Entomobrya karta Jordana & Greenslade 2020, sp. nov.

Entomobrya karta sp. nov.

(Figs 2C, 4L, 21 A–F)

Holotype. Female marked specimen (LHS) on the slide with two specimens. SA, Kangaroo Island, Rocky River mouth; - 35.965°S, 136.653°E; 3m asl, under stone, 7.iv.1972, PG leg., [SAMA 22650–01].

Paratypes. Female on the same slide (RHS), SA, Kangaroo Island, D’Estrees Bay, - 35.9295°S, 137.5966°E, 5m asl, under stone, 6.ix.1972, PG leg., [SAMA 22650–02].

Other material examined. Two specimens cleared. NSW, Nundle, - 31.4628°S, 151.126°E, 600m asl, under wet stones, 9.v.1974, PG leg. [SAMA]. One specimen on this slide is a juvenile of a uniform bluish colour, with chaetotaxy of Abd IV reduced.

Description. Size. Length up to 2.179 mm excluding antennae.

Colour. Ground colour beige with a some faded stripes of violet colour on the lateral and posterior part of Th II, posterior stripe on Th III–Abd III and two lateral bands on each side of Abd IV. Legs and antennae dark blue and short. Head with an anterior black spot between antennae, the ocular spot black.

Head. Eight eyes, G and H smaller in size than E and F. Antennal length 810 μm, twice the length of the head. Ant IV with bilobed apical vesicle; relative length of Ant segments: 1/2.5/1.9/2.7. Labium with MREL 1 L 2 ciliated chaetae, R 2/3 of M in length. External process of labial papilla E not reaching at the papilla tip. Four labral multispinate papillae. Four prelabral chaetae ciliated and labral chaetae 5,5,4 smooth.

Thorax and abdomen. Length ratio of Abd IV/III=3.3. Tibiotarsus without differentiated chaetae, with exception of the presence of the smooth terminal chaetae on legs 3, characteristic for the genus. Unguis (Fig. 21F) with 4 teeth: paired at 33% of the base and long for an Entomobrya, first unpaired at 75 % from the base and small; lateral and dorsal teeth basal. Unguiculus acuminated, a little broad in its 1/3 basal, external lamella serrated. Tenent hair clavate, longer than unguis. Trochanteral organ with near 24 chaetae. Manubrial plate with 4 chaetae and 2 pseudopores. Mucro bidentate anteapical tooth smaller than apical one, mucronal basal spine reaching the tip of the subapical tooth, Mucro of 14 micrometers and not annulated dens two times the length mucro (Fig. 21E).

Macrochaetotaxy. Simplified Mc formula: 3,1,0,2,2/3,4/2,2/0,0,1/2,3,2,3,3. Head chaetotaxy (Fig. 21A) An 2, An 3a1, An 3 and A 5 Mc. Only M 2 and M 4 present as Mc. In sutural row present S 0, S 2, S 3, S 4i, S 4, S 5i and S 5. Ps 2 and Ps 5 present. Thoracic chaetotaxy of Th II (Fig. 21B) with Mc m 1, m 2 and m 2i on T1 area, on T2 area with Mc a 5, a 5’ (as mesochaeta) m 4, m 4i and m 5. Abdominal chaetotaxy (Fig. 21C) of Abd II with a 2 and a 3, m 3 and m 3e, on Abd III only m 3 Mc present on A5 area, Abd IV (Fig. 21D) with Mc A 1, A 3 –A 6, A i2, A e5pp, B 3 –B 6, B e3 and E 1. Sensillary formula as normal for Entomobrya, the bothriotricha on Abd IV in position T 2 and T 4 (0110).

Remarks. The chaetotaxy as Abd II and III (2,2/0,0,1) approximates to that of E. regina sp. nov. and to some variations of E. varia, but the chaetotaxy of Th II separates them definitively. Th II of E. karta sp. nov. has Mc m 1, m 2, m 2i2, a 5, m 4, m 4i and m 5 (and usually a 5’) while E. regina sp. nov. has the Mc m 2i, a 5, m 4 and m 4i, and E. varia has the Mc m 1, a 5 and m 4.

Etymology. The name refers to the ancient culture of indigenous people of the island.