Troglopedetes eberhardi Cipola & Greenslade 2023, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Cipola, Nikolas Gioia
name: Greenslade, Penelope
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Collembola
Entomobryomorpha
Paronellidae
Troglopedetes
Troglopedetes eberhardi

description: Troglopedetes eberhardi sp. nov.
Figs 1–6 and Table 1
Diagnosis. Body devoid of pigments, except eyepatch; antennae shorter than body length; Ant IV without apical bulb (Fig. 2A); eyes 2 per side; head macrochaetotaxy with 11 ‘An’, 3–4 ‘A’, 0 ‘M’, 2 ‘S’, 1 ‘IO’, 3 ‘Pa’, 1 ‘Pm’, and 2 ‘Pp’ mac (Fig. 2D); prelabral chaetae ciliate (Fig. 2E); labral papillae absent; labial papilla E l.p. conical and exceed the base of a.a. (Fig. 2F); basolateral and basomedian labial fields with chaeta E smooth, r and l2 as spine; sublobal plate with 1 inner appendix (Fig. 2G); Th II–Abd IV with 3+6, 1+3 | 0, 1+1, 1+3 and 4+6 mac, respectively; Abd IV anteriorly with 8 sens, posteriorly with 1 psp and 3 chaetae (Fig. 3); tenent hairs acuminate; unguis I–III b.t. unequal, m.t. elongated and surpassing the unguis apex, a.t. absent; all unguiculus lamellae smooth, except pe serrated (Figs 4H–I); dens with 3 psp and 29–36 inner spines (Fig. 5E); mucro with 5 teeth, v2 larger than v3 (Fig. 5F).
Description. Total length (head + trunk) of the holotype 2.11 mm. Specimens in ethanol white with dark pigment on eyepatches. Body with hyaline, denticulate, apically rounded or truncate scales present on head, dorsally on thorax and abdomen, and ventrally on furcula (Figs 1, 2G, 5B). Tergal mac heavily ciliate apically, strongly or lightly foot-shaped or acuminate; ciliate mic (Fig. 1).
Head. Antennae larger than the head length and shorter than the trunk length; ratio antennae: head = 1: 0.54, ratio antennae: trunk = 1: 1.78, both in holotype; antennal segments ratio as I: II: III: IV = 1: 1.28: 1.19: 1.38+ 1.33 in holotype. Ant IV not annulated and no apical bulb, subapical organite unseen (Fig. 2A); distal part dorsally with 3 sens types, 4 small conical sens, 7 finger-shaped sens, and about 57 slim sens pointed or weakly pointed of different lengths; proximal part dorsally with 4 sens types, 1 small conical sens, 8 minute sens, 16 finger-shaped sens, and about 32 slim sens pointed or weakly pointed of different length. Ant III organ with 2 globose sens, 2 finger-shaped sens, and 3 sens weakly pointed (Fig. 2B). Ant I ventrally with 4 sens types, 1 small thicker sens, 4 outer finger-shaped sens, 3 elongated pointed sens, and 8 slim sens pointed or weakly pointed of different length (Fig. 2C); dorsally with 3 smooth mic at base (Fig. 2D). Eyes 2+2 and with 3 ‘IO’ chaetae (p as mac, 1 mic and 1 scale); head dorsal macrochaetotaxy with 11 ‘An’ (An1a–3), 3–4 ‘A’ (A0, A2–3, A5), 0 ‘M’, 2 ‘S’ (S5–6), 3 ‘Pa’ (Pa2–3, Pa5), 1 ‘Pm’ (Pm3), and 2 ‘Pm’ (Pp3, Pp5) mac; 1 post-ocellar bothriotrichum present (bothriotrichum antero-ocellar apparently absent) (Fig. 2D). Clypeal formula with 2 (l1–2), 2 (f), 3 (pf0–1) ciliated chaetae, l1–2 larger than the others, f chaetae gently smaller, other subequal. Four prelabral chaetae ciliate; labral formula with 4 (a1–2), 5 (m0–2), 5 (p0–2) smooth chaetae subequal. Labral papillae absent (Fig. 2E). Labial palp with five main papillae (A–E) plus one hypostomal papilla (H) with 0, 5, 0, 4, 4, 2 guard appendages, respectively; labial papilla E with l.p. apically pointed and exceed the base of a.a. (Fig. 2F). Maxillary palp with b.c. subequal to t.a. in length, both smooth; sublobal plate with 1 inner smooth appendix (Fig. 2G). Labium with 5 proximal chaetae smooth and subequal in length. Basolateral and basomedian labial fields with chaetae a1–5 and E smooth, r and l2 reduced in spine; M1–2 and L1 present (L1 missing in both specimens therefore it is unknown if it is smooth or ciliated). Head ventrally with about 24–25 ciliate chaetae; postlabial formula with 4 (G1–4), 2 (X, X4) 4 (H1–4), 4 (J1–3) chaetae; cephalic groove with 3 chaetae on proximal region, 1 subproximal and 5–6 elongated acuminate chaetae on proximal region, including the b.c. (Fig. 2G).
Thorax dorsal chaetotaxy (Fig. 3A). Th II a, m and p series with 1 (a5), 2 (m2, m4) and 6 (p3 complex) mac, respectively. Th III a and p series with 1 (a4) and 3 (p2–3 complex) mac, respectively. Ratio Th II: III = 1.04: 1 in holotype.
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Notes: (+) present; (–) absent; (?) unknown or dubious characteristic. References: (1) Barra 2006; (2) Deharveng 1990; (3) Deharveng & Gers 1993; (4) Delamare-Deboutteville 1945; (5) Hüther 1962; (6) Hüther 1983; (7) Salmon 1954; (8) Wilson 1979; (9) Wilson 1982.
Abdomen dorsal chaetotaxy (Figs 3B–C). Abd I m and p series with 4 (m2–6) and 1 (p6) mic, respectively. Abd II a, m and p series with 3 (a2–3, a6), 4 (m3–3e?, m5, m7) and 1 (p7) chaetae, respectively, m3 and m5 as mac; a5 and m2 bothriotrichum with 4 and 3 accessory chaetae respectively. Abd III a, m and p series with 2 (a2–3), 3 (m3, am6, pm6) and 1 (p7) chaetae, respectively; m3, am6, pm6 and p6 as mac and p7 as mes; m2 bothriotrichum with 2 accessory chaetae, and a5 and m5 bothriotricha with 5 accessory chaetae between them. Abd IV with 4 inner mac on series A–C (A5, Si, B4–5) and 6 outer mac on series T–Fe (D3, E2–3, F1–2, Fe2); T2 and T4 bothriotrichum with 5 and 2 accessory chaetae respectively, D3p bothriotrichum without accessory chaetae; about 9 sens (ps type I, and 8 medial type II), and posteriorly 1 psp and 3 mes. Abd V a, m, and p series apparently with 1 (a5?), 3 (m2–3, m5) and 3 (p1, p3–4?) mac, respectively. Ratio Abd III: IV = 1: 3.95 in holotype.
Legs. Subcoxa I with 1 chaeta and 2 psp. Subcoxa II with an anterior row of 9–10 chaetae and three anterior rows with 3, 4, 4–5 chaetae, respectively; posterior row of 5–6 chaetae and 2 psp; subcoxa III with one row of 9 chaetae, 4 anterior chaetae and 2 posterior psp (Figs 4A–C). Trochanter I–III anterior side with 4, 3–4 and 3 reduced spines (Figs 4D–F); trochanteral organ with about 25 spine-like chaetae, 4 anterior, 8 posterior, 3 internal, 1 apical and 9 distal arm chaetae (Fig. 4F). Femur I–III anteriorly with 2 reduced spines and 3 mac; tibiotarsus I–III with 10 inner and 1 anterior mac finely ciliate (Fig. 4G). Tibiotarsus III smooth chaeta 1.09 larger than the unguiculus; tenent hairs acuminate, smooth and 0.62 shorter than the unguis outer edge. Unguis I–III with 3 inner teeth, anterior b.t. on half, posterior b.t. on proximal 1/3 and larger than anterior b.t., m.t. apically acuminate and elongated, longer than the apex the of unguis, a.t. absent. Unguiculus I–III with all lamellae acuminate and smooth (ai, ae, pi), except pe acuminate and serrated with 1 proximal tooth (Figs 4H–I); ratio unguis: unguiculus = 1: 0.69.
Collophore (Fig. 5A). Anterior side with 3 elongated ciliate chaetae, 2 distal mac; posterior side with about 27 chaetae, 3 subapical spines, 19–21 ciliate chaetae (5 unpaired) widely distributed and 3 smooth chaetae (1 unpaired) distally; lateral flap with 7–8 chaetae, 3–4 smooth and 4 ciliate.
Furcula. Manubrium laterally with one row of about 16 spine-like ciliate mac and numerous ciliate chaetae of different lengths (Fig. 5B); ventrally with 4 subapical and 7 elongated scales and internally with 1 ciliate chaetae (Fig. 5C); manubrial plate (dorsally) with 4 ciliate chaetae (2 inner mac) and 2 psp (Figs 5B and D). Dens dorsally with 3 proximal psp; an inner row of 29–36 spines subtly ciliated (holotype with 35 and 36) and an outer row of 16–18 spine-like mac ciliate (holotype with 17 and 18) (Fig. 6E). Mucro twice as long as its width and with 5 teeth, 4 (ap, v1, v2, v3) in one dorsal row and 1 (il) on the inner side (Fig. 5F).
Type Material. Holotype female on slide (NMV): Australia, Christmas Island, The Pink House Research Station, Jedda Cave (dark zone), 10°29'20"S, 105°38'39"E, 221 m., 06.iv.1998, S Eberhard coll. 1 paratype female on slide (INPA-CLL 000251), same data as holotype.
Distribution and habitat. The Jedda Cave is localized to east center of the island, in a National Park, eastern Indian Ocean, Southeast Asia, Good’s biogeographic zone 18 from Paleotropical region (Good 1974). The region climate is of tropical monsoon (Am), characterized by wet and dry seasons (Kottek et. al. 2006) and temperatures vary little throughout the year, with the highest reaching 28°C in March and April, while the lowest temperature is 22°C in August (Grimes 2001; Meek 2001).
The Jedda Cave was discovered in the 1960s-70s with the aim of establishing town water supply, and today part of domestic water comes from this cave (Meek 2001; Humphreys 2014). The cave is a plateau formed on limestone and phosphate with 240m long and 22m deep, where there is a meandering stream passage in basalt contact with water erosion in some areas. In one place in the cave there are soft mud “stalagmites” with central drip holes have built up beneath these muddy stalactites. The collapse dolines result from the roof of a basement and some dolines contain open entrances to caves (Grimes 2001; Humphreys 2014).
Etymology. It is named after Stefan M. Eberhard, collector of the new species.
Remarks. Troglopedetes eberhardi sp. nov. resembles other congenerics in presence of eyes and Th II with 6 mac in p3 complex (Table 1), but is distinguished by unguis m.t. elongated, surpassing the unguis apex (Figs 4H–I). This character has not been observed in other species of the genus (Wilson 1982; Deharveng 1990; Deharveng & Gers 1993; Fanciulli et al. 2003; Barra 2006; Jantarit et al. 2020; Surakhamhaeng et al. 2021).
The new species also differs from these species by head with 2 eyes per side (1 or 3 eyes in other species, except T. microps Deharveng & Gers, 1993 with 1–2 eyes), dorsal macrochaetotaxy with A2, S5, S6, Pa2 and Pp3 mac and M1, M2, S2 and S3 mac absent (different in other species), sublobal plate with 1 appendix (2 in T. leclerci Deharveng, 1990, T. minor Hüther, 1983 and T. schalleri (Hüther, 1962)), and basomedian and basolateral labial field with r chaeta reduced to a spine (normal and ciliate in T. leclerci and T. minor).
In dorsal chaetotaxy, the new species differs in Th II with m2 and m4 mac (both absent in T. churchillatus Wilson, 1979 and T. schalleri; m2 absent in T. leclerci and T. microps), Th III with a4 mac (absent in T. leclerci, T. schalleri and T. vanharteni Barra, 2006), and Abd IV with 4 inner mac (different in other species).
On legs, T. eberhardi sp. nov. differs in tenent hairs acuminate, (capitate in T. jeanneli (Delamare-Deboutteville, 1945), T. microps, T. minor, T. schalleri, T. vanharteni), unguis normal (elongated in T. churchillatus) devoid of a.t. (present in T. jeanneli, T. microps and T. vanharteni), and unguiculus ai lamella acuminate (excavate in T. churchillatus) and pe lamella serrated (a different form in other species).
Finally, the new species differs by dens dorsally with 29–36 inner spines and mucro with 5 teeth, v2 larger than v3, while in these other species such combinations of characters are different (see Table 1).
description: Published as part of Cipola, Nikolas Gioia & Greenslade, Penelope, 2023, A new species of Troglopedetes Joseph, 1872 with eyes (Collembola, Paronellidae) from a Christmas Island Cave, Australia, pp. 563-577 in Zootaxa 5239 (4) on pages 564-573, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5239.4.7, http://zenodo.org/record/7635337