Pseudachorutes deficiens Zoughailech, Hamra-Kroua & Deharveng, 2016, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Zoughailech, Abdelmalek
name: Hamra-Kroua, Salah
name: Deharveng, Louis
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Entognatha
Collembola
Neanuridae
Pseudachorutes
Pseudachorutes deficiens

description: Pseudachorutes deficiens sp. nov.
Figs 1, 2, 7A, F, 8A, C, Table 1
Type material (all leg. A. Zoughailech). Holotype male and 3 paratypes on slides, Algeria, Skikda, Collo massif, near Oued Z’hor, 40 m alt., Quercus canariensis forest, in litter, iii.2014. Type locality coordinates: 36.916717°N, 6.325421°E. Other paratypes: 2 paratypes on slides, same data as holotype, except: in rotten wood; 18 on slides and many in ethanol, Collo massif, near Kanoua village, 750 m alt., Quercus suber forest, in rotten wood, 29.xi.2013; 14 on slides and many in ethanol, ibidem, 21.xii.2013; 3 on slides and many in ethanol, ibidem, except: in litter, 29.xi.2013; 1 on slide, ibidem, in humid habitat, 29.xi.2013. Holotype male and 21 paratypes on slides, many specimens in ethanol deposited at LBEA; 20 paratypes on slides, many specimens in ethanol deposited at MNHN.
Description. Body length range without antennae: 0.525 to 0.840 mm (females, N=8), 0.530 to 0.635 mm (males, N=3); holotype male 0.530 mm. Habitus usual for the genus (Fig. 1 A). Color in ethanol bluish-grey, ocular plate bluish black. Dorsal granulation of the tegument fine, regular, stronger posteriorly. Secondary granules rounded, 1–2 times wider than chaeta sockets in diameter on head and body. Five secondary granules between chaetae P1 on Abd. V.
Antenna (Figs 1 B, 7F). Antennae shorter than head. Ant. I with 7 chaetae, Ant. II with 12 chaetae (11 mes and a ventro-external mic) Ant. III with 17–18 ordinary chaetae and 5 S-chaetae. Ant. III and IV fused dorsally. AIIIO externo-distal, consisting of two small globular S-microchaetae, surrounded by two subcylindrical guard S-chaetae, ventral one slightly longer than dorsal and longer than Ant IV S-chaetae, and a ventral S-microchaeta. Ant. IV with 6 subequal, short, subcylindrical, bent S-chaetae dorsally (S1 to S4 and S7–S8), the dorso-external S-microchaeta present; one thickened S-chaetae ventro-apically; subapical organite present, apical bulb simple.
Head (Figs 1 A, C, D, 7A). PAO roundish, 1.5 times larger than closest eye, with 5 to 8 vesicles. 8+8 eyes. Buccal cone elongated. Mandible very thin, with 2 teeth; maxilla styliform. Labrum rather elongate, apically rounded, with ventro-distal sclerifications buttress-like. Labral formula: 0?/3,5,2. Labium with 11–12 ordinary chaetae: 3 basal chaetae (F, f,G present, E absent), 4 distal chaetae (A,B,C,D), 4 lateral chaetae; papillate chaeta L absent, replaced by a minute processus detected ahead the ABCD chaetal group; no x-papillae detected. Peri-labial area with 5+5 subequal chaetae, of which 2+2 along the linea ventralis. Dorsal head chaetotaxy constituted of ordinary subequal mesochaetae. Central area with 19 chaetae (unpaired d1, d2 to d5, sd1 to sd5), a0 absent. Ocular area with 3 chaetae. Postero-internal area with 4+4 chaetae (c1, c2, p1, p2).
Tergites (Figs 1 A, 8A Table 1). Chaetal pattern summarized in Table 1 and illustrated in Fig. 1 A. Chaetotaxy constituted of subequal ordinary mesochaetae and S-chaetae, the former about 1/3 shorter than the latter. Formula of S-chaetae per half tergite: 2+ms,2/1,1,1,1,1. Position of S-chaetae from Th. II to Abd. V 3,3/3,3,3,4,2. Th. II with chaeta a2 present. Th. II–III without chaeta De4. Abd. V with chaeta p2 absent. Abd VI with 13 dorsal chaetae.
Thoracic sternites and legs (Fig. 2 A). Th. I–III sternites without chaetae. Claw with a minute median inner tooth, sometimes inconspicuous, without lateral teeth. Tibiotarsi I, II and III with 19, 19 and 18 chaetae (M present, no clavate tenent hairs). Femora I, II and III with 13, 12 and 11 chaetae. trochanters I, II and III with 6, 6 and 6 chaetae. coxae I, II and III with 3, 7 and 7 chaetae (checked in 10 specimens), subcoxae 2 of legs I, II and III with 0, 2 and 2 chaetae.
Abdominal sternites and appendages (Figs 1 E, 2B, D, 8C). VT with 4+4 chaetae. Abd. II with 4–5+4–5 chaetae. Abd. III not clearly separated from Abd. IV, with 4–5+4–5 anterior chaetae and 2+2 posterior ones which may belong as well to Abd. IV. Furca well developed. Tenaculum with 3+3 teeth. Manubrium with 13+13 posterior chaetae including 4+4 chaetae VL, with VL3 and 2+2 other chaetae 20–30% longer than the others. Dens with 6, exceptionally 5 dorsal chaetae mixed with secondary granules., ventrally with only primary granulation and a large smooth distal area covering 2/3 of dens. Mucro 2.0–2.3 times shorter than dens, not or slightly hooked distally, with a broad lateral lamella, smooth ventrally, with primary granulation dorsally, except apical hook. Abd V with 3+3 chaetae Ag, in continuity with more lateral chaetae VL which are not individualized as a chaetal group. Female genital plate with 1+1 genital microchaetae and 5–8 circumgenital chaetae. Male genital plate with 4+4 genital microchaetae and 8–10 circumgenital chaetae in a circle. Abd VI with 14 chaetae Ve (and a 15th chaeta slightly longer than others and set apart laterally). Each anal flaps with 2 microchaetae hr. No modified ventral chaetae in male.
Etymology. The species is named in reference to the absence of chaeta E on labium, a rare character among Neanuridae.
Ecology. Pseudachorutes deficiens sp. nov. is very abundant in rotten wood and litter of Quercus suber and Q. canariensis forest in the Collo massif. The species is bisexual, but females are dominant in our samples (about 80% of all specimens).
Discussion (Table 2). Pseudachorutes deficiens sp. nov. is similar in size and general appearance to small-size species of the genus, in particular to the widespread Pseudachorutes parvulus Börner, 1901. It is distinguished from most of them by the absence of the chaeta E on the labium. This character, easy to observe, has been checked in 20 specimens from five different samples, and is stable. In the genus Pseudachorutes, the absence of chaeta E is only retrieved in P. ouatilouensis. Najt & Weiner, 1997 from New Caledonia and P. namphoensis Weiner & Najt, 1985 from North Korea. P. deficiens sp. nov. differs also from these species by the combination of characters given in Table 2.
description: Published as part of Zoughailech, Abdelmalek, Hamra-Kroua, Salah & Deharveng, Louis, 2016, New species of Pseudachorutes (Collembola: Neanuridae) from Northeastern Algeria, pp. 557-568 in Zootaxa 4158 (4) on pages 558-560, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4158.4.7, http://zenodo.org/record/259708