A striking new genus and species of troglobitic Campodeidae (Diplura) from Central Asia

By

Sendre, Alberto
Sket, Boris
Stoev, Pavel

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2017

Original Publication

Subterranean Biology

Volume

23

Pages

47-68

Subjects

identification key , Koytentag Mountain , Plusiocampinae , Turkmenistan

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/subtbiol.23.14631

 

Abstract

A striking new genus and species of Campodeidae (Diplura), Turkmenocampa mirabilis Sendra & Stoev, gen.n., sp.n., found in Kaptarhana cave in Eastern Turkmenistan is described. This represents the first record of Diplura from Central Asia and also the first terrestrial troglobiont found in Turkmenistan. The new taxon shows several unique characters such as the lack of crests on the telotarsus, the presence of a side-shoot process and the shape of barbs on the ventral side of the laminar telotarsal processes hitherto unknown in other members of this family. Although T. mirabilis is tentatively placed in the subfamily Plusiocampinae, its true affinities remain uncertain. The new finding provides further support to the importance of Kaptarhana as a refuge for a number of endemic invertebrates.