Venezillo limai Campos-Filho, Carpio-Díaz & López-Orozco, n. sp.

(Figs 44; 45; 49B)

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 046BDF22-196C-44EB-B6BA-4FDC40AB6842

TYPE MATERIAL. — Holotype. Brazil • 1 ♀ (parts in micropreparations); Lapa Doce cave system, Chapada Diamantina, state of Bahia; 12°20’3.8”S, 41°36’15.67”W; 701 m a.s.l.; 30.X.2016; M. E. Bichuette, J. E. Gallão & M. J. Rosendo leg.; LES 28011.

ETYMOLOGY. — The new species is named in memoriam of Simpliciano de Oliveira Lima Filho, also known as Sr Lima (Sr in Portuguese means mister). Mister Lima was a great discoverer of several caves in the Chapada Diamantina region, and founder of the Bahia Society of Speleology (SBAE) (in Portuguese, Sociedade Bahiana de Espeleologia). To date, he is considered a reference among speleologists all over the country, and a great protector of caves in the state of Bahia.

DESCRIPTION

Body length: 4 mm. Body pigments absent. Body in lateral view as in Figure 44A. Dorsal surface smooth bearing semicircular scale-setae (Fig. 44B). One line of small noduli laterales per side, inserted near posterior margins (Fig. 44A). Cephalon (Fig. 44A, C) with rectangular frontal shield, slightly bent backwards and not protruding above vertex, suprantennal line absent; eyes absent, few dots of pigments visible on eyes position. Pereonite 1 epimera with rounded lateral margin, anterior corner directed frontwards, schisma on posterior corners, ventral and dorsal lobes of schisma rounded and subequal, lateral margins grooved for entire length; pereonite 2 epimera with ventral lobe obliquely directed outwards, posterior margin concave, not surpassing outer margin of epimeron; pereonite 2 epimera rectangular, 3-7 subquadrangular (Fig. 44A, D-G). Pleonites 3-5 epimera subrectangular, well developed; telson hourglass-shaped, proximal part wider than distal one, distal margin straight (Fig. 44H). Antennula (Fig. 44I) of three articles, proximal article longest, distal article bearing about six aesthetascs. Antenna (Fig. 44J) short and stout, distal article of peduncle longer than flagellum; flagellum of two articles, distal article about twice as long as proximal one, bearing four lateral aesthetascs; apical organ short bearing two sensilla. Mandibles with molar penicil semidichotomized, left mandible (Fig. 44K) with 2+1 penicils, and right mandible (Fig. 44L) with 1+1 penicils. Maxillula (Fig. 44M) inner endite with two penicils, distal margin rounded; outer endite of 4+5 teeth, all simple. Maxilla (Fig. 44N) inner lobe rounded covered with thick setae; outer lobe about three times as wide as inner lobe, rounded and covered with thin setae. Maxilliped (Fig. 44O) basis subrectangular; proximal article of palp with two setae distinct in length; endite subquadrangular, medial seta surpassing distal margin, outer margin rounded, distal margin bearing two short triangular setae. Uropod (Fig. 45A) protopod subrectangular, flattened, inner margin concave, endopod inserted proximally, exopod short, inserted dorsally on small protuberance. Pereopods 1-7 stout bearing sparse strong setae on sternal margin; pereopod 1 (Fig. 45B) carpus with transverse antennal grooming brush; pereopod 7 (Fig. 45C) ischium with sternal margin straight; dactylus with inner claw reaching median portion of outer claw, dactylar and ungual setae simple, not surpassing outer claw. Pleopod exopods with monospiracular covered lungs (Fig. 45 D-H).

REMARKS

In the absence of ommatidia, V. limai Campos-Filho, Carpio-Díaz & López-Orozco, n. sp. is similar to V. moreirai Campos-Filho, Carpio-Díaz & Bichuette, n. sp.; however, it differs in the shape of the dorsal scale-setae, pereonite 1 epimera with lobes of the schisma subequal, pereonite 2 epimera rectangular. Moreover, the caves where both species were collected are geographically distant from each other (see Fig. 48).

Due to the absence of pigments and eyes, V. limai Campos-Filho, Carpio-Díaz & López-Orozco, n. sp. is considered to be a troglobite. Lapa Doce cave is placed into the Brazilian xeric region of Caatinga, Chacoan domain (Morrone et al. 2022).