Entomobrya mediostriata

Ecology. Unknown.

Description. Body length (excluding antennae) 2.50 mm (n = 2), up to 2.70 mm (Paratype). Ground colour pale yellowish, with violet pigment on antennae, and blue pigment on frontal head and the posterior area behind the eyes, lateral Th II – Abd I and lateral posterior Abd II, a dorsocentral line on Th II – Abd III broadening towards the posterior part, and other areas as in Fig. 2 C. Head. Eight eyes, GH smaller than EF (Fig. 5 A). Antennae length 1.50 mm, 2.9 – 3.0 times the length of the head (n = 2); Ant IV with bilobed apical vesicle and bifurcate pin chaeta present; subapical organite very small, as a drumstick, with a smooth chaeta below; sensory organ of Ant III with the special sensilla long-ovoidal, and three guard additional sensilla; relative length of Ant I / II / III / IV = 1 / 1.50 / 1.50 / 2.20 (n = 2). Prelabral chaetae ciliated. Labral papillae smooth and rounded. Lateral process of labial papilla E not reaching its apex. Maxillary palp bifurcate, with three sublobal chaetae. Body. Length ratio of Abd IV / III = 6.60 (n = 1). Trochanteral organ with approximately 25 chaetae. Tibiotarsus not sub-segmented, without smooth chaetae, except for smooth terminal chaeta on leg III. Claw with four inner teeth: paired at 50 % and first unpaired at 75 % from the basis, second unpaired minute and subapical; unpaired dorsal tooth basal (Fig. 5 E). Empodium lanceolate, with serrated external lamella (pe) in leg III. Tenent hair clavate, longer than the claw. Length of manubrium and dens 0.55 and 0.70 mm, respectively (n = 1). Manubrial plate with 13 – 15 chaetae and two pseudopores. Mucro with subapical tooth bigger than the apical one, mucronal spine reaching the tip of the subapical tooth; area not crenulated of dens less than two times the length of mucro. Macrochaetotaxy (Figs 5 A – D). Simplified Mc formula: 3 - 1 - 0 - 3 - 2 / 4 - 5 / 2 - 5 / 0 - 2 - 1 / 1 (2) - 3 - 3 - 4 - 2. Head: H 1 area with Mc An 2, An 3 a 1, and An 3; H 2 area with one Mc (A 5); H 4 area with three Mc (S 1, S 3, and S 4 i); H 4 ’ area with three Mc (S 5, S 5 i, and S 4); H 5 area with Ps 2 and Ps 5 Mc. Mesothorax: area T 1 with four Mc (m 1, m 2, m 2 i, and m 2 i 2); T 2 with five Mc (a 5, m 4, m 4 i, m 4 p, and m 5). Abdomen: Abd II area A 1 with two Mc (a 2 and a 3), area A 2 with five Mc (m 3, m 3 ep, m 3 e, m 3 ea, and m 3 ei 2); Abd III without Mc on A 3, two on A 4 (a 2 and a 3) and one on A 5 (m 3), a 6, m 6, m 7, and p 6 as Mc, ‘ s’ between m 6 and p 6, ‘ ms’ interiorly; Abd IV with one or two Mc on A 6 area (B 1 and sometimes B e 3), three on A 7 (A 3, B 3, and E 1), three on A 8 (A 4, B 4, and C 2 a), four on A 9 (A 5, A e 5 pp, B 5 and an additional under B 5), and two on A 10 (A 6 and B 6; sensillar formula from Th II to Abd V normal as in the rest of Entomobryinae: 2,2 / 1,2,2,7 - n, 3; microsensillar formula from Th II to Abd III: 1,0 / 1,0,1.

Figs 2 C, 5 A – E

Diagnosis. The unequivocal identification of the species can only be done using the abbreviated formula of head (H 1 – 5 areas), Th II (T 1 – 2 areas), Abd II (A 1 – 2 areas), Abd III (A 3 – 5 areas), and Abd IV (A 6 – 10 areas) Mc, as: 3 - 1 - 0 - 3 - 2 / 4 - 5 / 2 - 5 / 0 - 2 - 1 / 1 (2) - 3 - 3 - 4 - 2.

Remarks. Entomobrya mediostriata sp. nov. is similar to four other species that share a similar dorsal macrochaetotaxy of Abd II – III (E. emiliae Furgoł, 2017; E. pulcherrima Yosii, 1942; E. leviseta Ma & Shi, 2018, and E. umbroviolacea sp. nov.). E. emiliae has a different formula for Th II (3 - 6) and Abd IV 6 - 1 0 4 - 1 - 1 (2) - 4), labral papillae with a projection but not seta-like, a different shape for the claw (dorsal tooth not basal), and external empodium smooth; E. pulcherrima has a different macrochaetotaxy formula for the head and Abd IV (0 - 0 - 2 - 2 - 3), labral papillae simple and smooth, antennal apical vesicle simple and a significantly different number of Mc on the manubrial plate. E. leviseta has a different macrochaetotaxy formula for the head (and the formula for Abd IV is plurichaetotic (35 – 46 Mc) and eyes GH similar in size to EF. The color pattern is too very different when all these species are compared. From the separation of E. umbroviolacea sp. nov. see the remarks for this late species below.

Etymology. The specific epithet refers to the distinct dorsocentral line on the body.

Type material. Holotype: female on a slide, RUSSIA, ~ 3 km NE Arkhara, top of hill, dry young oak-forest, litter (49.47551, 130.12499, 242 m a. s. l.), 17. viii. 2014, hand collection, cod. AO 2014 - 2 R- 01. Paratypes (same data as Holotype): 2 females on the slides (AO 2014 - 2 R- 02 and 03) and 9 specimens in ethyl alcohol (AO 2014 - 2 R- 04 to 12); three specimens in ethyl alcohol (AO 2014 - 5 R- 01 to 03). Kuznetsova, N. and Potapov, M. leg.