Typhlocharis martini Andujar, Lencina & J. Serrano, new species

Typhlocharis martini Andújar, Lencina & J. Serrano new species (Figs. 1–4) Type series. Holotype: 1 ♂, 21 -III- 2004, Fuente del Prado, Liétor (province of Albacete, Spain), 785 m. (U.T.M. 30 SWH 9167), C. Andújar leg., deposited in the Departamento de Zoología y Antropología Física, Universidad de Murcia (ZAF-UMU). Paratypes: 9 ♂ and 19 ♀, same locality and date, C. Andújar leg.(2 ♂ and 1 ♀ gold coated); 1 ♂ 3 -IV- 2005 same locality, C. Andújar leg.; 17 ♂ y 13 ♀ 17 - 2-2008 same locality, C. Andújar leg.; 1 ♂ and 1 ♀, 31 -VII- 2004, El Cenajo, Hellín (Albacete) 400 m. (U.T.M. 30 SXH0747) J. L. Lencina and C. Andújar leg.; 1 ♀, 4 -VIII- 2004 same locality, C. Andújar leg. (gold coated); 4 ♂ and 1 ♀, 24 -IX- 2004 same locality, J. L. Lencina and C. Andújar leg. (1 ♂ and 1 ♀ gold coated); 5 ♂ and 3 ♀, 13 -III- 2005 same locality, J. L. Lencina and J. Sánchez leg. (1 ♂ gold coated); 10 ♂ and 12 ♀, 21 - 1-2006, Fuente de la Parra, Ayna (Albacete) 860m (U.T.M. 30 SWH 7669) J. L. Lencina and C. Andújar leg. (3 ♂ and 2 ♀ gold coated). Two paratypes, one male and one female from Fuente del Prado are deposited in the collection of Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid. The other paratypes are deposited in the Departamento de Zoología y Antropología Física, Universidad de Murcia (ZAF-UMU), and in J. L. Lencina collection, Museo de Ciencias Naturales de Jumilla (Murcia). Diagnosis: Anophthalmous. Body long, depressed and parallel (Fig. 1), light brownish. Integument microreticulate with scattered short setae. Antennomeres 4–11 moniliform (Figs. 2 b–c). Clypeus without median tooth. Pronotum (Fig. 2 e) relatively slender (L/W = 1.1) with minute dentiform projection at hind angle and bisinuate base. Each elytron with seven setae in the lateral umbilicate series distributed in two groups of 4 + 3 (Fig. 3 c), and without dentiform projection at end of carina but with sutural angle dentiform (Figs. 2 d). Female without lateral fovea on first ventrite (Fig. 3 a). Male genitalia (Fig. 4 a) with median lobe slightly arcuate and ventral side almost straight. Female genitalia (Fig. 4 b) with gonocoxite 2 of IX gonocoxa elongate, membranous, with tubular shape and two apical nematiform setae. Description: Length of holotype: 1.7 mm. Length of paratypes: 1.6–1.8 mm. Body long, depressed and parallel, light brownish. Integument microreticulate, mesh pattern isodiametric, with scattered short setae. Head capsule (Fig. 2 a) robust, slightly narrower than pronotum and almost as wide (0.34 mm.) as long (0.36 mm.), slightly depressed in the middle of the frons, with two frontal divergent depressions delimiting it. Dorsal surface reticulate except stridulatory area without microlines. Clypeus without median tooth. Anophthalmous. Appendages: antennomeres 1–3 apically dilated, 4–11 moniliform (Figs. 2 b and 2 c); Labial mentum with one tooth and lateral lobes rounded (Fig. 2 d); penultimate labial palpomere thickened, ultimate palpomere minute. Setation: clypeus with two setae (C 1–2), the external pair longer than the internal. Cephalic capsule with three frontal setae (F 1–3), two median (M 1–2), and five large periorbital setae (supraorbital plus temporal), lateral carina with minor setae. Labrum with five setae (L 1–5), three short and medial, one long and lateral and one external to the latter; labial mentum with two pairs of long setae, one close to the base of tooth and another on the lateral lobes, and prebasally with two lateral pairs of setae. Prothorax. Pronotum (Fig. 2 e) longer (0.48 mm.) than wide (0.42 mm.) and surface microreticulate (Fig. 2 e). Disc flattened. Anterior margin slightly arcuate. Sides from middle to posterior angles slightly crenulate and narrowed. Hind angle distinctly marked with a small acute tooth (Fig. 2 g). Posterior margin bisinuate. One seta in anterior quarter of lateral margin and another on hind angle. Sparse minute setae evenly dispersed onto the disk. Four or five pairs of strong setae on the anterior margin and two pairs of setae on the posterior margin. Both anterior and posterior margins with a row of tomentose setae. Prosternum with sparse and short setae (Fig. 2 f). Elytra (Fig. 3 b–d) twice longer (0.88 mm.) than wide (0.42 mm.), totally reticulate, with longitudinal carina at seventh stria short, not extended to the apical margin of elytron (it disappears in the posterior fifth), and thus not forming there a small dentiform projection. Basal and lateral margins perpendicular, humeral region clearly marked and humeral angle smoothly rounded. Sides parallel with lateral margins slightly serrate to posterior quarter. Sutural angle dentate and divergent (Fig. 3 d). There are five longitudinal series of setae. Lateral margin with four setae in the anterior umbilicate group and three setae in the posterior group (Fig. 3 c). First ventrite of female without lateral fovea (Fig. 3 a). Legs similar in both sexes without special features such as dentiform projections or distally dilated femora (Fig. 2 f, 3 a). Front tibia with antenna cleaner (toilette organ) long and regularly arcuate, with one securiform clip seta at its proximal border (Fig. 2 h), also reported in other species (e.g., T. gonzaloi: Ortuño, 2005). Trochanter long with rounded apex (Fig. 3 a), similar in male and female. Female genitalia (Fig. 4 a) according to the model of Vigna Taglianti (1972), with long tubular gonocoxites showing two apical nematiform setae. Spermatheca ovoid, sclerotized, spermathecal gland distally dilated. Male genitalia (Fig. 4 b) with the median lobe slightly curved and the ventral side almost straight, apex short, acute and curved. Internal sac with a small sclerotized piece. Parameres with two apical setae. Habitat: The type locality of Typhlocharis martini n. sp., Fuente del Prado, is a spring on a hillside facing south near Mundo River. There were uncultivated terraces with abundant Brachypodium phoenicoides and Imperata cilíndrica. Samples were collected in the soil B horizon, in between some roots. The El Cenajo place was a slope close to a hot spring on a hillside facing south, 50 meters from the Segura River bank. Vegetation was made up of Pinus halepensis, Phragmites australis, Imperata cylindrica and Dittrichia viscosa. Fuente de la Parra is a spring close to a usually dry stream bed (a typical “rambla”), with a vegetation similar to that of El Cenajo. These localities are located in the Upper Segura River Basin (Fig. 5). Other endogean beetles were also collected with T. martini (Staphylinidae, Scydmaenidae and Endomychidae) and are under study for species identification. Etymology: The specific epithet is a Latinized eponym, genitive case, based on the surname of Javier Martín, in recognition of his contribution to the knowledge and conservation of the natural life of Castilla-La Mancha. Affinities. T. martini is included in the diecki group, which includes 8 species, seven of the Iberian Peninsula (Fig. 5) and one from Tunisia: T. besucheti Vigna-Taglianti 1972 (Sierra Nevada, Spain), T. carmenae Zaballos & Ruíz-Tapiador 1994 (Montes de Toledo, Spain), T. diecki Ehlers 1883 (Navarra, Spain), T. farinosae Zaballos & Ruiz-Tapiador 1997 (Montes de Toledo, Spain), T. gonzaloi Ortuño 2005 (Alicante, Spain), T. lunai A. Serrano & Aguiar 2006, T. martini n. sp. (Albacete, Spain), and T. santschii Normand, 1915 (Kairouan and Sousse, Tunisia). Within the group T. martini and T. besucheti are closely related species on morphological grounds but are distinguished by body proportions and the shape of the pronotal base. Both species show an incomplete elytral carina and lack a preapical dentiform projection on the elytral margin. The other species of the group exhibit a complete carina and a dentiform projection where the carina meets the elytral margin (except for T. lunai). Of these T. santschii and T. lunai are readily differentiated because they have long discal setae on the elytron, elongate pronotum (T. santschii), or inner margin of profemur toothed (T. lunai), among other features. The other species show a small body size (1.2 mm or less) with rounded sutural angle (T. gonzaloi and T. diecki), or a larger size (about 1.5 mm or more) and a dentate sutural angle (T. carmenae and T. farinosae).