Plusiocampa (Plusiocampa) ternovensis Sendra & Borko sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: D1AE6C14-8920-4505-9B42-B518BB1A6FB0

Figs 153–156; Table 12

Etymology

The specific name comes from the geographic area where this new species was found, the plateau called Trnovski gozd (Trnovo Forest).

Material examined

Holotype SLOVENIA • ♀; Ajdovšćina, Predmeja, Bela Griža 1 n. 7937; 2 Oct. 2014; Špela Borko leg., PMSL Diplura-001.

Paratypes SLOVENIA • 2 ♀♀, 2 ♂♂; same collection data as for holotype; Coll. AS • 7 ♀♀, 2 ♂♂, 3 juv.; Ajdovšćina, Predmeja, Velika ledena jama v Paradani n. 742; Coll. AS • 1 ♂; same collection data as for preceding; PMSL Diplura-002 • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; PMSL Diplura-003.

Other material

See Table S 2 in Supplementary Material.

Description

BODY. Body length 3.9–5.4 mm (females), 3.2–4.35 mm (males) and 2.7–3.7 (juveniles). Epicuticle smooth under optical microscope; body with thin, middle-sized barbed clothing.

HEAD. Only two complete antennae, in a juvenile with 40 antennomeres. Bacilliform sensillum of third antennomere in ventral position between macrosetae d and e. Central antennomeres 1.3× as long as wide. Eighteen to twenty thin gouge sensilla (30–34 µm) in a single distal whorl on each medial and distal antennomere; 2–3 coniform sensilla in same whorl, but also present in last antennomere. Cupuliform organ on apical antennomere with about eight complex olfactory chemoreceptors. Nonprotruding frontal process, with non-tubercular setae.

THORAX. Pronotum with 1+1 ma, 4+4 la, 2+2 lp macrosetae; mesonotum with 1+1 ma, 3+3 la, 2+2 lp macrosetae; metanotum with 1+1 ma, 2+2 (1+1, 3+2) la, 2+2 lp macrosetae; long, barbed macrosetae; long, thin, barbed notal macrosetae; clothing setae smooth or with up to four distal thin barbs. One dorsal femoral macroseta, barbed all along with thin, short barbs; one barbed tibial metathoracic macroseta and none on prothoracic or mesothoracic tibiae; calcars with thin, long barbs in several rows;very unequal claws (1.7–1.8) with large lateral crests; posterior claw with a large backward overhang (Figs 153–154).

ABDOMEN. Urotergites I–III with 1+1 post macrosetae; urotergite IV with 1+1 (1+0) la, 3+3–2+2 post macrosetae; urotergite V with 1+1 (0+1) la, 4+4 post macrosetae; urotergite VI with 1+1 la, 4+4 post macrosetae; urotergite VII with 2+2 (2+1) la, 4+4 post macrosetae; urotergite VIII with 6+6 post macrosetae; abdominal segment IX with 8+8 post macrosetae; urosternite I with 7+7–8+8, urosternites II–VII with 6+6, urosternite VIII with 2+2 macrosetae. Stylus setae with a few barbs, smooth apically, with basal tooth; 3–5 thin distal barbs on subapical and mediosternal setae.

CERCI. Incomplete cerci, a maximum of 5 primary articles have been observed in several specimens. Each primary cercus bears from six to ten disorganized whorls of long, barbed macrosetae, one distal whorl of smooth, long setae and an apical whorl of short, thin setae.

GENITAL ORGANS. Male with two to four rows of up to 200 glandular g 1 setae, subcylindrical appendages with a small distal area of up to ten glandular a 1 setae; female with subcylindrical appendages with up to 8 glandular a 1 setae (Figs 155–156).

Phyletic affinities, habitat and distribution

Several species of Plusiocampa s. str. share important taxonomical features with P. (P.) ternovensis sp. nov., such as the clearly unequal claws with large lateral crests, the posterior claw with a backward overhang and the absence of medial posterior macrosetae on mesonotum and metanotum, but only P. (P.) balsani and P. (P.) affinis share a similar distribution pattern of notal and urotergal macrosetae. Nonetheless, the secondary sexual features of P. (P.) balsani, with the male having subtrapezoidal appendages and glandular a 2 setae, unambiguously isolate it from P. (P.) ternovensis sp. nov. Morphologically and geographically speaking, its closest related species is P. (P.) affinis, but some clear differences separate them. The very unequal claws (1.7–1.8), presence of only one ventral tibial macroseta and the 2+2 lateral macrosetae on the urotergites are features of the new species that are not present in P. (P.) affinis, which has unequal claws (1.3), two ventral tibial macrosetae and 1+1 lateral macrosetae on the urotergites.

Plusiocampa (P.) ternovensis sp. nov. has been sampled in three caves at the edge of a karst plateau north of the town of Ajdovščina, in Slovenia. This karst area is in the northern part of the Dinaric Mountains, a transitional zone between the Mediterranean, Alpine, Dinaric and Central European biogeographic regions. In two of the caves, the species lives together with P. (Stygiocampa) nivea, although they segregate differently within the cave. Plusiocampa (P.) ternovensis sp. nov. lives at a wider range of depths, while P. (S.) nivea occupies a deeper zone of the cave, at a depth of 500 m in the Velika ledena jama v Paradani and Bela Griža 1 caves. The temperatures in these two deep caves increase with depth, from permanently under 0ºC (Velika ledena jama v Paradani, with permanent ice in the upper parts) to more than 4ºC in parts deeper than 500 m. In Ledenica pri Dolu, an ice cave with temperatures below 2ºC, we found only P. (P.) ternovensis sp. nov., while in the Bošnarjev brezen Cave (5.9ºC to 7.0ºC) we found only P. (S.) nivea. This suggests that P. (P.) ternovensis sp. nov. may be considered better coldadapted than P. (S.) nivea.