Entomobrya kremenitsai Jordana & Baquero 2021, sp. nov.

Entomobrya kremenitsai Jordana & Baquero sp. nov.

http://zoobank.org/ A9AAE6C3-984E-46B2-B7FF-F2707D72EB54

(Figs 2B–C, 6A–H)

Type material. Holotype: female, RUSSIA, North Caucasus, Chechnya, Vedenskiy district, Tevzana, floodplain grazing forest, under the bark, (coordinates 42.981698, 45.899357, 529m a.s.l.), 21.iv.2018, hand collection, sample code: CAU2018-18 R-01, Kuznetsova N., Potapov M. and Kremenitsa A. leg. Paratypes (same data as Holotype): one female on the same slide as holotype (CAU2018-18 R-02), and four specimens in ethyl alcohol (CAU2018-18 R-03 to 06); Chechnya: Shalinsky District, Shali-Tevzana Track, Bass River Valley, old broadleaf valley forest, rotten wood (coordinates 43.067385, 45.881284, 327m a.s.l.), 21.iv.2018, hand collection, one specimen in ethyl alcohol CAU 2018-29-05); Vedenski District, Tevzana, floodplain grazing forest, in grass turf (coordinates 42.981698 45.899357 529m a.s.l.), 19.iv.2018, one specimen in ethyl alcohol (CAU2018-20 R-01); Shatoisky District, Argunskoye Canion, near Shatoi, deciduous forest, rotten wood, (coordinates 42.867916 E 45.680073 490m a.s.l.), 19.iv.2018, one specimen in ethyl alcohol (CAU 2018-27-01); District, Shali-Tevzana Track, Bass River Valley, old broadleaf valley forest, litter (coordinates 43.067385, 45.881284, 327m a.s.l.), 21.iv.2018, one specimen in ethyl alcohol (CAU 2018-28-01); Vedenski District, Tevzana, Bass Canion, beech forest, moss on tree trunks (coordinates 42.943030 45.948883 806 m a.s.l.), 21.04.2018; two specimens on slides and 12 in ethyl alcohol (CAU2018-31 A-01 and 02). All Kuznetsova N., Potapov M. and Kremenitsa A. leg.

Additional material. RUSSIA, North Caucasus,

Ingushetia: Jairah District, near Armhi, from litter from a deciduous forest (coordinates 42.807918, 44.707335, 1338 m a.s.l.), 19.iv.2018, hand collection, one specimen in ethyl alcohol (CAU2018-3 R-16); Dagestan: Magaramkent District, Samur Forest, near Htun-Kazmalar (coordinates 41.816179, 48.527624, 35.8m a.s.l.), 22.iv.2018, hand collection at forest (oak, beech, hornbeam), under bark, one female on a slide (CAU2018-26 R-01), and one specimen in ethyl alcohol (CAU2018 26R-02); Untsukul district, at the mouth of the Gimrin Tunnel: (coordinates 42.743317, 46.884334, 865m a.s.l.), 22.iv.2018, SE slope with Koch pine and juniper, in the litter, one specimen in ethyl alcohol (CAU2018-35 - 01); Buinak district (center), ~ 4 km without reaching the Gimrin Tunnel, valley of the Cholpu-Ozen stream, beech-oak forest, rotten wood (coordinates 42.785318, 46.979158, 865m a.s.l.), 22.iv.2018, funnel extractions, three specimens in ethyl alcohol (CAU2018-37 - 02 to 04). All Kuznetsova N., Potapov M., and Kremenitsa A. leg.

Diagnosis. Simplified Mc formula: 3-1-0-2-2/3-5/1-2/0-1-1/0-0-1-2-2.

Description. Body length (excluding antennae) up to 1.80 mm (average 1.60 mm for n= 4). Ground color white or very pale, with violet pigment on antennae, and blue on the frontal part of the head and the posterior area behind the eyes, lateral Th II–Abd IV, several dorsolateral lines on Th II–Abd IV, and AbdV almost complete (Figs 2B–C).

Head. Eight eyes, GH slightly smaller than EF (Fig. 6A). Antennae length up to 0.95mm, 2.40 times the length of the head (length 0.63–0.95mm, Ant/head diagonal 1.75–3.17 times; n =4); Ant IV with simple apical vesicle and bifurcate pin chaeta present; subapical organite very small (Fig. 6B); sensory organ of Ant III with the special sensilla long-ovoidal, and three guards additional sensilla (Fig. 6C); relative length of Ant I/II/III/IV=1/1.53/1.49/1.82 (n =4). Prelabral chaetae ciliated. Labral papillae multistriate (Fig. 6D). Maxillary palp bifurcate, with three sublobal chaetae. Labial row with –MRELL, R 2/3 of M, all ciliated.

Body. Abd IV/III length ratio =4.03 (n =4). Trochanteral organ with approximately 14 chaetae. Tibiotarsus not sub-segmented, without smooth chaetae, except for smooth terminal chaeta on legs III. Claw with four teeth: paired at 45–50% and first unpaired (very large) at 70–75 % from basis; dorsal teeth not basal, at the level of lateral ones (Fig. 6E). Empodium lanceolate, with serrated (five teeth) external lamella (pe) in leg III. Tenent hair is clavate, longer than the claw. Length of manubrium and dens 0.26–0.30 and 0.34–0.40 mm, respectively. Manubrial plate with three chaetae and two pseudopores. Mucro with teeth similar in size, mucronal spine reaching the tip of the subapical tooth; area not crenulated of dens between two and three times the length of mucro.

Macrochaetotaxy (Figs 6A, F–H). Simplified Mc formula: 3-1-0-2-2/3-5/1-2/0-1-1/0-0-1-2-2. Head: H1 area with Mc An 2, An 3a1, and An 3; H2 area with one Mc (A 5); H4 area with two Mc (S 3 and S 4i; S 1 sometimes as mes); H4’ area with three Mc (S 5, S 5i, and S 4; S 6 as mes or mic); H5 area with Ps 2 and Ps 5 Mc, and Ps 3 as mes. Mesothorax: area T1 with three Mc (m 1, m 2e, and m 2i); T2 with five Mc (a 5, m 4, m 4i, m 4p, and m 5). Abdomen: Abd II area A1 with one Mc (a 2), area A2 with two Mc (m 3ea and m 3); ‘as’ and ‘acc’ present; Abd III without Mc on A3, and one Mc on areas A4 (a 2) and A5 (m 3); a 6, a 7, m 6, and p 6 as Mc; ‘acc’ below m 6 and ‘ms’ interior; Abd IV without Mc on A6–A7 areas, one on A8 (B 4; sometimes asymmetrically a mes or Mc in the position of A e4), two on A9 (A 5 and B 5), and two on A10 (A 6 and B 6); sensillar formula normal as in the rest of Entomobryidae: 2,2/1,2,2,7, microsensillar formula: 1,0/1,0,1.

Habitat. It inhabits different microhabitats in montane forests of the East Caucasus.

Etymology. The specific epithet refers to Alexander Kremenitsa, an enthusiastic collector of Collembola in the Caucasus.

Remarks. The group of species of Entomobrya that share with E. kremenitsai sp. nov. the dorsal macrochaetae simplified formula for areas A1–2 on Abd II (1–2) are E. albocincta (Templeton, 1836) in Templeton & Westwood 1836, E. arborea (Tullberg, 1871), E. boneti Jordana & Baquero, 2006, E. chomolungmae Yosii, 1971, E. chungseensis Baquero & Jordana, 2008, E. citrensis Katz & Soto-Adames in Katz et al. 2015b, E. germanica Jordana, Schulz & Baquero, 2011 in Jordana et al., 2011b, E. kabardinica Jordana, Potapov & Baquero, 2011 in Jordana et al. 2011a, E. kajjairensis Baquero & Jordana in Baquero et al., 2015, E. karasukensis Jordana, Potapov & Baquero, 2011 in Jordana et al. 2011a, E. kasprowiensis Furgoł, 2017, E. ladakhi Jordana & Baquero in Baquero et al., 2014, E. marginata (Tullberg, 1871), E. neotenica Katz & Soto-Adames in Katz et al. 2015b, E. nigrina Latzel, 1917, E. nigrita Baijal, 1958, E. nigrocincta Denis, 1923, E. obensis Linnaniemi, 1919, E. proxima Folsom, 1924, E. pusilla Latzel, 1918, E. pyrenaica Cassagnau, 1964, E. schulzi Jordana & Baquero, 2011 in Jordana et al., 2011b, E. stebaevae Jordana, Potapov & Baquero, 2011 in Jordana et al. 2011a, E. transversalis Baquero & Jordana in Baquero et al. 2010b. The differences in dorsal macrochaetotaxy among all these species are in Table 3.

The new species differs by having 3–5 macrochaetae on Th II. Other differentiated characters are: labral papilla multispinate (smooth in E. albocincta, E. kabardinica, E. marginata, E. nigrita, E. obensis, E. pusilla, E. schulzi, and E. stebaevae); E. boneti has the antennal apical vesicle trilobate; E. nigrita has the subapical tooth of mucro smaller than the apical one; only E. chomolungmae and E. germanica have the antennae with similar length in relation with head; E. nigrina and E. pusilla have the subapical tooth of mucro larger than apical, while E. karasukensis, E. nigrita, and E. pyrenaica have it smaller. Of all these species, the only ones that have some similarity in coloration (transverse bands of a certain width, more or less 4–6 bands, including a wide band in Abd IV) are: E. citrensis, with narrow bands in Abd I–II, and broad in Abd III–V, and yellowish background; E. germanica, which has a greater number of bands, including Th III and Abd I, and dark background; E. kabardinica, with a coloration similar to the new species, very irregular in the central area; E. ladakhi, with broad bands in all tergites, and also a dark background; E. obensis, which has fully pigmented Th III and Abd II–III; and E. pyrenaica, with a very peculiar variable pattern of pigmentation, especially in the Abd IV. E. kabardinica differs from the new species, in addition to the mentioned characters, by having shorter antennae (Ant/head diagonal <2), claw dorsal tooth basal, empodium with smooth external lamella (pe), shorter furca, and less general size. E. neotenica lacks m 5 in Th II, and a 2 on Abd III, and has C 1 on Abd IV; the color is quite different from the new species, with 8-black spots instead of transversal bands.

Genus Entomobryoides Maynard, 1951