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Neelus cvitanovici

V.Papác, M.Lukic & L.Kovác, 2016

GBIF:7676799

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PROFILE

Species Profile

Habitat

Terrestrial

ABOUT

Descriptions(6)

Description. Body length 0.7 – 1 mm, habitus typical of the genus. Colour of the body mostly whitish, sometimes with reddish pigment. Cuticle finely granulated, integumentary channels observed on head and thorax, connection of epicuticular channels with l. v. on head crossed (Fig. 7). Head (Figs 4 – 7). Head length and width as 280 and 245 µm, respectively. Antero-dorsal area with 9 + 9 ordinary chaetae (lateral ones longer than axial, 18 – 20 and 12 – 16 Μm, respectively) and 2 unpaired chaetae. Antero-lateral area with 4 + 4 chaetae (18 µm). Postero-dorsal area with 10 + 10 chaetae. Postero-lateral area with 3 + 3 chaetae (Fig. 4). Labrum with 5,5,4 chaetae. Anterior chaetae a 1 and a 2 thick, curved, a 2 (20 µm) longer than a 1 (13 µm); chaeta a 1 medially with 1 strong tooth and finely serrate in distal half; a 2 with external edge finely serrate. Medial chaetae (m-row) equal (16 µm), smooth, spine-like. Posterior chaetae (p-row) smooth, lateral longer than axial (15 and 13 µm, respectively). Maxillary palp simple, with 1 enlarged terminal (24 µm), 1 basal (15 µm) and 1 sublobal chaeta (Fig. 6). Basomedian field of labium with 4 + 4 chaetae (Fig. 7), medial ones longer (20 µm) than others (13 – 15 µm); basolateral field with 2 + 2 chaetae and 1 + 1 chaetae on tubercle (Fig. 7). Ventral side of head with 3 + 3 smooth postlabial chaetae (Fig. 7); 2 + 2 anterior chaetae unequal: lateral ones shorter (18 µm), axial longer and slightly curved (20 µm); posterior 1 + 1 chaetae thickened and curved (20 µm). Mandible with 5 asymmetrical apical teeth. Maxilla as in Fig. 5. Thorax and abdomen (Figs 8 and 10). Dorsal side of thorax and abdomen covered with ordinary chaetae, τchaetae, wax rods and swollen S-chaetae of different size (4 – 6, 12 and 15 – 18 Μm). Dorso-lateral area of Th. II with 12 + 12 ordinary chaetae and 2 + 2 τ-chaetae. Precoxal area of Th. II with 2 + 2 ordinary chaetae, 1 + 1 τ-chaetae and 1 + 1 flame-shaped S-chaetae s 1. Dorso-lateral area of Th. III-anterior abdomen not seen clearly, with 7 + 7 ordinary chaetae, 2 + 2 S-chaetae (s 3, s 3 ’), 7 + 7 wrc (wrc 1 – 7), 8 + 8 τ-chaetae and several tertiary rods. Precoxal area of Th. III with 2 + 2 ordinary chaetae and 1 + 1 τ-chaetae. Posterior part of the abdomen with 7 + 7 ordinary chaetae (12 – 18 Μm), 1 + 1 S-chaetae (s 2), 1 + 1 wrc and numerous tertiary rods of different length (4 – 6 Μm) and width arranged as in Fig. 10; their overall number not seen clearly. Longer tertiary rods present mostly on posterior part of abdomen and smaller ones on dorso-lateral area of Th. III. Abd. tergum VI with 4 + 4 chaetae (18 – 23 µm), 1 + 1 microchaetae (Μ. av) and 1 unpaired posterior mesochaeta of anal valve (av, 8 µm). Abd. V – VI sterna cryptic. Ventral anal valves each with 2 + 2 microchaetae (Μ. av) and 1 + 1 mesochaetae (av). Abd. VI sternum with 1 + 1 mesochaetae (8 – 10 µm) and 6 + 6 macrochaetae, one of them placed more laterally (25 – 35 µm). Female genital plate (Fig. 11) with 4 + 4 chaetae (12 – 16 µm) and 1 + 1 axial microchaetae. Chaetae of male genital plate arranged in circle, their overall number difficult to observe. Abd. IV sternum with 4 + 4 chaetae in one row (18 Μm, 1 chaeta placed more laterally) and 1 + 1 distal chaetae (12 µm). Lateral part of Abd. IV sternum with 1 + 1 short, sharply pointed and curved neosminthuroid chaetae (8 µm) (Fig. 11). Appendages. Antennal segments III and IV distinctly separated (Fig. 13). Length of antennae 140 µm, ratio antenna / head = 0.5; length of antennal segments I, II, III and IV as 15, 32, 38 and 55 µm. Ant. I segment furnished with 3 short chaetae (10 µm). Ant. II segment with 1 medial chaeta and 5 apical chaetae arranged in a whorl. Ant. III with 13 ordinary chaetae in three whorls (distribution from base to apex: 2, 4, 7 chaetae); five apical S-chaetae (S 1 – S 5), S 1 and S 4 long and tubular (31 µm each), S 2 and S 3 short and tubular (16 µm), S 5 short and flameshaped (5 µm). Ant. IV segment with 16 ordinary chaetae, whorls unclear; 11 S-chaetae with round apex, 9 of them long (up to 30 µm), Sx shorter and basally thick (11 µm), Sy thicker than other S-chaetae (25 µm); two rod-like curved chaetae in apical (a) and sub-apical position (sa) and subapical organite Or with two filaments (6 µm). Complete chaetotaxy of antenna provided in Table 2. Chaetae numbers of legs I – III (Figs 16 – 18): scx I: 1, 1, 3; scx II: 1, 1, 1; coxae: 1, 1, 2; trochantera: 4, 3, 3; femora: 9, 10, 10 and tibiotarsi: 16, 15, 15. Thin meso- or microchaetae in following numbers on leg I: coxa with 1, trochanter with 2, femur with 1; on leg II: trochanter with 1, femur with 1; on leg III: trochanter with 1, femur with 1. For complete chaetotaxy of legs see Table 3. Tibiotarsal tenent chaeta straight and pointed (18 µm). Unguis narrow and elongated, both unguis and unguiculus unequally long in leg I, II and III: unguis 45, 40 and 33 µm, respectively, unguiculus 20, 20 and 22 µm, respectively. Ratio unguis length vs. tibiotarsus length on leg I – III respectively as 0.58, 0.63, 0.54. Ratio unguis length vs. pretarsus width on leg I – III respectively as 3.75, 3.3, 2.75. Main lamella of unguis furnished with 2 long proximal lamellae in external position la and lp and 1 median lamella Bp; unguiculus untoothed without apical filament, with broad basal tubercle. Tubus ventralis with 2 + 2 distal chaetae and posterior lobe (Fig. 12). Retinaculum with 3 + 3 teeth, chaeta on corpus absent (Fig. 14). Furca well developed (Fig. 15), length of manubrium, dens (dp and dd) and mucro: 68, 35, 95 and 80 µm, respectively. Manubrium posteriorly with 4 + 4 chaetae, lateral shorter (10 µm) than axial (15 µm). Dens in proximal part (dp) with 2 + 2 posterior chaetae, lateral (8 µm) shorter than axial (14 µm); distal part (dd) with a basal postero-external spine (E 3), two median spines (postero-external E 2 and postero-internal J 2), 5 apical spines (lateral AE 1, AJ 1, anterior A 1, postero-external E 1 and postero-internal J 1) and 1 apical posterior chaeta (P 1,15 µm). Mucro with serrated posterior lamellae and rounded tip, 9 Μm wide in its middle part. Sensory fields (Figs 4, 8, 9, 17 and 18). 6 + 6 s. f. placed in depressions each with secretory rod (7 – 8 µm), i. e. blunt, straight chaeta with basal part inserted in the cuticle and placed in upper margin of the field. The fields have following arrangement: (a) anterior and posterior field on head (s. f. 1, 2; 20 x 15 µm) each with secretory rod and 1 internal chaeta (on anterior field 21 µm, on posterior one 17 µm, respectively); (b) thoracal field (s. f. 3; 55 x 30 µm) with secretory rod, 3 curved internal spines (13 µm) arranged in triangle, 3 + 3 external marginal chaetae (12 µm) and 1 unpaired chaeta (6 µm) above secretory rod and 3 marginal external chaetae below the field (15 – 20 µm); (c) abdominal field (s. f. 6; 30 x 25 µm) with secretory rod, 1 curved internal spine (7 µm), 2 marginal chaetae (1 internal, 1 external; 12 µm and 14 µm respectively) and S-chaetae (s 2); (d) fields in the precoxal area of Th. II and III (s. f. 4, 5; 20 x 15 µm) each with secretory rod, 2 curved spines (6 µm). Both s. f. with 2 marginal external chaetae (10 µm, respectively 17 and 24 µm). Both sexes known. Males and females differ only in shape and chaetotaxy of genital area. Variability. In specimens from caves Markova špilja (Paklenica), Ostrvička špilja and Donja Cerovačka špilja tertiary rods take place of 2 + 2 ordinary chaetae on posterior part of abdomen (Fig. 8, 10).