGE-157, 0, 1; PBGE-158, 27, 1; PBGE-169, 38, 1. Cueva Covadura, PBCO-005, 0, 1; PBCO-011, 1, 2; PBCO-012, 0, 1; PBCO-013, 22, 1; PBCO-032, 0, 1; PBCO-033, 0, 1; PBCO-034, 19, 2; PBCO-035, 0, 1; PBCO-036, 3, 2; PBCO-037, 3, 1; PBCO-038, 3, 1; PBCO-039, 0, 1; PBCO-040, 2, 1; PBCO-041, 13, 2; PBCO-042, 183, 2; PBCO-043, 0, 1; PBCO-044, 13, 2; PBCO-045, 0, 1; PBCO-046, 0, 1; PBCO-047, 0, 1; PBCO-048, 25, 2; PBCO-049, 0, 1; PBCO-050, 0, 1; PBCO-051, 1, 1; PBCO-052, 43, 2; PBCO-053, 27, 2; PBCO-054, 6, 2; PBCO-055, 43, 2; PBCO-056, 7, 2; PBCO-057, 22, 2; PBCO-058, 16, 2; PBCO-059, 7, 2; PBCO-060, 10, 1; PBCO-061, 0, 1; PBCO-062, 140, 2; PBCO-063, 134, 2; PBCO-064, 2, 2; PBCO-065, 6, 2; PBCO-066, 6, 2; PBCO-067, 4, 2; PBCO-068, 0, 1; PBCO-069, 0, 1; PBCO-070, 12, 2; PBCO-071, 1, 1; PBCO-072, 1, 1; PBCO-073, 31, 2; PBCO-074, 3, 2; PBCO-075, 8, 2; PBCO-076, 0, 1; PBCO-077, 67, 2; PBCO-078, 5, 2; PBCO-079, 22, 2; PBCO-080, 19, 2; PBCO-081, 8, 2. Cueva de los Apas, PBAP-014, 0, 1. Cueva del Agua, PBAG-008, 122, 2; PBAG-009, 213, 2; PBAG-010, 15, 2; PBAG-011, 34, 2; PBAG-012, 258, 2; PBAG-013, 0, 1; PBAG-014, 0, 1; PBAG-015, 0, 1; PBAG-016, 2, 1; PBAG-017, 0, 2 (Ruiz-Portero & Fernández leg.); PBAG-018, 9, 2; PBAG-019, 43, 2. Cueva del Tesoro, PBTE-027, 3, 2; PBTE-028, 0, 2; PBTE-029, 35, 1; PBTE-030, 0, 2; PBTE-031, 8, 2; PBTE-032, 2, 2; PBTE-033, 93, 2; PBTE-034, 27, 2; PBTE-035, 5, 2; PBTE-036, 1, 1; PBTE-037, 30, 2; PBTE-038, 0, 2; PBTE-039, 0, 1; PBTE-040, 7, 1; PBTE-042, 0, 1; PBTE-043, 4, 1; PBTE-044, 4, 1; PBTE-045, 23, 1; PBTE-047, 5, 2; PBTE-048, 5, 1; PBTE-049, 43, 1; PBTE-051, 0, 1; PBTE-052, 0, 1; PBTE-057, 2, 1. Sima del Camión, PBCA-001, 0, 1; PBCA-002, 37, 1; PBCA-003, 38, 2; PBCA-004, 1, 1; PBCA-005, 1, 2; PBCA-006, 17, 2; PBCA-007, 16, 2.
Etymology
The name refers to Carmen Ruiz Portero, one of the researchers who carried out the survey sampling of the cave fauna at GKS.
Diagnosis
Species with 1 + 1 eyes, head without spines, Ant IV with five subsegments, only one thickened spine-shaped chaeta in the dens (external: Ie), anal appendage massive and straight, with few apical denticles, and with very long dorsal chaetae (about six times longer than anterior dorsal chaetae) on the posterior half of the great abdomen.
Description
Body length: head, 0.3 mm; body, 0.7 mm (0.6–0.8 mm, n = 5).
Head. Eyes 1 + 1, unpigmented. Clypeal area, row a: 4 + 4 and without axial chaeta; row b: 6 + 6; row c: 5 + 5; row d: 7 + 7; row e: 5 + 5; row f: 7 + 7 (there are one to three additional chaetae between rows d and e). Inter-antennal area, row: 2 + 2; row: 1 + 1 and an axial chaeta; rows A and C: 2 + 2 and an axial chaeta; row B: 1 + 1 and an axial chaeta; row D: 2 + 2 chaeta. Lateral chaetae of rows C and D not spine-like (Figure 8A,A’). Labrum: pre-labral/labral chaetotaxy: 6/554 (Figure 8B), all chaetae smooth; a-row central chaeta longer; a-row lateral chaeta shorter and wider than central one. Labium and posterior area in Figure 8C,D; 2 + 2 chaetae near the ventral groove. Maxilla: apical chaeta of the maxillary outer lobe with a short and thin subparallel branch at the base; sublobal plate with three sublobal hairs (Figure 8E).
Antenna (Figure 9A,B): I/II/III/IV, 1/2.25/4.00/11.25; shorter than the body and ratio Ant/head as 1.75 (n = 5); basal subsegment of Ant IV longer than Ant III; mean of the real measurements of Ant IV subsegments 157/48/46/42/112 micrometres (n = 12). Ant I with seven chaetae, a distal one, smaller and another one, skinny. Ant II with 15 chaetae, two interior ones longer than others. Ant III without a conspicuous papilla (only some specimens with the segment slightly broadened), 14 chaetae, the two usual sensory rods, and two shorter thin setae and small blunt curved sensilla; Ant IV with five distinct subsegments, with four evident whorls: one at the end of first and three on the second to fourth subsegments. Apical subsegment with knobbed subapical organite; one of the chaetae on this area is hooked and has a narrowing from terminal half.
Legs (Figures 10A–C and 12A–C): Foreleg precoxae 1, 2, and coxa with 1, 0, 1 chaetae, respectively. Trochanter with three anterior and one posterior chaetae. Femur with 13 chaetae; a 4 turned perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the segment. Tibiotarsus with 47 chaetae: whorl I with nine chaetae, II– V with 8, 8, 7, and 7 chaetae, respectively; region F with three primary FP chaetae (e, ae, and pe) and some secondary chaetae. Pretarsus with one anterior and one posterior chaetae. Foot complex: claw thin, without tunica, with inner tooth, two pairs of lateral teeth, not evident in all specimens (25 and 60% from claw basis) and dorsal tooth; empodium thin, with basal inner tooth, and long apical filament surpassing the tip of the claw. Midleg coxa with two chaetae and an ms. Trochanter with three chaetae and the typical trochanteral organ. Femur with 11 chaetae, p 1 and p 3 very small. Tibiotarsus with 45 chaetae: whorl I with 10 chaetae, whorls II– V with 8, 8, 8, and 7 chaetae, respectively; region F with 3 FP chaetae and FSa chaeta. Foot complex: claw wider than foreleg claw, with tunica not evident, inner tooth, two pairs of small lateral teeth (25 and 75% from claw basis), and a dorsal tooth (75%); empodium with corner tooth and a long apical filament surpassing the tip of the claw. Hind leg coxa with three chaetae and an ms. Trochanter with four chaetae and a trochanteral organ. Femur with 11 chaetae, p 1 and p 3 as microchaetae. Tibiotarsus with 43: whorl I with 9 chaetae, whorls II–IV with 8, 8, 7, and 7 chaetae, respectively; region F with 3 FP chaetae and FSa chaeta. Foot complex: claw wider than fore- and midleg claw, with tunica not evident, inner tooth, two pairs of small lateral teeth and dorsal tooth; empodium with or without tooth, and without apical filament. Hundreds of specimens were observed, and some lacked the internal tooth of the claw or the empodium, especially in the claw of the hind leg, as reflected in the figure.
Great abdomen (Figure 11A): Th II with a special sensillum in row a, and four chaetae in row m (m 1 thickened). Th III with a sensillum in row a and three chaetae in row m. Abd I row a with five chaetae, row m with four, and three p chaetae, above bothriotrichal complex. Bothriotrichal complex: ABC almost linear; bothriotrichum A with one posterior accessory short chaeta; bothriotrichum B with one posterior accessory short chaeta; bothriotrichum C with associated c 1 and c 2 chaetae. Posterior lateral complex with 2 + 4 chaetae. Posterior dorsal complex with three rows with 6(7), 8, and 8(9) long chaetae each (mean mucro/chaeta ratio, 0.60; 0.58–0.62; posterior/anterior chaetae 5–6; n = 6). Some of the chaetae under small abdominal are expanded. Sixth abdominal segment (Figure 11B,C): A 0 not bifurcated, and some of the other circumanal chaetae are broadened, winged, or serrated, some of them lamellate and some bearing single tooth; anal appendage simple, straight with small teeth on its final third (Figure 11D). Tenaculum with two apical chaetae on the corpus, three teeth, and a basal process on each ramus.
Furca (Figure 13A–C): manubrium with 7 + 7 posterior chaetae; dens (23 chaetae or spine-like chaetae): anterior side with 3, 2, 1, 0, 1 chaetae; externally Ie as massive spine, and IIpe as a big spine-like chaeta; internally Ii, IIIp, and IVp moderately spinous, but always with alveoli. Mucro: both lamellae serrated forming a channel between both; tip of mucro pointed (or narrowed). Dens about 1.5–1.7× as long as mucro.
Remarks
There are four previously described species that share the presence of only one eye, the absence of spine-like chaetae on the posterior head, the absence of a papilla on Ant III, and a similar shape of the anal appendage (gutter-like with an apex with 3–4 teeth): P. cantavetulae Jordana, Fadrique and Baquero, 2012 [54]; P. crepidinis Baquero and Jordana 2017 [42]; P. pygmaeus (Wankel, 1860) [55] sensu Bretfeld 1999 [20]; and P. maestrazgoensis Jordana, Fadrique and Baquero, 2012 [54]. The first three have different numbers and positions of spines/spine-like on dens: 203 for external/anterior/internal (the new species has 100). P. maestrazgoensis has the dorsal chaetae of great abdominal short, and the chaeta Ie on distal dens provided a long filament.
description: Published as part of Baquero, Enrique, Barranco, Pablo & Jordana, Rafael, 2025, Collembola from the Gypsum Karst of Sorbas (Almería, Spain), with Descriptions of Three New Species, pp. 1-29 in Insects 16 (3) on pages 16-21, DOI: 10.3390/insects16030309, http://zenodo.org/record/15084959