Arrhopalites botuveraensis sp. n. (Fig. 10 A –K)

Etymology. This species is named after the Type locality.

Type Material. Holotype female Ψ, BRAZIL, Santa Catarina. Botuverá, cave Botuverá. 17­i­1998. R. Pinto­da­Rocha (MZUSP). Paratypes: BRAZIL, Santa Catarina: 4 female ΨΨ and 1 juvenile, same data as Holotype.

Description. Caecus ­group (Fig. 10 A –K). Body sparsely clothed with short setae on anterior part of the abdomen (Fig. D­a) and 4X longer setae on posterior part of the abdomen (Fig. D­b). Antennae of holotype about 1.2X length of head. Ant. I: II; III; IV = 1: 1.5; 3; 6.5. Ant. IV 2.06X longer than Ant. III, subdivided into five indistinctly ringed subsegments (Fig. A); longest setae about twice the width of segment; Ant. IV apex with a capitate sense rod (Fig. B). Ant. III without basal swelling; sense organ (Fig. C) with 2 parallel sense rods in a single shallow pit; seta Aai club­shaped and blunt; Api and Ape setae slender with bristle like apex; Ae, Ap and Ai normal. 1+1 eyes, color white, no traces of pigments. Dorsal cephalic setae A3, M3, M4, M5 and L and IL series spinelike (Fig. J). Metatrochanteral organ (seta D2) elongate (Fig. G). All ungues with a small inner tooth (figs. K a–c). Tunica present on second and third ungues. All unguiculi with corner tooth and a long apical filament, exceeding apex of unguis. Tenaculum with two setae on anterior unpaired lobe. Dens with 6 dorsal E setae, E1–3 strongly spinelike, E4 spinelike; L1–3 spinelike; D1, D2, Id1, Id2 and Id4 present (Fig. E), Id3 absent; 5 ventral rows of setae (3,2,2,1,1) present. Mucro narrow, gutter­like, both edges serrate (Fig. F). 3+2 cuticular spines on each side of the anal valve, s0 present; setae C1–C8 winged or lamellate but C7 slender, chaetotaxy as in figure I and table 2. Female subanal appendage flattened with fringed apex. Body length of the adult female holotype 0.66mm, head 0.3mm.

Distribution: biogeographic zone 29

Remarks: Arrhopalites botuveraensis n. sp. (South Brazil) belongs to the coecusgroup, it is similar to A. amorimi (Southeast Brazil) and A. vazquezae (Mexico), despite the disconnected distribution. The new species can be distinguished by the absence of tunica in the first unguis and the indistinctly ringed 5 subsegments of fourth antennal segment.