Globopactes cristalinae Campos-Filho, Paoletti and Taiti, 2021

Campos-Filho, Ivanklin Soares, Paoletti, Maurizio Guido, Gavinelli, Federico & Taiti, Stefano, 2021, New species and records of the family Scleropactidae Verhoeff, 1938 from Venezuela (Crustacea, Isopoda, Oniscidea), Tropical Zoology 34 (2), pp. 102-122 : 109-111

Globopactes cristalinae Campos-Filho, Paoletti and Taiti n. sp.

Figures 4-8 , 11

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:300721F5-A172-4A20-BAE6-3DD56C5813AE

Type material

VENEZUELA: Holotype ♂ ( MZUF 9858 ), La Cristalina, Boconó, Andes , 2,500 m a.s.l., department of Trujillo, in bromeliads, I.1988, leg. M. G. Paoletti. Paratypes: 3 ♂♂ (one with parts in micropreparations) ( MZUF 9858 ), same data as holotype ; 1 ♀ ( MZUF 9859 ), same locality and collector as holotype, VI.1987, in bromeliads .

Description

Maximum body length: ♂ 4. 5 mm, ♀ 5. 5 mm. Color faded after conservation in alcohol. Body ( Figures 4A,F , 7A ) strongly convex with endoantennal conglobation; pereonite 1 epimera enlarged, anterior corners directed upwards, distinctly surpassing eyes; pereonites 2-7 subquadrangular and directed backwards; pleonites 3-5 epimera suquadrangular, continuing outline of pereonites ( Figure 4A,G ). Dorsal surface bearing small scale-setae apically fan-shaped ( Figures 4B , 7B ); cephalon, pereon and pleon with small dorsal tubercles bearing short triangular setae ( Figure 4A ). Noduli laterales inserted near posterior margins and at same distance from lateral margins of pereon epimera ( Figure 4A ). Cephalon ( Figures 4 C-F, 7C) with transverse and strongly concave dorsal furrow, laterally reaching posterior portion of eyes; frontal shield directed upwards, median part triangular and bent backwards over vertex, laterally protruding and covering eyes in frontal view; frontal line delimiting frontal shield superiorly; eyes laterally protruding and composed of 16 ommatidia. Telson ( Figures 4G , 7D ) triangular with distal margin rounded. Antennula ( Figure 7E ) of three articles, distal article conical with apical tip, two lateral aesthetascs plus apical pair. Antenna ( Figures 4H , 7F ) stout, not surpassing pereonite 1 when extended backwards; flagellum of three articles, second and third articles bearing lateral aesthetascs; apical organ as long as flagellum bearing two short free sensilla. Mandibles with molar penicil dichotomized with about six plumose setae, left mandible ( Figure 5A ) with 2+1 penicils, right mandible ( Figure 5B ) with 1+1 penicils. Maxillula ( Figure 5C ) inner endite with two apical plumose penicils; outer endite with 4+5 teeth, four of them apically cleft. Maxilla ( Figure 5D ) inner lobe rounded, slightly wider than outer lobe and covered with thick setae; outer lobe covered with long thin setae. Maxilliped ( Figure 5E ) palp with one seta on basal article; endite subrectangular densely covered with thin setae, medial seta not surpassing distal margin, distal margin bearing one seta, apical penicil near medial margin. Pereopods 1-7 stout, merus, carpus and propodus bearing strong comb-like setae with long sensilla on sternal margin; carpus and propodus 1 bearing transverse antennal grooming brush; dactylus with two claws, ungual seta longer than outer claw and apically simple, dactylar seta much longer than outer claw and apically plumose. Uropod ( Figure 6A ) protopod subrectangular fitting gap between pleonite 5 and telson, endopod inserted proximally, slightly longer than exopod. Pleopod 1 and 2 exopods with respiratory areas on outer margin.

Male: Pereopods 1 and 7 ( Figure 6B,C ) without any particular modification. Pleopod 1 ( Figure 6D ) exopod ovoid; endopod three times as long as exopod, distal portion narrow bearing row of small setae. Pleopod 2 ( Figure 6E ) exopod triangular, outer margin concave bearing one seta; endopod longer than exopod. Pleopod 3 and 4 exopods as in Figure 6F,G . Pleopod 5 exopod ( Figure 6H ) triangular with transverse fringes of thin setae, outer margin sinuous bearing one seta.

Etymology

The species is named after La Cristalina, subpáramo near Boconó, where the specimens were collected.

Remarks

At present, the genus Globopactes comprises six species: Globopactes falconensis Schmidt, 2007 , G. granulatus , G. hispidus Schmidt, 2007 , G. meridae and G. senex from Venezuela, and G. talamancensis ( Leistikow, 1997) from Costa Rica ( Schmidt 2007).

In having the dorsal surface slightly tuberculate, conferring a granulated aspect, Globopactes cristalinae n. sp. resembles G. hispidus from which it differs by the cephalon with the frontal shield directed upwards, partially covering the dorsal furrow on median portion and laterally protruding over eyes in frontal view (vs. frontal shield directed backwards, dorsal furrow covered on median and paramedian portions and laterally not protruding over eyes in frontal view), the antennula with two lateral aesthetascs (vs. five), the male pereopods 1-3 merus and carpus without large field of scales, the male pereopod 7 merus without proximal concave depression on sternal margin, and the male pleopod 1 exopod ovoid (vs. triangular).

According to the diagnosis of Globopactes by Schmidt (2007), one character of the genus is the presence of fields of scales on anterior pereopods. This character is not present in our specimens but all the other characters match the diagnosis and we include this species in Globopactes .

This interesting new species was collected inside the terrestrial endemic bromelia Greigia alborosea but not in the soil ( Figure 8 ).

Figures

Figure 4. Globopactes cristalinae n. sp. from La Cristalina, ♂ paratype:A, dorsal habitus; B, dorsal scale-seta; C, cephalon, dorsal view; D, cephalon, back view; E, cephalon, frontal view; F, cephalon and pereonite 1, lateral view; G, pereonite 7, pleonites 1-5, telson and uropods; H, antenna.

Figure 5. Globopactes cristalinae n. sp. from La Cristalina, ♂ paratype: A, left mandible; B, right mandible; C, maxillula; D, maxilla; E, maxilliped.

Figure 6. Globopactes cristalinae n. sp. from La Cristalina, ♂ paratype:A, uropod; B, pereopod 1; C, pereopod 7; D, pleopod 1; E, pleopod 2; F, pleopod 3 exopod; G, pleopod 4 exopod; H. pleopod 5 exopod.

Figure 7. Globopactes cristalinae n. sp. from La Cristalina, ♀ SEM photos:A, animal in total view; B, dorsal surface and dorsal scale-setae; C, cephalon and pereonite 1, dorsal view; D, pleonite 5, telson and uropods; E, antennula; F, antennal flagellum.

Figure 8. Elfin-cloud forest, subpáramo, at La Cristalina (A, B), 2,500 m a.s.l., where Globopactes cristalinae n. sp. occurs inside the terrestrial bromelia Greigia alborosea (C).