Disparrhopalites naasaveqw Wynne 2017, n. sp.

Disparrhopalites naasaveqw n. sp.

Figs. 1‒22

Material Examined. Holotype male dissected and mounted on 4 slides, paratype female on slide and three paratypes in ethanol, USA, Arizona, Coconino County, Wupatki National Monument, UTM 457484, 3937066, Zone 12S, cave WUPA-004, entrance/light zone, leaf litter trap #1, 0 9 September 2013. Same locality, cave WUPA-001, 11 September 2013, one paratype male and one paratype female on slides, one paratype in ethanol, entrance/light zone, leaf litter trap #1; one paratype male on slide, one paratype in alcohol, cave WUPA-001, transition zone, leaf litter trap #6. All specimens collected by J.J. Wynne.

The holotype (WUPA 29654) and paratypes (WUPA29655‒29661) are deposited at the Museum of Northern Arizona in the Wupatki National Monument Collection, Flagstaff, Arizona.

Description. Males and females similar in length and appearance. Length 0.69‒0.86 mm (n = 5). Distinct segmental sutures not seen on thorax and large abdomen; Abd. V fused with large abdomen. In ethanol, pigmentation mottled, reddish violet to grey-violet (Figs. 1, 2), extent and intensity variable. Head pigmentation varying from region between eye patches to covering most of frontal and genal regions. On large abdomen pigment generally covering anterior half and most of lateral region, and forming mid-dorsal band resulting in two large, white, angular dorsal spots; pigment sometimes confined mostly to lateral region, dorsal white spots weakly formed. Small abdomen pigmented antero-dorsally, pale elsewhere. Antennae and legs pale violet, venter and furcula pale. Secondary granulation of large abdomen limited largely to dorsal and lateral setose regions; ventrolateral and ventral regions with primary granulation only (Fig. 18). Eight ocelli of similar size in each eyepatch (Fig. 8).

Ratios of Ant. I‒IV 1: 1.7: 3.6: 10.4. Ant. IV with 14‒15 subsegments. Terminal subsegment partially divided, twice length of penultimate subsegment, with spherical apical bulb, thin apical sensillum-like seta; sensilla arranged as one short and two long distal sensilla and three proximal sensilla (Figs. 10, 11). Penultimate subsegment with three sensilla and seven typical setae in a single whorl, more proximal subsegments with two sensilla and eight typical setae. Ant. III sense organ with two sense clubs in common pit and lateral conical sensillum (Fig. 12).

Labial palpus (Fig. 9) with papillae A ‒E present, bases weakly annulated; guard seta a1 displaced, long, curved, extending laterally past palpus edge; b1 and b2 prominent, long, base of b1 expanded; b3 and b4, stout, conical, b4 on upper side of palpus, behind other b-guards; d1 and d2 guards longer than d3 and d4; three e-guards, e2 the longest, e3 very short; lateral papilla slender, pointed. Maxillary palpus with seta and two sublobal hairs. Six prelabral setae. Labrum with three longitudinal lobes thinner than rest of labrum. Labral setae in three rows, 5-5-4 setae proximal to distal (Fig. 8); outer setae of proximal row and middle setae of distal row longer than neighbors.

Legs similar, increasing slightly in length from fore to hind leg; all leg setae smooth. Fore, middle and hind coxae with 1, 1, 4 setae, respectively. Fore and middle trochanters each with four setae and two oval organs, hind trochanter with five setae, two oval organs and stout, tapering, hooked spine Fig. 13). All femora with very short seta near midpoint and minute spine-like setula near apex (Figs. 4, 13). Fore-femur with 14 typical setae, without oval organ; middle femur with 15 typical setae, oval organ in basal half; hind femur with 17 typical setae, with oval organ in basal third (Fig. 13). Tibiotarsi long and slender, with 6 setae at distal end; tenent hairs absent. Middle tibiotarsus with oval organ in basal fourth, oval organs absent on fore and hind tibiotarsi. Anterior pretarsal seta present, socket weak; posterior pretarsal seta randomly minute or absent (Figs 5, 6). Foot structure (Fig. 14) similar on all legs. Tunica prominent, extending to and forming rounded tip of unguis, and with free filament originating at middle of unguis; pseudonychium present, smooth or with minute denticles just at the limit of light optics; interior ungual edge with 8 or 9 teeth along most of its length. Unguis with internal, oval cavity. Unguiculus parallel-sided proximally, truncated distally on interior side, with about 6 small teeth on it, and with conical cavity; external edge smooth.

Ventral tube with 1+1 lateral setae on corpus and 1 posterior seta on each valve; each membranous vesicle with row of tubercles running its length and short row of tubercles distally (Fig. 15). Tenaculum with 2+2 teeth and basal appendage, corpus with 2 or 3 setae; third seta, if present, medial (Fig. 16). Ratio of manubrium:dens:mucro approximately 1:2.6:1.1. Manubrium with 8+8 posterior setae, without anterior setae. Dens smooth, with 25 lateral and posterior setae; anterior setae arranged as 3,2,2,1…1 (Fig. 17). Both edges of mucro with small serrations. Male genital plate (Fig. 22) with 12 to 13 setae: 2+2 lateral setae on margin, 8+8 or 7+8 small typical setae in the middle of each side and 3+3 stouter, less dense setae interiorly, the most posterior of these thicker than the others. Female genital plate not clearly seen. Subanal appendage of female (Fig. 7) tapering, pointed, curved distally, with minute serrations near tip, pointing posteriorly.

Chaetotaxy. All typical head and body setae appearing smooth, of similar length. Setae of head and body usually displaying minor asymmetry. Clypeal region with seven rows of setae posterior to prelabral row (Fig. 8): anterior clypeal (ca), anterior clypeal-medial (cma), clypeal-medial (cm), anterior clypeal-central 1 (ccb), posterior clypealcentral 2 (cca), clypeal-posterior (cp) and genal (g); 1+1 setae between cm and ccb rows; one oval organ near most medial g-seta. Medial setal pair of one or more rows occasionally replaced by single mid-dorsal seta. Interantennalocular area with d and sd-seta rows; d1 and d5 as single mid-dorsal setae; sd-setal row distinctly zig-zag.

Mesothorax without setae, metathorax with 4+4 setae, Abd. I with single row of 5+5 setae. Bothriotricha A ‒C nearly in straight line, B slightly anterior to line A-C, closer to C than to A (Fig. 18). Bothriotrix D very long, slender, flexuous, arising from low multi-lobed tubercle with five accessory setae (Fig. 19). Chaetotaxy of small abdomen similar in both sexes, with three middorsal setae (Figs. 20, 21). Males with two oval organs, females with one oval organ on each side of Abd. VI. Neosminthuroid setae absent.

TABLE 2. Differentiating characters for species listed in this paper, adapted from table in Da Silva et al. (2015).1 Genera and species Eye number Ant. IV Tenacular Posterior Dens anterior setae Mucro Neosminthuroid Abd. V lobe, subsegments setae pretarsal seta4 edges setae bothriotrix D

Disparrhopalites enkerlinius n. 5+5 (8+8) 2 12 1 +1 present 8 (3,2,2…1) serrate absent Short lobe, D

comb. very long, slender

Disparrhopalites naasaveqw 8+ 8 14‒15 1+1 or 3 present or 9 (3,2,2,1…1) serrate absent Short lobe, D sp. absent very long, slender

Disparrhopalites patrizii 8+ 8 12 1 +1 present 9 (3,2,2,1…1) serrate absent Short lobe, D very long, slender

Disparrhopalites tergestinus 0+0 14 1+1? 9 (3,2,2,1…1) serrate absent Short lobe, D long, slender

Gisinurus maletestai 8+ 8 15 1 +1? 13 (3,2,2,2,2,1…1) serrate absent Short lobe, D long, slender

Gisinurus orenensis 8+ 8 13‒14 1+1 present 11 (3,2,2,2,1…1) serrate absent?

Songhaica adoracionae 8+ 8 11 1 +1 present 5 (3,1…1) smooth present Short lobe, D long, slender

Songhaica nigeriana 8+8 (6+6) 3 10‒11 1+1 present 5 (3,1…1) smooth present Moderate lobe, D

slender

Songhaica soqotrana 6+ 6 11 1 +1 present 5 (3,1…1) smooth present?

Songhaica stylifer 6+ 6 10 1 +1? 5 (3,1…1) smooth present?

Soqotrasminthurus hadiboensis 8+ 8 20 2 +2? 12 (3,2,2,2,1,1…1) smooth absent Long lobe; D spine-like, short

Soqotrasminthurus vanharteni 8+ 8 26 2 +2? 12 (3,2,2,2,1,1…1) smooth absent Short lobe; D spine-like, short

Varelasminthurus potiguarus 8+ 8 11 1 +1 absent 7 (3,2,1…1) smooth absent Short lobe, D very long, slender Question mark indicates character is not described or illustrated in original or subsequent descriptions. Text in Palacios-Vargas et al. (1998) states 5+5, illustration suggests 8+8.

Lasebikan et al. (1980) indicate 8+8 eyes for Gambian type specimens; Bretfeld (2005) states 6+6 eyes for Socotra specimens. Present” indicates that the species was illustrated with both pretarsal setae. A question mark indicates that this character cannot be determined from the description or illustrations.

Etymology. The species name is the Hopi Native American term naasaveqw (naa-sah-vak) meaning “in the middle”, referring to the mixture of characters that unite Disparrhopalites and Dietersminthurus. The Hopi are a Puebloan People whose historical aboriginal boundary includes the present-day Wupatki National Monument.

Diagnosis. Disparrhopalites naasaveqw n. sp. is similar to D. patrizii in the nearly identical profile of the claws, arrangement of anterior dental setae, and shape and dentation of the mucro. The two species differ in colour (D. naasaveqw distinctly pigmented, D. patrizii white or slightly pigmented) and internal structure of the unguis (distinct cavity in D. naasaveqw, no distinct cavity in D. patrizii). The new species and D. enkerlinius n. comb. are similar in claw structure, antennal and mucronal features, and absence of Th. II setae (according to the illustration). They differ in arrangement and number of anterior dental setae (see Table 2) and perhaps in the number of eyes. In the original description of D. enkerlinius (Palacios-Vargas et al. 1998) the eye number is stated in two places as 5+5, but the head illustration seems to show 8+8. The other member of the genus, the troglobite D. tergestinus, is blind, lacks pigment, has greatly elongated antenna and possesses long, thin ungues without teeth but with a slender, free tunica.

Disparrhopalites naasaveqw n. sp. also bears some resemblance to Varelasminthurus potiguarus Da Silva, Palacios-Vargas & Bellini, 2015 in presence of oval organs and sometimes having the posterior pretarsal seta absent, but differs in anterior dental chaetotaxy (3,2,2,1… 1 in D. naasaveqw n. sp., 3,2,1… 1 in V. potiguarus), development of tunica filament (long and thin in D. naasaveqw n. sp. vs. short and thick in V. potiguarus), and Th. II setae (lacking in D. naasaveqw n. sp., 1+ 1 in V. potiguarus).

Disparrhopalites naasaveqw n. sp. is a presumed obligate troglophile lacking any characters suggestive of troglomorphy.