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Megalothorax processus

Megalothorax processus

Panina & Potapov, 2022

GBIF:255061942

0year

ABOUT

Descriptions(1)

Examined material. Two females on slide and one sex undetermined (this specimen lost after DNA extraction), Russia (European part), Buryatia, Barguzinsky Bay of Baikal, Maksimikha, Sports and health camp " Rovesnik " [53,2921 ° N, 108,6682 ° Е]; cedar-pine rhododendron forest; 13.06.2024; leg. S. Gulgenov; Deposited in MSPU. Obtained molecular data. Russia, two individuals sequenced for near-complete n-rDNA operon sequence [PQ 900091, PQ 900092], same collection data as above. Remarks. A newly sampled population of Megalothorax was used to obtain molecular data for M. processus. A single specimen could be used for proper morphological preparation, fitting with Megalothorax processus original description, but with globular sensilla inside the sensory fields. The skin of the sequenced specimen was retrieved, and we could observe the same. The shape of those sensilla were never found to be subject to intraspecific variability. Without any molecular sampling available from specimens with the original phenotype, and due to the limited amount of available specimens from the new phenotype we tentatively refer to this material as M. cf. processus.
Panina, Ksenia, Potapov, Mikhail, Rumak, Daria, Schneider, Clément (2025): Investigation on the origin of the “ nose ” in the genus Megalothorax Willem, 1900 (Neelidae, Collembola) by the means of integrative taxonomy. Zootaxa 5590 (2): 209-230, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5590.2.3, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5590.2.3

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CLASSIFICATION

Taxonomic Classification Tree

AnimaliaArthropodaCollembolaNeelipleonaNeelidaeMegalothoraxMegalothorax processus

Occurrences with images

Source Information

Investigation on the origin of the “ nose ” in the genus Megalothorax Willem, 1900 (Neelidae, Collembola) by the means of integrative taxonomy

checklist

This dataset contains the digitized treatments in Plazi based on the original journal article Panina, Ksenia, Potapov, Mikhail, Rumak, Daria, Schneider, Clément (2025): Investigation on the origin of the “ nose ” in the genus Megalothorax Willem, 1900 (Neelidae, Collembola) by the means of integrative taxonomy. Zootaxa 5590 (2): 209-230, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5590.2.3, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5590.2.3

Abstract

Megalothorax Willem, 1900 is a genus of Collembola that comprises 36 species to date. For a long time, its diversity was overlooked, but recent integrative taxonomic works allowed us to understand better their seemingly cryptic diversity. Among the oddities of the genus are the so-called “nosed” species, i.e. species equipped with a frontal cuticular process, an unusual trait for Collembola.

In this work, we describe a new “nosed” species from the north of European part of Russia and redescribe the first known “nosed” species: Megalothorax sanctistephani Christian, 1998. This species is known only from peculiar places: initially the catacombs of a cathedral in Vienna, and our new findings in underground tunnel in Paris and Botanical Garden of Kaliningrad. We also used long-read sequencing to obtain new DNA data for “nosed” species of Collembola. We investigated the evolution of the “nose” using molecular and morphological phylogeny approaches.

This evolution remained unclear, as molecular and morphological data are conflicting on this specific point. The “nose” may have been acquired a single time, then lost secondarily in some species; or have been acquired independently several times.

Panina K, Potapov M, Rumak D, Schneider C, plazi (2025). Investigation on the origin of the “ nose ” in the genus Megalothorax Willem, 1900 (Neelidae, Collembola) by the means of integrative taxonomy. Plazi.org taxonomic treatments database. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/ywcpd2 accessed via GBIF.org on 2026-06-15.

CC0Published 2/21/2025View dataset
GBIF Usage Key
255061942
Dataset Key
10f9f8f0-805d-4078-bc8f-412874df2cc3
Origin
source
Backbone Key
11435401
Taxon ID
752287812A4DF97D2EFB8909FADAAF5F.taxon
Last Crawled
6/8/2026
Last Interpreted
6/8/2026
View on GBIFSource Reference