Paleonura borincana sp. nov.

Figs. 1–6, Tables. 1–2

Type material. Holotype: female, microscopic slide preparation (INHS Insect Collection acc. # 551,630), Puerto Rico: Maricao, Monte del Estado Commonwealth Forest, Road PR-120, N 18.14396, W 66.97789, leaf litter in woods across entrance to old recreational area; 22.vi.1999. F. Soto-Adames, coll. Paratypes: one female (INHS acc. #551, 631), on microscope slide with same collection information as holotype; one male and one female (INHS acc. #’s 551, 632 and 551,633, respectively), microscope slide mounted, Puerto Rico: Caribbean National Forest, Pico del Oeste, 820–880 m above sea level, N 18.28, W 65.77, sierra palm forest litter associated with dwarf forest, 24.i.2001, B.A. Richardson & M.J. Richardson, coll.

The holotype and one paratype are deposited in the insect collection of the Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS). Two paratypes remain in the collection of the senior author at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City.

Type locality. Puerto Rico: Maricao, Commonwealth Forest.

Etymology. Demonym for Borinquen, Spanish language corruption of the original Native American name for the island of Puerto Rico.

Description. Length, 1.6 mm (n = 4). Color in alcohol white. Granulation fine, smaller than eye diameter. Only dorso-external tubercles on Abd. IV and V well developed. Body setae comprising microsetae; thick, hyaline, capitate macrosetae, and acuminate macrosetae, in addition to sensorial setae (Fig. 2).

Ant. I with 7 setae, 3 dorsal with blunt tips. Ant. II with 11 setae, dorsal setae thicker and longer than ventral setae, 2 with blunt tips. Ant. III with 1 ventral microsensillum; sensorial organ with 2 globular sensilla in a cuticular fold and 2 guard sensilla; S.g. v. almost straight and longer than S.g.d. Ant. IV typical for the genus (Fig. 1), with all sensilla subequal in size and shape, 12 long acuminate setae, 1 small setae (i), 1 organite, and without subapical bulb. Ventrally on Ant. IV with setae br 3,4,5 and 6, and 3 cp (not drawn).

Eyes 2 + 2. Mandibles with two thin and long teeth, maxillae styliform. Head without well developed tubercles, chaetotaxy as in Fig. 2. Labium with 9 pairs of setae. Ventral chaetotaxy of head with four setae Vea, 2 setae Vem and 6 setae Vep (not illustrated).

Chaetotaxy of legs 1–3 as follows: coxae with 3,7,7 setae; all trochanters with 5 setae; femora with 12,12, 11 setae; tibiotarsi with 19,19, and 18 setae (Fig. 3, seta M not shown). Unguis without teeth. Thoracic and abdominal dorsal chaetotaxy in Figs. 2 and 4, dorsal tubercles not well developed. Group of setae De on Abd. V only with one sensorial seta (Fig. 5). Chaetotaxy by demitergite as in Table 1.

Ventral tube with 4 + 4 setae. Furcal vestige with only 3 setae. Ventral chaetotaxy reduced as shown in Figure 6 and on Table 1. Furcula vestige with 3 setae. Female genital plate with 3+3 pregenital, 8–9 circumgenital and 2 eugenital setae. Each lateral anal tubercle with 12 setae and 2 microsetae, posterior one with one pair of setae. Abdominal sternites with strong chaetotaxy reduction (Fig. 6 and Table 1).

Variation. One individual from Maricao has one additional supernumerary seta on head tubercle De.

Remarks. Paleonura borincana sp. nov. is unique among the members of the genus in having the combination of cephalic setae A and B, two ocular setae and the absence of setae on the dorso-extenal tubercle of Abd. IV (only the sensorial seta remains). It resembles P. carayoni Massoud & Thibaud, 1987, from Guadalupe Island, but this species has only one ocular seta and 4 setae on the Di-De fused tubercle of Abd. V, while the new species has only 3 setae, in addition, Paleonura borincana sp. nov. measures 1.6 mm and P. carayoni is, at most, 1.0 mm long.

Postcephalic, ventral and leg chaetotaxy of Paleonura boricana sp. nov.

Thorax Legs