Cryptonura maxima

Description. Habitus typical of the genus Body length (without antennae): holotype 4.2 mm, paratype 2.2 mm. Colour of the body bluish-gray. 2 + 2 eyes medium size (diameter of ocellus slightly larger than diameter of alveolus Ocp), darkly pigmented (Fig. 8). Types of dorsal ordinary chaetae. Macrochaetae Ml relatively long, strongly thickened, almost cylindrical, arclike or straight, narrowly sheathed, apically rounded (Figs 8, 11 – 13); macrochaetae Mc and Mcc thickened, straight and blunt; mesochaetae and microchaetae short, thin, feebly serrated and pointed. Macrochaetae densely covered by minute denticles. Head. Buccal cone relatively short. Labrum rounded, with ventral sclerifications as in Figs 9, 10. Labrum chaetotaxy 0 / 2,2, prelabral chaetae absent. Labium with 11 chaetae: A, C, D, E, F, G, b, c, d, e and f. Labial papillae x not detected (Fig. 9). Maxilla styliform, mandible thin tridentate. Chaetotaxy of antennae as in Tab. 2 b. Apical vesicle poorly developed, trilobed. S – chaetae of ant. IV long and thin, S 3 thinner than others. Group d on ant. III with 2 – 3 chaetae. Chaetotaxy of head as in Tab. 2 a and Figs 8, 9. Tubercles Cl and Af separate (Fig. 8). Chaeta D connected with tubercle Cl. Chaeta O absent. Tubercle Dl with 6 chaetae (Fig. 8). Tubercle (L + So) with 8 chaetae, chaetae L 2 and L 3 absent. Chaeta A distinctly shorter than B. Thorax, abdomen, legs. Body s – chaeta thin and smooth, distinctly shorter than nearby macrochaetae (Fig. 8). Chaetotaxy of th. and abd. as in Tab. 2 c and in Figs 8, 11 – 13. Tubercles Di on th I with 1 chaeta. Tubercles Di on th. II – III with 3 chaetae. Chaetae De 2 on th. II – III and De 3 on th. III connected with tubercle De. Chaetae De 3 on abd. I – III connected with tubercle De (Fig. 13). Tubercle L on abd. III and IV with 6 – 7 and 9 chaetae respectively. Furcal vestige without microchaetae. Tubercles Di on abd. V with chaetae Di 2 and Di 3 as Mc (Fig. 12). Chaetae L' (4 – 5) and Vl on abd. V present. Cryptopygy present, relatively well developed, Abd. VI hardly visible from dorsal side (Fig. 12). Chaetotaxy of legs as in Tab. 2 c. Tibiotarsi with chaetae B 4 and B 5 short. Claw without inner tooth.

Diagnosis. Habitus typical of the genus Cryptonura. Colour of the body bluish-gray, 2 + 2 eyes darkly pigmented. Dorsal tubercles present and well developed, triangular in shape. Buccal cone short, labrum not pointed. Head with chaetae A, B, C and E. Chaeta O absent. Tubercles Af and Cl separate. Tubercles Dl and (L + So) on head with 6 and 8 chaetae respectively. Tubercle Di on th. I with 1 chaeta. Tubercles De on th. II and III with 3 and 4 chaetae respectively. Tubercles L on abd. III and IV with 6 – 7 and 9 chaetae respectively. Macrochaetae Ml relatively long, Ml Di 1 of abd. IV longer than axial diameter of the abdomen. Cryptopygy present, relatively poorly developed. Claw without inner tooth.

Remarks. Within the genus Cryptonura, C. maxima sp. nov. most closely resembles C. persica sp. nov .. Both new taxa have similar chaetotaxy of central area of the head (chaetae O and E absent), the same pigmentation of the body (bluish-gray), the number of chaete Di on th. I, the number of labral chaetae, maxilla and mandible shape, similar dorsal chaetotaxy of abdomen, development of cryptopygy and the shape of macrochaetae. However, they clearly differ in the number of chaetae Di on Th. II – III (3 in C. maxima, 2 in C. persica), the shape of labrum (rounded and short in C. maxima, pointed and elongated in C. persica), the number of chaetae Dl on the head (6 in C. maxima, 5 in C. persica), the number of chaetae L on abd. IV (9 in C. maxima, 6 in persica) and the arrangement of tubercles on the head (tubercles Af and Cl separated in C. maxima, fused in C. persica). a) Cephalic chaetotaxy – dorsal side. Tubercle Number of chaetae Types of chaetae Names of chaetae Cl 6 Ml F Mc G, E Af 6 Ml A, B Mc C Oc 3 Ml Ocm, Ocp Mc Oca Di 2 Ml Di 1 Mc Di 2 De 2 Ml De 1 Mc De 2 Dl 6 Ml Dl 1, Dl 5 Mc Dl 2, Dl 3, Dl 4, Dl 6 (L + So) 10 Ml L 1, L 4, So 1 Mcc So 2, So 3 me So 4 – 6 b) Chaetotaxy of antennae. c) Postcephalic chaetotaxy. Di Terga Dl L Scx 2 Cx Legs Fe T De Tr th. I 1 2 1 - 0 3 6 13 19 th. II 3 2 + s 3 + s + ms 3 2 7 6 12 19 th. III 3 3 + s 3 + s 3 2 8 6 11 18 Sterna abd. I 2 3 + s 2 3 – 4 VT: 4 abd. II 2 3 + s 2 6 Ve: 5 Ve 1 - Present abd. III 2 3 + s 2 6 – 7 Vel: 7 Fu: 7 me 0 mi abd. IV 2 2 + s 3 9 Vel: 4 Vec: 2 Vei: 2 Vl: 6 abd. V 3 6 – 7 + s Ag: 3 Vl: 1 L': 4 – 5 abd. VI 7 + mi Ve: 1 4 An: 2 mi Among formerly described species of the genus, C. jubilaria Smolis, 2002 from Polish Carpathians seems to be most similar to both species from Iran. All three taxa have the same number of chaetae on central area of the head, the shape of maxilla and mandible, the number of chaete Di on th. I, similar dorsal chaetotaxy of abdomen and the development of cryptopygy. Nevertheless, Carpathian species can be easily distinguished from them by white colour of the body, rounded dorsal tubercles (in C. maxima and C. persica triangular), labral formula: 4 / 2, 4 (in C. maxima and C. persica: 0 / 2,2), strongly enlarged sensillum S 4 on ant. IV (in C. maxima and C. persica S 4 of normal size), 5 cheatae d on ant. III (in C. maxima and C. persica 2 – 3 and 4 chaetae respectively), 4 cheatae Dl on the head (in C. maxima and C. persica 6 and 5 chaetae respectively) and 5 chaetae Vi on ventral side of the head (in C. maxima and C. persica 6 chaetae).

Etymology. The species name refers to the extraordinary large size of the new species.

Type material. Holotype: adult female on slide: Iran: Elburz Mts., Golestan province, near Gorgan town, Barankoh Forest [36 ° 47 ’ N 56 ° 23 ’ E] ,, Carpinus betulus forest, soil, N slope, 4.09.2011, leg. A. Falahati. Paratype: nonadult male on slide, same data as holotype. Holotype is preserved in the Department of Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Wrocław University, Poland, paratype in the collection of the second author.