Paranura conjuncta sp. nov.

Figs 76–82, Tables 15–16

Etymology. The species name conjuncta is in reference to the fusion of tubercles Di on abd. V.

Diagnosis. Body bluish grey. 3+3 eyes on head. Tubercles present on dorsal side of body, reticulations absent. Head with chaetae O, A and E. Head with three ocular chaetae. Thorax I with 2 chaetae De. Thorax II–III with 3 chaetae Di. Thorax II–III with 3 and 4 ordinary chaetae De respectively. Abdomen V with 3+3 chaetae Di. Abdomen V slightly longer than VI. Abdomen without clavate chaetae. Furca rudimentary without microchaetae. Male ventral organ absent. Tibiotarsi with chaetae M.

Description. Habitus typical for Paranura Axelson, 1902 genus. Buccal cone elongate. Body length (without antennae) 0.68–1.05 mm (holotype: 0.72 mm). Colour of body when alive and in alcohol bluish grey. Tubercles not developed except on head and three last abdominal segments (Figs 76, 77, 81). Ordinary dorsal chaetae (Figs 77, 81) differentiated into short, thin, acuminate microchaetae, medium size, smooth, acuminate mesochaetae and long, smooth, relatively thick, narrowly sheathed and rounded apically macrochaetae Ml and Mc. No plurichaetosis on body.

Head. Antennae slightly shorter than head (Fig. 76). S-chaetae of ant. IV relatively long and thin, S1, S2 and S6 slightly thinner and shorter than others (Fig. 78). Apical bulb trilobed. Chaetotaxy of antennae as in Fig. 78 and Tab. 15. Buccal cone relatively long and rounded at apex, ventral sclerifications as in Fig. 80. Maxilla needle-like, mandible simple with three teeth. Chaetotaxy of labium as in Fig. 79, labial papillae x absent. Labrum chaetotaxy 4/2,5,4 (Fig. 80). Group Vi with 6+6 chaetae. Groups Vea, Vem and Vep with 4, 3 and 4 chaetae respectively. Dorsal chaetotaxy of head as in Tab. 15. and Figs 76, 81. Dorsal chaetotaxy of central area on head complete, with 3 chaetae Oc and chaetae A, B, C, D, E, F, G, O. Line of chaetae Di2–De2 crosses line Di1–De1 on head (crosstype, Deharveng 1983). 3+3 relatively large black eyes, their diameter about three times as large as the diameter of chaeta Ocm socket (Fig. 76).

Thorax, abdomen, legs. Dorsal chaetotaxy as in Figs 76, 77 and in Tab. 16. Ventral chaetotaxy as in Tab. 16. Schaetae long, equal to nearby macrochaetae (Figs 76, 77). S-chaetae formula of body: 022/11111, s-microchaeta on Dl of th. II present. Furcal remnant with 4 mesochaetae and without microchaetae. Male without ventral modified chaetae (“male ventral organ”). Claw without internal tooth. Chaeta M present on tibiotarsus, chaetae B4 and B5 relatively short. Chaetotaxy of legs as in Tab. 16.

Types. Holotype: female on slide, Russia: Primorye, Pedan, crest, soil under shrubs of Microbiota decussata (Fig. 82), Berlese extraction, 21.IX.2004, leg. L. Deharveng & A. Bedos, X=132.698463°, Y=43.078185°, altitude 992 m above sea level (RU-052).

1 paratype male, same data as holotype (RU-056); 1 paratype female on slide, Primorye, Khualaza: at the 2nd pass, forest litter, Berlese extraction, 19.IX.2004, leg. L. Deharveng & A. Bedos, X=132.787742°, Y=43.117823°, altitude 750 m (RU-032).

2 paratypes (1female, 1 juvenile), Primorye, Ekaterinovka, Chandalaz limestone range, Chandalaz Range crest, forest litter, Berlese extraction, 26.IX.2004, leg. L. Deharveng & A. Bedos, X=133.021815°, Y=43.025770°, altitude about 500 m (RU-101).

1 paratype male, Primorye, Barabash, near a quarrying, forest litter, Berlese extraction, 27.IX.2004, leg. L. Deharveng & A. Bedos, X=131.470756°, Y=43.172987°, altitude about 50 m (RU-106); 1 paratype juvenile, Primorye, Khasansky, Reserve Kedrovaya Pad, core area, forest with Pinus koreensis & Abies sp., litter and rotten wood, Berlese extraction, 29.IX.2004, leg. L. Deharveng & A. Bedos, X=131.533219°, Y=43.110513°, altitude about 70 m (RU-135). Holotype and 3 paratypes (RU-032, RU-106, RU-135) deposited in MNHN, others (RU-056 and RU-101) deposited in DIBEC and MSPU respectively.

a) Cephalic chaetotaxy––dorsal side.

b) Chaetotaxy of antennae.

Terga Legs

Di De Dl L Scx2 Cx Tr Fe TT th. I 1 2 1 – 0 3 6 13 19 th. II 3 3+s 3+s+ms 3 2 7 6 12 19 th. III 3 4+s 3+ s 3 2 8 6 11 18

Sterna

abd. I 2 3+ s 2 3 VT: 4

abd. II 2 3+ s 2 3 Ve: 5; Vel present

abd. III 2 3+ s 2 4 Ve: 5; Fu: 4 me, 0 mi

abd. IV 2 2+ s 3 8 Vel: 4; Vec: 2 Vei: 2; Vl: 4

abd. V (3+3) 6–7+s Ag: 3; chaetae L‘ and Vl present abd. VI 7 Ve: 14; An: 2 mi

Other material. 1 juvenile, Russia: Primorye, Ekaterinovka, Chandalaz range, 26.IX.2004, bush, Berlese, 26.IX.2004, leg. L. Deharveng & A. Bedos (RU-094, MNHN).

Remarks. Paranura conjuncta sp. nov. is similar to P. najtae Deharveng & Weiner, 1984 (described from North Korea). The only differences that we detected between them are the arrangement of tubercles Di on abdomen V (in P. conjuncta sp. nov. fused, in najtae separate), the number of chaetae on trochanters (in P. conjuncta sp. nov. 6 chaetae, in najtae 5) and microchaetae on furcal remnant (in P. conjuncta sp. nov. absent, in najtae present). Additionally P. conjuncta sp. nov. has visible tubercles on central area of head (Fig. 81), not developed in najtae . Biology. The new species is resident in montane coniferous and mixed forest. Bisexual species.