Friesea kariae Smolis, 2010, sp. nov.

Friesea kariae sp. nov.

Figs 1–17

Diagnosis. This species is characterized by: white body, absence of eyes, Abd. VI with five spines in position a1, a2 and p0, 3+3 microsetae on even anal lobes, reduced furcula with 3+3 setae and without mucro, retinaculum with 2+2 teeth.

Type material. Holotype: female on slide: USA: Oregon, Lane Co., 6.5 km East of Blue River town, 520 m above sea level, “Cougar 1” site (Fig. 32), old-growth forest of Tsuga heterophylla zone, 27.IX.2006, A. Smolis coll., USNM. Paratypes: 1 female, 8 males and 12 juveniles, same locality as holotype, 27.IX.2006, 3.X.2006, 22.IX.2007, A. Smolis coll., 15 and 6 paratypes housed in ZIWU and OSAC respectively.

Etymology. The new species is named in honour of Kari Brisbee O’Connell, the former Forest Director of the H. J. Andrews Experimental Forest.

Description. Body length (without antennae) 0.40–0.69 mm (holotype: 0.62 mm). Colour of body in alive and alcohol white. Habitus typical for genus (Fig. 1)

Area ocularis without eyes, with 3 setae Oc (Fig. 2). Granulation homogenous, rather fine. Labium and labrum as in Figs 4–5. Chaetotaxy of labrum: 4/5,3,4. Mandible with 7 teeth (Fig. 7). Maxilla with two small dentate lamellae (Fig. 6).

Dorsal chaetotaxy of head as in Fig. 3. Setae a0, d1 and p1 present. Head with 2+2 setae along ventral line (Fig. 4). Antennae slightly shorter than head. Chaetotaxy of antennae as in Figs 12, 14. Ant. I with 7 setae, Ant. II with 13 setae. Ant. III and IV fused dorsally. AOIII with two small internal sensilla and two slightly curved, cylindrical guard sensilla. Ventral microsensillum on Ant. III present. Ant. IV with simple apical vesicle (Fig. 13), seta i, very small subapical organite, microsensillum and 6 short, relatively thick curved sensilla, sensilla D and F thinner than others.

Dorsal chaetotaxy of thorax as in Fig. 1. Setae a2 and m4 on Th. II present. Setae a3 and a4 on Th. II–III present or sometimes absent (usually asymmetrically). Sensillar formula of Th. 0 22. Sensilla relatively thin, as long as nearest ordinary setae. Thoracic sterna without setae.

Leg chaetotaxy from I to III as follows: tibiotarsi with 18, 18, 17 (seta M absent) (Figs 9–10) and without visible clavate tenent hairs; femora I, II, III with 12, 11, 10. Trochanters with 5 each. Coxae I, II, III with 3, 7– 8, 7–8; subcoxae I, II, III with 0, 2, 2. Claws without inner tooth (Fig. 11). Empodial appendage absent.

Dorsal chaetotaxy of abdomen as in Figs 1, 15. Sensillar formula of Abd. 11111. Abd. VI with five relatively short and straight anal spines; two spines in position a1, two ones in a2 and uneven spine in position p0 (Figs 15–16). Setae m1 on Abd. VI slightly thickened. Setae m3 and m4 on Abd. IV present or sometimes absent (Fig. 1). Ordinary setae on Abd. IV–VI slightly serrated. Ventral chaetotaxy of Abd. as in Figs 8, 16– 17. Ventral tube with 4+4 setae. Retinaculum with 2+2 teeth. Furcula reduced–– state 3 (Cassagnau 1958) with 3+3 microsetae and without mucro (Fig. 17). Chaetotaxy of manubrium as in Fig. 8. Unpaired anal lobe with 3 setae hr (Fig. 16). Even anal lobes with 16+16 setae and 3+3 setae hr.

Notes. The species was found only in deep soil layers of lower elevation coniferous old-growth forests. It displays strong morphological adaptations (rarely observed within the genus) for soil animals which lacks eyes and pigment, and with reduced jumping organs.

Discussion. At present eleven blind species or subspecies of the genus Friesea are known: F. cauchoisi Delamare-Deboutteville, 1951, F. subterranea subterranea Cassagnau, 1958 (both described from France), F. tatrica Nosek, 1965 (described from Slovakia), F. araucana Izarra, 1972 (Argentina), F. kanchanaburiensis Deharveng & Bedos, 1991, F. lisu Deharveng & Bedos, 1991 (both from Thailand), F. anophtalma Thibaud & Weiner, 1997, F. hnaeu Weiner, Bedos & Deharveng, 2009 (both from New Caledonia), F. wabao Weiner, Bedos & Deharveng, 2009 (New Caledonia, most populations have 1+1 eyes, it can be complex of species, see Weiner et al. 2009), F. santo Weiner, Bedos & Deharveng, 2009 (Vanuatu) and F. lijiangensis Tamura & Yue, 1998 (China). The differences between these taxa are given in the key. The new species is the most similar to F. cauchoisi in the presence of five spines on the last abdominal segment and the presence of furcula with 3+3 setae and without mucro (Delamare-Deboutteville 1951). Nevertheless, they can easily be separated by the number of teeth on retinaculum (two in F. kariae, one in F. cauchoisi) and the position of anal spines (two spines as a1, two in a2 and one as p o in F. kariae; two spines as a1, two in m1 and one as p o in F. cauchoisi).